As the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.(OLG) talks with possible service providers to operate two casinos in Niagara Falls, the city government said last week that it would like its wishes taken into account during the process.
Councilmember Victor Pietrangelo commented, “We’re very supportive of separately managed properties, so that we can utilize the benefits of competition,” adding, “We’d like to see both properties, not just one, re-branded and re-developed.”
Pietrangelo proposed a resolution, which the council adopted, asking that OLG hold off on making any decision about operators until the city’s “goals and objectives are incorporated and we are treated as key partners in the process.”
The Niagara Gaming Bundle currently includes Fallsview Casino and Casino Niagara. OLG recently issued a request for pre-qualification (RFPQ) for that “bundle.” Applicants have until December 15 to respond. They must provide financial and technical qualifications and capabilities, as well as information about experience with similar projects.
Pietrangelo added that while the good of the province should be taken into account, that what’s best for the city should also be considered.
He told Yogonet: “First and foremost is the long-term security of the employees at both of our casinos. Secondly, we have the businesses that rely on the casinos, and also the people that are employed by those businesses,” and added, “This isn’t a minor decision that the province is about to make. I think we’ve been waiting almost 25 years in order to get this opportunity, so if we don’t get a kick at the can this time, then likely we’ll be waiting another 25 years.”
The current operator of the two casinos is Falls Management Group, which OLG informed several months ago that its contract would not be extended beyond June 10, 2019.
One city council member expressed the hope that “some of the big players” from Las Vegas would become involved and “make this a game changer.”
Another, Kim Craitor, who for a decade served as a member of the provincial parliament, advised the city to go beyond the OLG and appeal to the provincial government to improve its chances of being heard.
Mayor Jim Diodati agrees, and said that he and city staffers have been talking with Premier Kathleen Wynne’s office and other officials. He would like to see something like a Caesars Palace or MGM Grand in Niagara Falls.
A spokesman for OLG said it had received the council’s comments, but that the procurement process involves commercially sensitive information, and so can’t be discussed publically.
