Bill 76 2012

An Act to amend the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act, 1999

Note: This Act amends the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act, 1999.  For the legislative history of the Act, see the Table of Consolidated Public Statutes – Detailed Legislative History at www.e-Laws.gov.on.ca.

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

   1.  (1)  Section 12 of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act, 1999 is amended by adding "Subject to subsection (2)" at the beginning.

   (2)  Section 12 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsections:

Same, casinos and charity casinos

   (2)  The Corporation shall not authorize a casino or charity casino to be established unless the Corporation has taken the steps specified in the Regulation and the conditions specified in the Regulation have been met.

Expansion

   (3)  The requirements mentioned in this section for establishing a casino or charity casino at a specific location do not apply to expanding a casino or charity casino that has been established in accordance with this Act if the expansion is done at that location.

Definition

   (4)  In this section,

"Regulation" means Ontario Regulation 347/00 (Requirements for Establishing a Casino or Charity Casino) made under this Act, except for subsection 4 (5), as that Regulation read on January 1, 2003.

   (3)  Subsection 12 (4) of the Act, as enacted by subsection (2), is amended by adding the following definitions:

"casino" means the part of a gaming site that is used for the purpose of playing or operating games of chance, but does not include a charity casino or slot machine facility; ("casino")

"charity casino" means a gaming site at which the betting limits and number of games of chance do not exceed the prescribed limit; ("casino de bienfaisance")

"game of chance" means a lottery scheme conducted and managed by the Corporation,

  (a)  that is played on or through a slot machine, or

  (b)  that is played on tables or on wheels of fortune, including card games, dice games, roulette or keno,

and includes all other lottery schemes that are prescribed; ("jeu de hasard")

"slot machine facility" means a gaming site where games of chance are operated on or through a slot machine and includes the premises where services ancillary to the games of chance are provided, but does not include a casino or a charity casino. ("salle d'appareils à sous")

Commencement

   2.  (1)  Subject to subsection (2), this Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

   (2)  Subsection 1 (3) comes into force on the later of the day this Act receives Royal Assent and the day section 9 of Schedule 34 to the Better Tomorrow for Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2011 comes into force.

Short title

   3.  The short title of this Act is the Ensuring Local Voices in New Casino Gambling Development Act, 2012.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Bill amends the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act, 1999 to adopt by reference the rule set out in the current regulations made under the Act that a casino or charity casino cannot be established in a municipality or on a First Nation reserve unless the electors in the municipality or the members of the council, as the case may be, approve the establishment by way of a referendum.