Tories want to scrap Liberals’ plans for more casinos and online gambling

TORONTO – The Progressive Conservatives say they want to scrap the province’s plans for more casinos and online gambling.

Leader Tim Hudak says the Tories would focus instead on the horse-racing industry, which is still reeling from the Liberals’ decision to cancel the slots-at-racetracks program.

He says he wants to allow racetrack operators, who used to collect $345 million a year from slots, to buy existing slot operations at “fair market value.”

Hudak says it could save an industry that employs about 60,000 people, while still providing good value to taxpayers.

The proposal is among a number of ideas the Tories are floating in their latest so-called “white paper,” but it’s not official party policy.

Last week, the Liberals announced the sector would be integrated into a provincial gambling strategy with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to find new revenue streams.