Loto-Québec scraps downtown Montreal slot machine casino plan
Posted September 19, 2023 5:30 pm.
Last Updated September 19, 2023 5:44 pm.
Loto-Québec will not open a small casino filled with video lottery machines in downtown Montreal, the state-owned company announced Tuesday.
The organization’s plan was to open the establishment with hundreds of video slot machines on the premises of the former Taverne 1909 restaurant, next to the Bell Centre.
Loto-Québec said, in a press release, “the conditions are not met to ensure the success of the plan.”
The decision comes a day after La Presse revealed Montreal Public Health was opposed to the project. The establishment would have included 350 slot machines in a busy area of the metropolis.
Even if Loto-Québec says it respects the opinion of public-health officials, state-owned company considers this is a “missed opportunity.”
The organization claims to have proposed a “responsible” project, which “planned to reduce accessibility to gambling by removing 600 video lottery machines installed in bars located in disadvantaged areas of the island of Montreal.”
“Loto-Québec understands that certain elements linked to the location of the gaming hall further amplify the risks in the eyes of Public Health: its location in downtown Montreal, in a premises adjacent to the Bell Centre, and its association with Groupe CH, a brand as well known as it is loved.”
On Monday, Montreal Public Health indicated it instead recommends “continuing to reduce the number of slot machine sites” by ceasing to grant permits for the operation of this type of device.
—This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
