The 1990s saw the advent of casinos.
Gambling’s growth in Ontario came about slowly, as it did throughout the rest of Canada. Bingo and parimutuel betting on horse races were the only two forms of gambling that were available in the province during the most of the 20th century. This severely restricted the betting possibilities available to residents of the province.
The enactment of the Ontario Lottery Corporation Act in 1975, on the other hand, marked the beginning of a shift in this regard. Because of this measure, the state was finally able to start holding lottery draws, which it did in the latter part of that same year with the Wintario jackpot game. In the years that have passed since then, there have been multiple revisions made to the foundation upon which the lottery is built. In the year 1999, for example, the initial bill was nullified and replaced by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act, which established the current company that is responsible for virtually all gaming in the province.
Today, the Corporation is referred to by its current name, which is OLG.
OLG is responsible for overseeing other aspects of the gaming industry throughout the province, the most notable of which are the many casinos that have proliferated throughout the region over the past two decades. Despite the fact that it still offers a variety of lottery games, including access to major national jackpots like Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Max, as well as a few sports betting games, OLG is also responsible for overseeing other aspects of the gaming industry throughout the province.
In the early 1990s, the notion of bringing full-scale casino gambling to the province first started to gain traction. The plan was met with a great deal of opposition at the time because many people believed that rather than providing Ontario with an incredible new source of revenue, it would instead take money away from those who needed it the most and were least able to afford to lose it. Additionally, they believed that it would attract criminal activity and lead to an increase in social problems as a result of an increase in problem gambling.
Even after the first establishment, Casino Windsor, opened its doors in 1993, these debates have never truly subsided; nonetheless, the growth of the business has not slowed down either. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) now owns 10 casinos around the province, some of which are also run by the corporation (others are operated privately, by companies like Caesars Entertainment and Penn National). When taken together, these and other facets of the gaming sector now generate annual net earnings in excess of $2 billion for the province of Ontario.
It’s interesting to note that the resort casino that offers the easiest access to the Ottawa region could not even be located in the province. Instead, that distinction is probably bestowed upon the Casino du Lac-Leamy, which may be found in Gatineau, Quebec, which is close. Even though it is located in a different province, it is just about a ten minute drive from Ottawa, and it is well worth the detour: this gaming facility has over 1,800 slot machines and 64 table games, in addition to the facilities of a big resort. It is a really spectacular gaming site.
A significant number of horse racing tracks are also operational around the province, with the assistance of a comparable increase in the services and activities they provide. Alongside its racing schedule, several racetracks have transitioned into “racinos,” which are similar to casinos and provide slot machines and other forms of electronic gambling in addition to the traditional table games. The OLG, which has a presence at 14 different tracks around the province of Ontario, is the organization that is normally in charge of operating these games.
This total include the contributions of the Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa, which launched its first slot machine parlor in the year 2000. It is now known as the Rideau Carleton Entertainment Centre, and in addition to live racing, it features bingo and slot machines. However, this arrangement was in jeopardy in recent years because the government at one point appeared set to remove slots at tracks. Such a move could have effectively killed off the industry, especially considering the loss of subsidies that helped keep racing profitable for tracks. After briefly limiting the races to only take place on Sundays, the provincial government reversed its decision and allowed racing to return on Thursdays. This was a positive development for Rideau Carleton, as many officials had predicted that the decision would render the racing operations unfeasible.
OLG Operates Online Site
In recent years, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s (OLG) control over gaming has moved beyond the realm of physical gambling and into the realm of online gaming as well. There are now options for players in Ottawa and the rest of Ontario to enjoy their favorite casino games online, and they can do so on sites that are licensed by the provincial government. Players in Ottawa and the rest of Ontario may now take advantage of these opportunities.
Even while some other jurisdictions may have begun the practice earlier, it was only a matter of time until the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) created their very own lottery-backed gaming website. This occurred in the early days of 2015, when PlayOLG.com started in January of that year in an effort to retain income from Internet gamblers in the coffers of local government, as opposed to seeing it flow to offshore sites that allowed Canadian players.