Earlier this year, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced that it would be modernizing its lottery services. In addition to launching an online gambling website, the lottery regulator also made a number of other plans that would help to move the OLG forward and bring it up-to-date with other local lotteries like the BCLC and Loto Quebec. Now, the company is taking its first steps in the process by issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to obtain more information from private companies that wish to aid in the modernization plans.
The RFI process will help move things forward in a number of ways. Firstly, it will give the OLG an idea of the vast range of possibilities for updating the local lottery service while providing valuable information about how to best engage private-sector gaming manufacturers. It will also reveal how the lottery can develop new games to pique player interest as well as new ways to sell lottery tickets.
The expansion of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation will not only produce more profits for the lottery itself; it will also benefit the province as a whole. The OLG estimates that the expansion will bring in an additional $1.3 billion for public programs and $3 billion for private sector investments. It will also create a number of new jobs, with 3500 new jobs in the lottery and gaming market and over 4000 new jobs in the hospitality market.
The announcement of the RFI process comes shortly after the OLG announced its plans to build a new casino within the Greater Toronto Area. Several cities have expressed interest in the idea, but Rob Ford is determined to have the casino built on exhibition grounds. The OLG has yet to decide on a location, but we know for sure that Ontario Place is no longer an option.
Another addition to the modernization process is the introduction of online gambling. Following in the footsteps of the BCLC and Loto Quebec, the OLG wants to launch its own online gambling website, which would allow players to purchase lottery tickets and play casino games. It is expected to lure players away from offshore gambling websites, so profits will go to benefit public programs and the community at large.
