Mayor Jim Watson has scrapped the idea of a downtown casino, saying that the Rideau Carleton Raceway is “the only acceptable location” for a gaming facility in Ottawa.
Watson, in a letter to council members, said his stance comes after he wrote to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and asked that the city be allowed to establish an expanded gaming facility as well as a “satellite” operation at the racetrack. The OLG responded that only one gaming site would be permitted within each gaming zone.
"It was becoming increasingly clear that there would be no future role for the RCR given the OLG’s most recent position. Therefore, I do not believe we should jeopardize the Rideau Carleton Raceway operation by not being crystal clear to the OLG prior to the start of its RFP [request for proposals] process," wrote Watson.
Watson will introduce a motion identifying the raceway as “the only acceptable location for an expanded gaming facility in Ottawa” at tomorrow’s meeting of the finance and economic development committee. The motion will be considered at the committee’s meeting in July.