A 20% tax on the new market's total gaming revenue would be at risk because land-based casinos pay higher taxes and are in a difficult situation.
Mr. Gretzky agrees with the gaming giant and asks that the market be suspended for a while until all track and field gaming facilities summon the entire staff. She says Indigenous leaders, workers, unions, the Chamber of Commerce and Ontario mayors are urging the state not to start the iGaming market without confidence that thousands of employees will be summoned immediately.
Windsor West's MPP also added that land casinos should pay 55% of their net gambling revenue to the Ontario Treasury. According to her, billions of Canadian dollars are spent not only on publicly funded healthcare, education, and infrastructure, but also on local government payments for local funded services. And the introduction of iGaming offerings could hit that number.
According to Unifore, the nation's largest union, about 1,000 casino workers in the province will lose their jobs. The union's concern is that with iGaming dominating the gambling industry, many of the positions will never be recalled. Ontario Chamber of Commerce and First Nations Indigenous leaders who run tribal casinos also said they hoped the launch would be delayed.
An economic review of the potential impact of the iGaming market by Great Canadian Gaming Corporation suggested that the Ontario government should expect CA$3 billion less in land-based taxes over the next five years. In addition, it pointed out that more than 2,500 game-related jobs will be lost over the next five years.
Other estimates predict that Caesar Windsor casinos in the region could lose 100 out of 500 gaming-related jobs due to the iGaming regime. Chris McDonald, an aide to Unifore's national chairman Jerry Diaz, said he does not yet know how many operators will be able to enter the market, but the union expects job losses and an unbalanced stadium when the market begins this spring.
Increase operator count
In response to the warning, many supporters of the change argue that the legalization of online casino sites will only attract players from overseas websites. Meanwhile, Ontario continues to approve operators because it has most recently licensed Rush Street Interactive.