Toronto is getting a new casino. Earlier today, city council approved the much debated expansion of the Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke into a gambling wonderland with five new facilities featuring restaurants, bars, retail, a performance venue and office space.
The casino marks just one of two ambitious projects planned for the Toronto area. A sprawling new casino, hotel and waterpark is also expected to be built in nearby Pickering.
This rendering shows the scope of the new casino in Etobicoke. Image courtesy Woodbine Entertainment Group.
Gaming at Woodbine Racetrack currently brings in about $16 million in annual revenues for the city. It's predicted that once the casino is in operation, the amount could rise to between $26 million and $31 million per year.
And the major Woodbine casino item as amended is APPROVED by Toronto City Council, 26-15. Expanded gambling coming to North Etobicoke. pic.twitter.com/CtDZStSaiG
Toronto City Council has voted in favour of a casino gaming expansion at Woodbine Racetrack, according to reports. The Toronto Star has reported that City Council approved the casino expansion in. The Woodbine Entertainment Group, the company that operates the Woodbine Track in northwest Etobicoke, has been lobbying Mayor John Tory to review the May 2013 vote in which both the new casino and the Woodbine expansion were nixed. At that time, councilors approved the ban on the new casino and also banned the expansion of gambling at Woodbine.
Woodbine Casino Expansion
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) April 26, 2018Not everyone is on board with the plans. Councillor Joe Cressy tried to put forward a motion to limit the Woodbine casino's operating hours to no more than 18 hours per day. It failed.
In 2018, in Toronto, City Council is about to approve the expansion of gambling and casino facilities in Etobicoke in order to spur economic development. This is the absolute wrong way to build a healthy and economically strong City.
The expansion of gambling can be a very polarizing subject, but cooler heads are starting to prevail on the discussion of expanding the racetrack at Woodbine into a new Toronto casino. The gambling world often draws parallels between the land-based market and the online market. Through the phased approach, the Woodbine Entertainment Group has transformed the facility into a colorful entertainment complex that offers a 60,000 sq. Gaming area that holds 1,700 slot machines, and a newly renovated world class racing floor that services the Woodbine patrons. Woodbine casino expansion offers cautious hope for local job seekers — with a catch A recent report from interim city manager Giuliana Carbone notes that in 2022, when the facility is fully.
— Joe Cressy (@joe_cressy) April 26, 2018Another motion sought to develop a child care centre near the casino with a stipulation that the casino operators put up as much as $5 million to make it happen. It passed.
Woodbine Casino Expansion Project
The casino is one step closer to reality, now it's up to the province of Ontario and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. This final approval is expected to be a mere formality.