Ottawa Gaming Expansion Issue Raised Again
For some time now, there has been much talk regarding the possibility of Ottawa gaming expansion. The issue was brought to the forefront when Eugene Melnyk, the owner of the Ottawa Senators proposed that he be allowed to run land-based casino gaming to help cover costs for the hockey franchise. There had been questions as to whether the casino games that were already being offered at the Rideau Carleton Raceway would be expanded or not. At this time, it seems that Ottawa is not planning to expand its gambling offerings.
Mayor Watson Comments on Gambling Expansion
The Ottawa mayor, Mayor Jim Watson, has been one of the key figures when it comes to discussing the horse racing policies and politics for Ontario over the past two years. Although Mayor Watson is well known for his opinions regarding horse racing in the area, he was recently interviewed regarding the hockey team, the Ottawa Senators. The article discussed the value of this sports team in the region. In his response to the discussion, Mayor Watson spoke about the connection between the Ottawa Senators and the gambling expansion connected to the Rideau Carleton Raceway.
While the past couple of years have shown some strain between the Ottawa Senators and the City of Ottawa, this strain has mainly come about because of differences regarding the issue of casino gaming that Eugene Melnyk had hoped to launch in the Canadian Tire Centre. While Melnyk fought hard to be given permission to open a casino, Mayor Watson and a number of other key figures came out in support of the Rideau Carleton Raceway. The mayor had not wanted gambling expansion to take place in any other locations other than at the Rideau Carleton Raceway.
Mayor Watson said in the interview that there was little support to expand gaming facilities. He said: "There is a precious little support for a casino in any part of the city quite frankly, and what we ended up doing is extending the status quo at Rideau Carleton Raceway."
Senators Important to City of Ottawa
While the relationship has been strained between the City and the Ottawa Senators, the report noted that recently the City of Ottawa and the Senators have been partnering on initiatives recently, and generally working well together while doing various activities together. In fact, the interview showed that clearly the National Hockey League franchise, the Ottawa Senators, is important to the city and plays a noted role in the city's local economy.
