When everything goes to shit, you can always count on Canadian politicians to step up and take the reigns. Yeah right. But maybe a new trend is on the horizon. The legislative environment in Canada towards online gambling and gambling in general has been under constant review recently. The newest calls for reform came from Canadian politician Joe Comartin of the NDP political party. Read more.
Comartin believes that sports gambling is the best way to save jobs and the struggling casino industry in Windsor Ontario… Wait… Windsor Ontario has a casino industry? That’s news itself, which may be the point the politician is trying to make. Comartin expressed that the legalization of sports betting would bring Americans across the border, Comartin also expressed that the vast majority of wagering money is leaving the country.
Windsor Ontario is located on the Canadian border just north of Detroit city. Windsor is Canada’s southernmost city and it is separated from Detroit only by the Detroit river. Views of the Detroit skyline can be scene from Windsor, in fact they’re pretty much American depending on where you stand. Access to the city by Americans is easy and effortless, legalizing sportsbetting could certainly attract neighboring Americans seeking a friendlier gaming environment. Considering the fact that Windsor’s economy is driven strongly by both its automotive and tourism industry, Comartin may be on to something.
The tourism industry would definitely benefit from the shot in the arm of fresh American faces eager to visit the casinos sightsee. The direction Comartin is suggesting may have a bigger impact than even he may realize, within Canada. Legalizing single game sports betting would pretty much put Windsor as the Canadian version of Vegas or Atlantic City, without all the really cool stuff other than gambling. But in relative terms, Windsor would be the place to be. It’s not like they don’t need the money or jobs. Caesars Windsor, a casino actually owned by the citizens of Ontario, was forced to lay off 120 employees and more lay offs are expected. Being able to offer customers single game sports betting would definitely give the casino a leg up on the competition, which is getting more and more fierce. The inconvenient truth is, casinos like Caesars among many others may need this type of legalization just to stay afloat.