In Ontario, the government has signed an agreement-in-principle allowing the casino at Ajax Downs to remain open despite the proposed Durham Live megacasino opening slightly more than four miles away in Pickering. The action required Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to rewrite gaming rules. Both casinos will be operated by Vancouver-based Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, which last year received a contract from OLG to run facilities in the Greater Toronto Area.
Earlier this year, Great Canadian announced it would move the casino at Ajax Downs to Pickering. That followed years of legal battles by Ajax and Pickering, which both campaigned for a casino and the associated economic benefits.
Ajax MPP and Environment Minister Rod Phillips said, “People sometimes like to have different entertainment choices. And so why couldn’t there be two facilities operating and run by the same operator?” He argued the two casinos will offer different experiences, with Casino Ajax offering 500 slot machines plus its existing horse racetrack, and the proposed Durham Live casino planning to offer 2,700 slots and 1,000 table games plus hotels and theme parks.
Previously, OLG rules allowed only one casino in suburbs east of Toronto, including Pickering, Ajax and Whitby. OLG officials said the corporation “created a new gaming zone in the GTA, as permitted under existing agreements, to accommodate the retention of slot operations at Casino Ajax.” They added the proposed deal “is commercially viable” for Ontario, allowing the Ajax casino to remain open until 2026 with options for a 12-year extension.
Ajax Mayor Steve Parish called the agreement-in-principle a “very positive thing” for Ajax. The municipality receives an average of $7.5 million per year in casino tax revenue. The facility also supports Ontario’s only quarter-horse racing facility, which provides 1,700 jobs. “The bottom line for the government is maximizing revenue to the provincial government, and I would think that the government would be persuaded by the mix that gives the provincial government the maximum revenue,” Parish said.
Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan added, “There’s just so much more in the Durham Live facility, I’m not concerned at all.” Durham Live is expected to create up to 10,000 jobs.
