The Ontario Racing Task Force including HBPA Ont, groups from all three breeds, announce approval from OLG and the Ont. government for purse distribution.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
Elissa Blowe to assume an important new role as Manager of Product Development and Marketing – Horse Racing for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) president and CEO Stephen Rigby has issued the following letter, dated October 15, 2015, to Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) president Sue Leslie to provide the horse community an update on the integration of horse racing into the OLG’s modernization plans. Dear Ms. Leslie, As you know, over the […]
Workers at Woodbine Racetrack and Sudbury Racetrack Slots have been locked out by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) since 12:01 a.m. on September 19th. The labour dispute is affecting more than 1,000 members of the Unifor union. In an emailed statement, OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti stated “OLG has informed all unions during bargaining, […]
Toronto Mayor John Tory’s executive committee has voted to expand gaming at Woodbine Racetrack by a 10-3 majority. Just two years ago, Toronto City council struck down similar expansion plans on the site and rejected proposals to build a major casino in downtown Toronto. The approved proposal would allow the installation of 2,000 more slot […]
For the first time, representatives from the horse racing industry, the Government of Ontario and crown agencies are working together in support of a sustainable industry. Following government direction first announced in October 2013, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA), are working with the Alcohol and […]
Toronto City Council has tasked the City Manager with seeking public input on expanded gaming at Woodbine Racetrack. The public consultation will include: a public meeting in Etobicoke; an online questionnaire promoted on the City’s website and via social media; a city-wide public opinion poll; and a presentation at Executive Committee. The City Manager will […]
Last spring, a group of Standardbred breeders from Ontario launched a lawsuit against the province and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). The group, made of up breeders from nearly 40 Ontario farms, alleged that when then OLG announced the cancellation of the lucrative Slots at Racetracks Program (SARP) in March 2012, giving only […]
The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) was not surprised by the findings contained in the Auditor General’s Report on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming’s (OLG’s) Modernization Plan considering the devastation the horse racing and breeding industry has endured since the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program (SARP). “It is troubling when your own […]
A 2012 plan to modernize the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and generate higher profits for the province was “overly ambitious” and “overly optimistic,” Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk said in a Special Report released today. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s Modernization Plan Special Report also found that the “abrupt cancellation” of a program […]
New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath was in Niagara today to attend the last races of the season at Fort Erie Race Track. She was joined by NDP horse racing advocate Taras Natyshak. From a grandstand packed with horse racing fans, Horwath rejected Kathleen Wynne’s view that there’s no future for the Fort Erie Race Track. […]
Ontario has released a five-year plan for a sustainable horse racing industry in the province based on the final Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel report. The plan will strengthen the industry and support future growth by: Providing up to $400 million over five years to sustain a wide range of racing opportunities that are supported by strong […]
Rural Ontario knows the pain the Region of Waterloo is feeling as they brace for the massive layoffs Blackberry has recently announced. Since the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program last year, job losses and business closures in Ontario’s horse racing industry are more than double the expected worldwide losses of Blackberry as they […]
The following is a letter from Nick Eaves, president and CEO of the Woodbine Entertainment Group: As you are well aware, there has been a lot of activity over the last few weeks in connection with the Province’s stated commitment to a sustainable horse racing industry as well as the ongoing casino process. Over the […]
The province has announced that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) will give $80.6-million as compensation to those racetracks that invested in their infrastructure by expanding their facilities to make room for the introduction of slots over a decade ago. While the details of the agreements are confidential, it has been reported that Great Canadian […]
