An anti-casino activist from Vancouver is in town, warning city hall about the ills a new gambling facility could bring to Toronto.
“Talk is cheap, promises are easy,” said Sandy Garossino, co-founder of citizen group “Vancouver Not Vegas,” at a press conference at city hall this afternoon.
Garossino is in Toronto as part of a visit organized by local anti-casino group ‘No Casino Toronto.’ She warned Tuesday that criminal activity has followed casino ventures in Vancouver.
“In British Columbia we’ve had enormous problems with gangs and organized crime in casinos,” Garossino said in an interview on CP24 prior to her news conference. “We’ve had money laundering. We have sources and informants from inside the casino industry who tell us that loan sharks are there 24-7.”
A Facebook invitation to a Toronto event featuring Garossino describes her Vancouver group as “one of the few successful casino opposition groups in North America.”
Garossino said a proliferation of casinos in Vancouver over the last 10 year has led citizens there to fight against proposals calling for expanded casinos in the city. She also said promises of economic stimulation by developers are overblown.
“The studies that we have show there is no measurable (economic) impact,” Garossino said. “You’re just moving money around from inside your economy, you don’t actually bring money in to your economy.”
She added most of the profits from a Toronto casino would likely flow south of the border, as most of the companies vying to execute the project are from the U.S.
OLG responds
But the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation responded to Garossino’s comments Tuesday, saying in an email to CP24 that there are a number of checks to ensure that criminal activity does not take place in Ontario casinos.
“OLG has so many checks and balances,” said OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti in an email.
He listed the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, federal anti-money laundering group FINTRAC, and the presence of OPP officers in casinos as examples of oversight.
“All look at our financial books to ensure there is no money laundering,” Bitonti said.
He said police chiefs in Ontario –including Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair – have said there hasn’t been a significant increase in crime in areas that have casinos.
Garossino’s visit – paid for by No Casinos Toronto – comes the same day as a report that Mayor Rob Ford and 13 other councillors were given a private preview of MGM’s vision for a downtown casino.
According to the report in the Globe and Mail, MGM has been lobbying hard for the project behind the scenes, using a suite at the Sheraton Centre across the street from city hall to pitch its ideas to city councillors.
Other groups reportedly lobbying for the project include Onex, Caesars and Wynn Resorts.
Mayor Rob Ford has voiced support for the idea of a downtown casino, saying it could be a way to help bring in revenue for the city without raising taxes.
Opposition groups say the social costs of a casino would outweigh the benefits.
Garossino was flanked at the news conference by Coun. Mike Layton, who said his office has received 1,000 emails from residents concerned about a possible casino in the downtown core.
”These are the folks who are going to live in the shadow of the casino,” Layton said.
He said a new casino would add to gridlock because of the added number of cars transporting people to the facility, and would result in droves of new gambling addictions.
“As a government we should not be running the city off the addictions of our residents,” Layton said.
He added the decision as to whether a casino comes to Toronto is up to residents rather than lobbyists.
The city’s executive committee will begin formally examining proposals for a casino later this month.
