Patrons arrive at Windsor Raceway Slots on Tuesday. The slots will be removed from the track and close by April 30, The Windsor Star has learned. It will cost 215 people their jobs. Slot operations in Sarnia and Fort Erie will also close, a source said.The Windsor Star:
Windsor, Ontario - Windsor Raceway will lose its 750 slot machines and cost 215 people their jobs, The Star has learned.
A source confirmed that the province will close slots at Windsor Raceway, as well as in Sarnia and Fort Erie. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation will make an official announcement this morning at 9 a.m.
Of the 215 people employed at Windsor Raceway slots, 139 are full time and 76 are part time. There will be a severance package, the source confirmed.
The slot machines will stop operating on April 30, 2012, but the funding to the raceway will continue until March 31, 2013, the source said.
Employees were being called to a general meeting this morning, the source said, to be informed of the move. The raceway slots will also be closed for 24 hours, starting at 9 a.m. today.
The rationale behind removing the slot machines from Windsor Raceway, the source said, is to ensure the longterm viability of Caesars Windsor since the casino employs the largest number of people.
Revenues from the province's casinos have dropped from $800 million a year to $100 million.
Marisa Forsyth, the staff representative for the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union, which represents the 31 security officers employed at the raceway, said she had not received any information from the employer yet and would not comment until she heard from the OLG.
On Monday, the Ontario government announced its plans to overhaul gaming in the province, based on recommendations from a recent OLG report which suggested, among other things, ending the province's practice of sharing slot machine revenues with racetracks, launching online gambling and opening a casino in the Greater Toronto Area.
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