Cascades Casino soft opening on July 16, 2019 in Chatham. (Photo by Allanah Wills)Cascades Casino soft opening on July 16, 2019 in Chatham. (Photo by Allanah Wills)
Chatham

OLG payments to Chatham-Kent back to pre-pandemic levels

A recent payment from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is showing signs that everyday life is picking back up in Chatham-Kent.

The municipality cashed in on a total of $1,692,836 over the past year for hosting the Cascades Casino in Chatham.

That works out to about $142,000 a month in gaming revenue.

According to OLG, these payments to host communities are based on a formula consistently applied across all gaming sites in Ontario using a graduated scale of gaming revenue at the hosted site.

Looking back before the pandemic, Chatham-Kent received $1,420,573 during OLG's 2019-2020 fiscal year, which was $270,000 less than what the municipality received this fiscal year.

Last year, Chatham-Kent only received $921,281 in gaming revenue.

"OLG’s Municipal Contribution Agreement payments are building strong communities where people and families can enjoy a high quality of life," said Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy in a media release. "These revenues help support local programs and critical infrastructure, making a real difference for gaming host municipalities."

Since the gaming site opened in April 2001, Chatham-Kent has received $16,146,767.

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