Ontario Casino and Card Room Gaming

Ontario has charitable and commercial casinos, slot facilities, and slots at racetracks, which are overseen by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and run by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).

The AGCO regulates and oversees the slot and casino locations in the province that are conducted and managed by the OLG. The revenue from these properties, along with slots at racetracks and lotteries, guarantees CAD 100 million annually to various charities throughout the province.

In 2012, the government of Ontario announced plans to privatize OLG and build new casinos in Ontario in an effort to partially erase a CAD 16 billion deficit.

The goal was to build as many as 12 casinos by 2018 to generate an additional CAD 1.3 billion in tax revenue annually, but the plan to build high-profile casinos, particularly in Toronto and Ottawa, failed spectacularly. In May 2013, the Toronto City Council voted 40-4 against building a casino in Toronto. The Ottawa City Council approved a casino to be built at the Rideau Carleton Raceway, which is well outside Ottawa's central downtown core.

OLG revised its estimate to CAD 600 million of additional tax revenue to be generated under a scaled-down privatization plan. A 2014 government review of the OLG's initial privatization plans found that the plan was aggressive and much too optimistic.

In June 2005, the provincial legislature passed the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, which banned smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces, including casinos. The ban took effect in June 2006. Revenue for casinos in Ontario near the U.S. border dropped as American gamblers opted to travel to other casinos where they could smoke.

In 2016, OLG began a major modernization program for its lottery business, enhancing its potential through technology and innovation.

In early 2018, OLG started to privatize casino operations. OLG chose Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Ltd. as the service provider for its Central Gaming Bundle. It also started a modernization process that includes renovation of casinos and other gaming venues as well as replacing old video lottery terminals.

Although not operated for profit, Casino City considers gaming activities conducted at charitable casinos to be casino and card room gaming activities.