Canadian Gambling Industry Helps Small Businesses
The Globe and Mail ran an interesting story this week, highlighting how small businesses across Canada are cashing in on the growth of gambling in the country, in a bid to get a piece of the $16 billion Canadian gambling pie.
The article quotes the CEO and owner of Accro Furniture Industries, Terry Clark, who said: "When you look at a casino, whether it's downtown Halifax or Sydney, there's the behind-the-scenes jobs, little companies like ours, that supply them."
"Think of all the things they've got in there: the tables, the dice, the uniforms, lighting - all the things that go into a gaming facility - and it keeps a lot of Canadian industry busy."
Accro began supplying folding bingo chairs to community halls across Canada in the 1960s, and went on to expand to a company that employees 30 people today. When casinos started "popping up across the country", Accro "seized the opportunity" and started working with casinos.
Today, Accro provides custom seating to many of the top casinos in Canada, as well as the United States.
From Spielo To Amaya Gaming
The article also notes other companies who have managed to adapt their products to the Canadian gambling market and beyond. Spielo, for example, the Moncton based company, designs and manufactures gaming machines for casino operators locally and around the globe.
Amaya Gaming is another group that has managed to crack the international market and recently launched an SMS lottery in Kenya.
The Canadian gambling market is not an easy one to enter, notes the VP of the Canadian Gaming Association, Paul Burns. In Ontario, for example, a company needs to be a licensed supplier, even if the item is a non-gambling related, such as a blackjack chair.
"It's rigorous," Clark agrees. "But it ensures them that everything is above-board and on the level, and not just perceived, but actual."
