OLG names Great Canadian/Clairvest to run GTA Casinos

Great Canadian and Clairvest officially named as managers of OLG’s Toronto casinos bundle.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp (OLG) has named the new management team for its GTA casinos bundle. To the surprise of no one, Great Canadian Gaming (GCG) made the grade. GCG’s partner, Clairvest Group Inc, will assist in the undertaking.

Collectively, the two companies make up the Ontario Gaming West GTA Limited Partnership (OGWGLP). Clairvest is merely a deep wallet for the partnership. GCG will be responsible for day-to-day operations at the four casinos within the Greater Toronto Area. They include:

• OLG Casino Brantford
• OLG Slots at Flamboro Downs
• OLG Slots at Grand River Raceway
• OLG Slots at Mohawk Racetrack

OGWGLP has promised to invest heavily in these properties, improving the existing casinos, expanding services, and stimulating economic growth through new employment opportunities.

OLG Applauds West GTA Casinos Selection

In a press release on Tuesday, Ontario’s regulator celebrated the finalization of its ongoing efforts to bring a worthy operator into the regional fold.

“OLG is bringing economic development and innovative entertainment to the west GTA region by selecting OGWGLP as the service provider for the bundle,” says OLG President and CEO Stephen Rigby. “OGWGLP’s expertise and significant investment will help create up to 1,650 jobs while providing customers with exciting new entertainment options in newly-improved facilities.”

Rigby goes on to laud GCG for its ability to “build strong relationships with local communities, employees, stakeholders and the horse racing industry. We are confident Great Canadian will operate the bundle in a responsible way.”

Responsibility Issues Outside Ontario

The fact that OLG brought up the ‘responsibility‘ factor is no surprise either. Over in British Columbia, several casinos are currently under review for allegations of unbridled money laundering. One of those casinos is River Rock in Richmond, BC. Not only is that property the central focus of the investigation, it happens to be under the same ‘day-to-day‘ operation of Great Canadian Gaming.

Ontario, however, has done its due diligence in the matter. A number of officials – even Attorney General Yasir Naqvi himself – have approved the decision. It’s been confirmed that GCG is not currently under investigation in BC, or any other province, nor has the company given Ontario any reason to doubt its responsibilities within the province. GCG is already the operator of Ontario’s East Gaming Bundle, the first bundle to be awarded back in September 2015.

Toronto Casinos Prep for “Dramatic Transformation”

Rod N. Baker, President and CEO of Great Canadian Gaming, is particularly enthusiastic about this latest takeover. “Being awarded the West GTA Bundle is a true milestone for Great Canadian and the Partnership. We thank OLG for their confidence in our company and for providing us the opportunity to showcase and apply our gaming, racing and hospitality expertise to the selected properties,” said Baker.

His pride in GCG and its “long history of responsibly” was evident. He said the company is “eager and excited” to begin its duties at the four Toronto casinos.

Baker and the rest of the team at OGWGLP are preparing for “what we feel will be a dramatic transformation of the gaming experience at these four properties, for the teams that work there, and the communities they reside in.”