A heated behind-the-scenes battle between three of North America’s largest gambling companies for control of one of the industry’s most lucrative properties, Caesars Windsor.
For the first time since the casino opened its doors 30 years ago, the licence to operate the slot machines and blackjack tables that rejuvenated the downtown in Windsor, Ont., is up for grabs. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., the provincial agency that owns the property, is in the final stage of reviewing offers for what’s historically been a licence to print money.
“The Windsor region welcomed 4.4 million visitors, who injected $669-million into the local economy”
While the process is meant to be secret, three gambling industry sources say there’s a three-horse race for a property that draws millions of tourists to the border city. The company that has run the casino for three decades – Las Vegas-based gambling powerhouse Caesars Entertainment Inc. CZR-Q – faces the prospect of being usurped either by upstart Bally’s Corp. BALY-N, which was built from casinos and a brand that Caesars sold, or Indigenous-owned Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, which operates two casinos in Niagara Falls, Ont.
In Windsor, everyone you talk to has a view of who should run a property that dominates the city’s economy –and skyline– by providing more than 2,000 jobs and anchoring the tourism industry.
