City of Toronto-OLG Municipality Contribution Agreement

Casino Woodbine is one of the largest gaming facilities in Ontario. Since the introduction of the casino at Woodbine Racetrack in 2000, the City has received financial contributions from the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) under a Municipality Contribution Agreement (MCA).

The racetrack is owned and operated by the Woodbine Entertainment Group, and as of January 23, 2018 the gaming operations are the responsibility of One Toronto Gaming, a private sector service provider selected by OLG. The facility hosts approximately 3,700 slot machines and 100 live-dealer table games.

In 2018, the City signed a community benefits agreement (CBA) with One Toronto Gaming, which operates Casino Woodbine in the Rexdale area of Toronto. Additional information about the Rexdale – Casino Woodbine community benefits agreement (CBA), including progress on meeting targets and requirements to be achieved, is available on the Community Benefits Agreement: Rexdale – Casino Woodbine page.

The City of Toronto entered into an agreement with OLG in 2000 to receive a portion of the revenues from the facility which was then called OLG Slots at Woodbine Racetrack.

Under the original agreement, OLG paid the City a share of the slots revenue according to a formula based on the gaming revenue and the number of slot machines at Woodbine.

In 2013 the City entered into a new MCA with OLG that outlined a new formula for host municipalities to receive a portion of gaming revenues from gaming sites in their community. Under the new MCA, the host municipality is entitled to receive from OLG in each Operating Year an amount equal to the sum of A + B, where:

A is the sum of:

  • 5.25 per cent on the first $65 million of the annual Electronic Games Revenue, plus
  • 3.00 per cent on the next $135 million of the annual Electronic Games Revenue (that is more than $65 million and less than or equal to $200 million), plus
  • 2.50 per cent on the next $300 million of the annual Electronic Games Revenue (that is more than $200 million and less than or equal to $500 million), plus
  • 0.50 per cent on the annual Electronic Games Revenue that is more than $500 million; and

B is 4.00 per cent of the annual Live Table Games Revenue, if any.

In 2019, the City received $26.7 million in hosting funds. The revenues the City receives from Casino Woodbine contribute towards implementation of the Rexdale – Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement and also benefit the City’s general revenues that fund various City programs and services. From 2000 to 2019, Woodbine has generated more than $12.1 billion in gaming revenues and the City received approximately $317 million in hosting funds which have been reinvested in the community.

The following table summarizes the annual revenue the City of Toronto has received from the Woodbine gaming site since its inception:

 

Gross Gaming Revenue
at Woodbine
($M)		 City’s share of revenues
(hosting funds) ($M)		 No. of slots at Woodbine
on Dec 31		 No. of live-dealer table games at Woodbine on Dec 31
2000 (1) 279.2 7.9 1,700 N/A
2001 432.1 12.1 1,700 N/A
2002 512.4 14.3 1,700 N/A
2003 563.3 15.7 1,700 N/A
2004 562.8 15.7 1,709 N/A
2005 524.3 14.5 1,945 N/A
2006 549.8 14.8 1,947 N/A
2007 593.7 15.9 2,009 N/A
2008 626.9 16.8 2,009 N/A
2009 602.8 16.1 2,061 N/A
2010 589.6 15.4 2,235 N/A
2011 (2) 590.3 15.2 2,711 N/A
2012 577.5 15.1 3,001 N/A
2013 (3) 599.2 17.5 3,005 N/A
2014 617.9 15.9 3,008 N/A
2015 648.5 16.2 3,009 N/A
2016 698.9 16.0 2,984 N/A
2017 748.7 16.2 2,991 N/A
2018 (4) 853.2 19.2 3,669 96
2019 968.6 (5) 26.7 3,456 110
Total 12,143.1 317.1

(1)    Opened March 27, 2000.

(2)    OLG changed reporting standard from CGAAP to IFRS effective April 1, 2011. Revenues may not be comparable pre- and post- IFRS implementation.

(3)    New municipality contribution agreement effective April 1, 2013 with new funding formula resulted in a one-time increase in the annual revenue for the City.

(4)    Live-dealer table games were introduced in 2018. In April 2018, Toronto City Council supported expanded gaming at Woodbine Racetrack by adopting the Rexdale – Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement (EX33.2), which outlines specific requirements for the developer to achieve several social and economic outcomes.

(5)    Estimated. Gross gaming revenue is not publically released by Ontario Lottery and Gaming as of 2019 due to commercial confidentiality.

(6)    As per information provided by Ontario Lottery and Gaming.