Woodbine casino bid winner to be announced

An announcement by the local government to clear the pathway for a casino in Woobine, Canada, is expected to take place today.

Canada.- Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government is expected to announce the winner of the bid to take over the OLG’s (Ontario Lottery and Gaming) slots property at Woodbine today. After the suspension of trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange of Great Canadian Gaming Corp., sources confirmed that the announcement could happen today, as Toronto Sun reported.

The suspension was due to important news expected in the future, the report says. “The plan is for Great Canadian Gaming to take over the Woodbine property and the plan is for them to team with (Brookfield Developments) to develop a world-class casino project there with slots and all the usual gaming tables to go with hotel and entertainment,” said a source close to the initiative. As the news outlet said, the casino brand that could take over the project is Hard Rock.

“City council approved this more than a year ago subject to many conditions the most important of which is that the casino must be accompanied by significant additional job creating development,” said Mayor John Tory. “We had to say first we would accept a casino at Woodbine and based on gambling being there already (slots, horses) … I was prepared to say yes at Woodbine only. I did not and do not support a downtown casino as I do not think it is a suitable thing for the downtown of a great global city.”