At the end of last week, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation provided an update on its Request for Pre-Qualification for its Windsor casino. The Crown agency revealed that the first step for finding a qualified operator for the property has concluded. Currently, the gaming facility is operated by Caesars Entertainment, but its contract will expire in less than two years.
OLG offers regulated but responsible casino entertainment in Ontario while reinvesting proceeds from its operations in the province. Since 1975, the Crown corporation has provided almost CA$57 billion to the province which funded important government priorities. Including health care, battling problem gambling, and support for amateur athletes, host communities, First Nations, and more.
What’s Next?
On May 25, 2023, the OLG issued a statement confirming that the day essentially put an end to its Request for Pre-Qualification for its Windsor casino, currently operated by Caesars Entertainment. This was the Crown’s first phase of the procurement process of finding a suitable service provider to take over the day-to-day operations while ensuring the long-term growth of the site.
OLG wants the next operator to ensure the location’s competitiveness in the long run, so it can continue to provide and generate economic benefits. Now, the Crown will kick off its due diligence in reviewing applications from the RFPQ process and select the proponents who will be eligible to advance to the second stage, the Request for Proposal stage of the procurement process.
According to the Crown, during the Request for Proposal state, candidates who advanced from the initial phase will receive documents that will outline the opportunity in Windsor and the information required to submit a detailed proposal. Then the OLG will pick the one that best fits the needs of the location and brings the best economic value to the region and the province.
Now Offering Retail Sports Betting
At the start of 2023, Caesars Windsor Casino made a significant improvement in its services as it launched retail sports betting for the first time. The property opened its new state-of-the-art Caesars Sportsbook on January 11, 2023, with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony which boasts seven self-service betting kiosks. There are also numerous screens for patrons to watch games on.
There were plenty of important guests at the ceremony including Windsor West MP Brian Masse, who lobbied for the decriminalization of single-event sports betting after former Windsor-Tecumseh MP Joe Comartin retired. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and the President of Caesars Windsor, Kevin Laforet are also among the guests.
Unifor Local 444 which represents numerous workers at the facility was glad to see the casino debut in-person sports wagering. President Dave Cassidy who was a major proponent said welcome sight. He also noted that the labour union has been lobbying for single-event betting since former Windsor-Tecumseh MP Joe Comartin who was the first one to introduce bills on the matter back in 2011.
Source: “RFPQ for Windsor Casino Closes” OLG, May 25, 2023
