Ken Mann
2/12/2013
Hamilton City Council is two days away from going another round in the casino debate.
Much of the focus will be on a motion to be presented by Sam Merulla which would name Flamborough Downs as the only possible location for a gaming facility in the city.
Council's current position is that the existing gaming site is its preferred location. Since then, the 200 million dollar, privately-funded, downtown Rockhammer entertainment complex has been proposed.
Merulla stresses that "we can't sit on the fence any longer" and "we need to be decisive in our action".
He adds that "prolonging the decision only creates more opportunity to divide this community", adding that even those who oppose a downtown casino are saying yes to the Flamborough option.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming's Rod Phillips has publicly stressed that all parties, the city, OLG and the private operator would have to be onboard in order for any new casino to get the green light, regardless of location.
OLG figures, which will be presented as part of a staff report during Thursday's meeting, also show that gaming revenues to the city could increase from 4.4 to seven million dollars if the casino moved to the core.
The same report adds that downtown-area neighbourhoods are home to the highest percentage of residents who sought treatment for problem gambling between 2002 and 2012.
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