Councillor Adam Vaughan during his intervention at a transit debate at Toronto City Hall. July 17, 2013. Mr. Vaughan put forward an unsuccessful motion to amend the language of the rezoning electronic bingo halls so that any games installed had to be first approved by council.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
Bingo buffs in Toronto will be swapping dabbers for touchscreens after city council voted Thursday to allow bingo halls to offer electronic bingo.
The decision rezones bingo halls to allow these terminals and other electronic games, but not slot machines. The games are to be installed and operated by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission, with the City of Toronto and charities – who receive some of the profits from bingo halls – as service providers.
With the new machines, the OLG estimates the charities and hall operators would see an increase in revenue. However, the city will likely see $70,000 in annual revenue loss because it would lose its $165 per event licensing fee in exchange for 3 per cent of the adjusted net winnings, according to city staff reports.
In Ontario, 16 other municipalities have already made similar decisions under the OLG's Charitable Bingo and Gaming Revitalization Initiative, but council debated the issue for nearly an hour before passing it 35 to 6. Councillors praised bingo halls for benefiting local charities and community groups, but some worried video bingo could open the door to other forms of electronic gambling, such as slot machines.
"I don't trust the OLG," said Councillor Adam Vaughan, who put forward a motion to amend the language so any games installed had to be first approved by council. The motion was struck down.
"It's the unexpected changes down the road that we need to be able to say 'no' to," he said.
Other councillors said the amendment would paralyze bingo halls' ability to quickly adapt to new technology. Instead, they adopted a motion by Councillor Frances Nunziata to include a line in the decision that excludes slot machines from the new games to be installed. They also voted for staff to issue a report on whether they could waive the rezoning fee.
Due to the charity component, most councillors drew a distinction between bingo halls and other forms of gambling.
"These people are playing bingo. They aren't gambling and playing blackjack or poker in the back room and putting money under the table," said Councillor Doug Ford. "These are folks that are giving back to the community across the city."
Since 1997, the number of bingo halls in the city of Toronto has dwindled from 23 to six. The amount of annual charity revenue generated has decreased in kind: from $24-million to $7-million, according to city staff.