Lottery Corp announces latest casino payout to City

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO LOTTERY & GAMING CORPORATION

************************* OLG distributes $373,971 to Sault Ste. Marie to assist Sault Area Hospital and physician recruitment

SAULT STE. MARIE - Sault Ste. Marie received $373,971 today for hosting OLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie.

The payment was for the host municipality’s first-quarter share of slots revenue (April to June 2010).

To date, Sault Ste. Marie has received more than $17.6 million in non-tax gaming revenue.

Payments are made on a quarterly basis according to the government fiscal year, which runs April to March.

OLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie opened on May 24, 1999.

Since opening, the facility has attracted more than 9.8 million visitors.

"The strong partnership between the City of Sault Ste. Marie and OLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie continues to benefit our community," says MPP David Orazietti. “In addition to the jobs created, the sharing of gaming revenue allows us to continually invest in our community and support important local initiatives.”

The City designates its share of slots revenue to support the development of the new hospital and physician recruitment program.

The City allocates $1 million per year from its share of slot revenues towards funding the new hospital - a 13-year commitment that will benefit the community of Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding area.

In total, OLG issued more than $18.3 million in first-quarter non-tax gaming revenue payments to 23 host municipalities that host OLG Casinos and OLG Slots-at-racetrack facilities.

To date, OLG has distributed $705.9 million to these host municipalities.

Each municipality hosting an OLG casino facility receives 5 percent of the gaming facility’s gross slot machine from the first 450 slot machines and 2 percent from any additional machines over that number.

Funds are used at the discretion of the municipality.

In 2010-11 the province will allocate $120 million in gaming revenue to support charities through the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).

Every year, the Government of Ontario allocates 2 percent of gross revenue from slot machines at OLG casinos and OLG slots-at-racetrack facilities to the province’s problem gambling program for research, treatment and prevention programs.

The amount for fiscal 2010-11 is estimated at $39 million.

OLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie is owned, operated and managed by OLG.

OLG is a provincial agency responsible for province-wide lottery games and gaming facilities.

Since 1975, OLG lotteries, casinos, slots and resort casinos have generated more than $32 billion for the benefit of the Province of Ontario.

Gaming proceeds support Ontario's hospitals, amateur sport, recreational and cultural activities, communities, provincial priority programs such as health care and education, and local and provincial charities and non-profit organizations through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Know your limit, play within it!

The Ontario problem gambling helpline number is 1-888-230-3505.

*************************