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Toronto Casino at Woodbine - The Location

Posted on August 26, 2015 by John Owen

Posted in Toronto

OLG and Woodbine Entertainment Group Sign Lease

Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) signed two long-term leases with Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), announced on August 10, 2015. The leases are both for a term of 22 years, and one of them involves a parcel of land owned by WEG, to be developed and operated as a gaming and non-gaming operation by a service provider that will be chosen by OLG in the coming months.

The specific parcel of land was not disclosed in the announcement, although this article looks to narrow down the potential sites.

The next milestone is the tender process is September 10, 2015, which is the deadline for submissions of the OLG's Request for Proposal Prequalification (RFPQ) for the GTA Gaming Bundle. This RFPQ is for the selection of qualified service providers that will be invited to bid on the development and operation of gaming facilities in the GTA - Toronto (including OLG Slots Woodbine and the new facility), Durham (including OLG Slots Ajax and potentially another site in Pickering/Ajax/Whitby, and Port Perry's Great Blue Heron Casino).

Below is an aerial view of the Woodbine site, where WEG owns four parcels of land.

The parcel of land that is most suitable for the proposed development is pictured below. It is bordered on the west by Highway 427 and on the north by Rexdale Boulevard. The existing Woodbine Racetrack and Slots at Woodbine facilities are adjacent to the parcel on the east side.

This parcel of land is substantial in both location and size. At 136 acres or 550,000 square metres, there is ample space to build a casino resort complex.

By comparison, the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls sits on a land parcel of just under 22 acres.

Other parcels of land within the same project are pictured below. The largest of the group hosts the existing Woodbine Racetrack and Slots at Woodbine facilities, and is 463 acres in size. A substantial portion of this parcel is the parking area in the north section of the lands. It also happens to be situated perfectly for sharing or overflow parking with the new casino resort project.