A good bet at Woodbine
Putting a casino in downtown Toronto was a terrible idea and it met with well-deserved defeat. But different factors are at work in turning Woodbine racetrack into a full-fledged casino, complete with table games such blackjack and roulette. In this case, bringing new gambling opportunities to Toronto appears to be a good bet.
The city’s executive committee is to consider a staff report next week recommending support for a casino at Woodbine and it provides a solid case for expanded gaming.
The municipality already earns $15 million each year as its cut of the revenue generated by Woodbine’s 3,000 gaming machines, including slots and electronic poker. City staff estimate that revenue from this “hosting fund” would swell to almost $30 million if the site were turned into a major casino containing 2,000 additional machines plus 300 “live dealer” tables.
That level of activity is expected to generate between 1,000 and 1,400 new jobs (or “full-time-equivalent positions,” in the language of the report).
Benefits wouldn’t stop there. The report recommends that casino development be accompanied by building “an integrated entertainment complex.” This could include attractions such as an upscale hotel, restaurants, a bar and club zone, cinemas and high-end shopping. That would produce even more jobs and revenue for the city.
Polling on a Woodbine casino, done in conjunction with the staff report, found that 34 per cent of Torontonians backed the expansion; 25 per cent were opposed; and the rest either had mixed feelings or said they didn’t know the issue. It’s telling that support was significantly higher among residents of the Woodbine area: 50 per cent there welcome a casino and just 16 per cent are opposed.
Their bullishness is understandable. Unlike many parts of Toronto, especially downtown, Rexdale hasn’t particularly thrived. It could use a jolt of economic stimulus. Looming traffic and parking problems, which helped kill a downtown casino, don’t pose a barrier here. Woodbine is located next to Highway 427; it already has plenty of parking, and gamblers have been arriving here since the 1950s to bet on the ponies.
Slot machines were installed in 2000, making this “one of the busiest gaming floors in North America,” according to the staff report. Woodbine alone generates about 30 per cent of all gross gaming revenue from Ontario’s 20 slots and casino sites.
It’s not much of a stretch to turn this centre into a fully developed casino.
City staff recommend that the city grant the proposal conditional support — contingent on factors such as development of a suitably large entertainment complex. If these conditions aren’t satisfactorily addressed, council would be able to withdraw its backing and kill the deal. That’s a good way to protect the public interest.
One branch of the bureaucracy, Toronto Public Health, opposes expanded casino gaming on grounds that gambling can become a harmful addiction. It’s a valid concern. Public health officials advised that, if a Woodbine casino were approved, the city should insist on two conditions. First, all existing and planned measures promoting responsible gambling would be maintained. And second, the casino wouldn’t operate for more than 18 hours a day.
These seem reasonable requirements. It’s hard to imagine that a huge amount of business would be lost if the casino were to close, for example, between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m.
With the right conditions, proper planning and appropriate safeguards, it makes sense for Toronto to double down on gaming at Woodbine.
Expanding Woodbine into a full-fledged casino would raise $30 million per year in revenue for Toronto and create up to 1,400 jobs, a city staff report states