Grand River Raceway
The property and facilities are owned and operated by the Grand River Agricultural Society (G.R.A.S.) a not-for-profit corporation, incorporated under the Agricultural Societies Act of Ontario and operated by a volunteer board of directors. Best known as a racing, gaming & dining entertainment destination, Grand River Raceway also offers Meetings & Events Services, with rentals of the many rooms and spaces for business events, conferences, parties, complemented by in-house catering. The Society leases space to the OLG for the slot machines; the OLG is the operator and employer for the slots operation.
In 2009, the Raceway paid Centre Wellington $1.6 million in taxes and the OLG paid the Township an additional $1.78 million, from a share of the profits.
A plan for substantial expansion was approved by Township Council in February 2017; this is expected to add gaming tables (up to 52) and many slot machines (up to 1200 in total). Some councilors were strongly opposed to the plan. The rationale for the majority decision was the revenue benefit; since the casino opened, the Township has received over $22 million from the Raceway and the OLG's currently small slot machine operation.
References
- ^ "Slots & Casinos | About OLG".
- ^ "About".
- ^ "Gaming". grandriverraceway.com. Grand River Raceway. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ Racing in Rural Canada: Economic Impacts of the Grand River Raceway on Elora, Ontario, Canada
- ^ Robinson, Mike (February 2017). "Centre Wellington Council Votes 4-3 in Favour of Potential Grand River Raceway Expansion". Wellington Advertiser. Guelph. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.