London city council votes in favour of new casino with preference at Western Fair

It’s official, a casino is very likely to come to London in the near future.

City council passed a motion 9-5 to endorse expanded gambling in the city, which will allow for up to 1,200 slot machines and 50 live game tables.

This comes following a narrow vote by the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee (SPPC) Monday night, which endorsed expanded gambling with a non-binding preference that a casino is located at the Western Fair district.

The preference was voted in favour of 13-1 Tuesday, following multiple concerns that were presented during Monday’s public consultation meeting.

“If the Western Fair were to not have gaming at its site, then without question, that would dramatically change the game of racing in Southwestern Ontario,” said reproduction manager of Seelster Farms, Ann Straatman.

“This part of Old East Village has needed rejuvenation for quite awhile, and a casino will definitely help speed up that process,” said Roger Caranci, who is involved in a 480-unit development near the Western Fair site.

In addition, council voted in favour of directing the Civic Administration to report back on how the province can use revenue from the casino in order to help mitigate potential harms done to the region due to gambling.

Coun. Phil Squire voted no to all three motions, being the most critical of a potential casino.

“I’ve seen the repercussions of addictive gambling. When they lose, it’s not very much fun at home,” Squire said.