
Ottawa is reviewing the social and financial implications of expanding on site gambling at the Rideau Carlton Raceway. The reviews are part of the OLG’s gambling modernization plan, which will install casino table games at the racetrack.
One of the requirements for the review is to understand how much profit the city will receive by expanding gambling. Ottawa is budgeting for $5.6 million in revenue from the OLG slots at Rideau Carlton for 2014, and those numbers will rise in later years with the addition of table games.
The OLG handed the city the agreed upon share of slots revenue for the final fiscal quarter of 2013 earlier this week. Ottawa generated an additional $883,170 from the slots at the end of last year, and has seen over $53 million added to the city’s budget since the slots were installed in 2000.
Over 1,200 slots are in operation at Rideau Carlton, and Ottawa city council approved adding 21 casino table games to the facility under OLG supervision. The table games will allow gamers to play blackjack, roulette, and other popular games at the racetrack as Ottawa continues to debate the merits of a fully functional privatized casino.
Under a new agreement with the OLG, Ottawa will receive a 4 percent cut from the revenue made on the table games. This agreement is in addition to the slots revenue sharing plan, which will increase the amount of money the city can expect from gambling operations.