Patrons of the Fort Erie Racetrack Slots will have less of a selection in slot machines to choose from by June of this year.
Last week, Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) announced it will be reducing the number of machines currently at the slots facility from 1,079 to 400. Don Pister, OLG spokesperson said the upcoming change will not result in layoffs but some employees will be offered a voluntary buyout, a reduction in hours, or a transfer to another OLG site.
“Staff will be offered some options,” said Pister.
He pointed out that OLG is evaluating the efficiency and “gaming mix” of many of its sites across the province and when Fort Erie’s site was looked at, removing over 600 slot machines was the best solution.
“In Fort Erie’s case, it means moving to fewer machines at this time,” he said.
He also said a decline in tourism attributes to the removal of the slot machines, saying revenues are not what they used to be, before the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and other border issues had such an impact on how often U.S. residents visit OLG facilities.
“That’s a factor in our business and as we understand, in other tourism-related businesses in Ontario… particularly those on or close to the border,” said Pister.
Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor said he would have liked to have been invited to the slots last Thursday when the announcement was made to staff, so he could explain this was also a part of the solution in maintaining live-racing at the Fort Erie Racetrack and to be there when it was explained that layoffs are not part of the plan.
“It’s not how it should have been done,” said Craitor.
In December, the newly-formed Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, announced it will be operating the 112-year-old border oval as a non-profit organization as a trial period for the next three years, after the provincial government agreed to contribute $5.6 million per year towards keeping the struggling track open, allowing thousands of people to keep their jobs.
Mayor Doug Martin said this move will not negatively impact the amount of funds the Town receives from OLG and will compliment the latest agreement with the Racetrack.