According to a report by CTV National News, the owners of the Great Blue Heron Casino, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN), north of Toronto believe they got a bad deal from the government by launching iGaming in ontar and new traditional farms in the region. The Great Blue Heron Casino is located in Port Perry and opened in 1997.
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto recently opened and the multi-billion dollar property and new venues in Ajax and Pickering, not to mention the advent of commercial “free market” online casino gambling in the province of Ontario, make the First Nations operator more than nervous about the future of its business activities that provide the tribe with much-needed income. Be Boss Kelly LaRoccaputs it a little more boldly and believes that the government has done so broken his promises and shortened the operating conditions agreed with the municipality.
Property operated and managed by three different entities
The casino is owned and managed by MSIFN by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and operated by Great Canadian Entertainment. An agreement signed between the three parties in 2016 detailing MSIFN’s expectations does not reflect today’s reality on the ground. according to the boss
“I had major concerns about the opening and expansion of each casino.” said LaRocca. “It’s an existential threat to our economic engine and community here. The community feels they have been betrayed by the government.”
One point of contention seems to be the live entertainment, which Great Canadian has booked at all properties in the area except presumably in great blue heronwith Live Nation, although there is one new entertainment center planned for the oldest casino. Chief LaRocca said no one informed her about it Venue opening date with 500 seatsbut other reports point to an opening this fall.
The boss said:I see no guarantee that the artist list will be shared between installations [de Great Canadian Entertainment].”
The casino has recently seen other major upgrades including an expanded gaming area with new slots and table games, and a 100 seat hotel that opened a few years ago.
However, the chief must look after the welfare of the nation which depends on the income from the property it owns – in fact it is so important that all parties are involved in any mediation that takes place to see if all Conditions are met of the agreement are met. from 2016 are complied with. The referral could also result in freeing up more Great Blue Heron playgrounds to help you achieve your promised goals. The casino evolved from a “Charity Casino” to a commercial casino in 2016 with the agreement.
According to the boss, the casino “the economic base and soul of the community. It has provided us with clean drinking water and improved health and education services.”called.
No illusions about mediation
LaRocca stated that the community is clear on what to expect from mediation.
“You know, when the parties willingly come to a table and are open to all possibilities, then mediation works well. If the parties come to the table closed and with preconceived ideas about how things should go and have no room to move, then it really isn’t a meaningful open discussion. So we’re trying to be careful with our expectations and are willing to go all the way should we need to seek mediation.”
The boss says that the casino Pickering violates a convenience agreement in the 2016 document and says they were not consulted on this before Pickering’s apartment was approved and opened.
“We want the agreements we signed in 2016 to be fulfilled. This means that we have a protected area recognized by the Higher Regional Court.”
“The way they’ve dealt with Pickering and Ajax… we expect them to take credit and some kind of compensation for that.”
He’s worried about that too iGaming effect on the marketas he fears that allowing people to easily play casino games online will cost them money.
“We’re interested in talking about iGaming and how it’s implemented and how it’s impacting gaming in our community, facilities and other traditional settings.”said LaRocca.
“I would be very upset with the launch of iGaming, especially after investing hundreds of millions of dollars in various traditional gaming establishments only to then turn around and lose market share. But I suspect the service providers were compensated for that.”
The 2016 agreements state, among other things: “The Province and First Nation intend for the Great Blue Heron to remain operational and commercially viable.”
However, the boss sees the proliferation of new and larger casinos as a problem existential threat to the gray heron.
“The Ford administration has broken its word to our community. It is hurting a lot of tribal peoples and we need to stand up and fight the cannibalization of games.”
Spring: Faced with commercial competition, casino owners from the Great Blue Heron tribe are looking for better deals with the Ontario governmentCDC Gaming Reports, July 5, 2023
