Official: 'You're Not Going To Drop Into The Deepest Depths Of Hell' If Casino Comes To TorontoIdea Has Caused Controversy And Debate In Province |
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A casino complex in downtown Toronto faces long odds, but still has a chance, according to the most recent reports circulating the Internet. MGM Resorts International, one of the largest and most aggressive casino developers in the world, is gunning for approval.
While MGM desires access to a mammoth consumer pool, Toronto public officials won’t seriously entertain the idea unless a ton of cash (as much as $100 million per year) flows into the city’s coffers. There’s also the issue of revenue-sharing with neighboring jurisdictions.
Despite not even existing yet, a MGM Toronto casino already has a Twitter account and is dangling carrots to the public. It has less than 400 follows right now, though.
MGM has been the most vocal of its intentions, but Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Wynn Resorts reportedly could also be in the running for a Toronto gambling joint. It doesn’t appear that a high-stakes bidding war will happen between those three firms, however.
A city councilor, according to Toronto Daily Life, recently said of the casino: “If the patient was drowning before, the patient is basically in the bottom of the water now and weighted down.”
During a Saturday town-hall meeting in Toronto to discuss the casino, a mayor of a neighboring city (one that already has a casino) said, according to reporting from the Toronto Star, that a Toronto casino “is not going to be the most amazing thing ever. But you’re not going to drop into the deepest depths of Hell. It will be somewhere in the middle.”
Others turned out in support and opposition to the plan.
A vote on the controversial idea reportedly could happen in May, and if the decision is negative for gaming interests, other spots in Ontario could be targeted for construction. The battle of rhetoric and number crunching appears to be far from over.
Image via MGM.
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