Sudbury may get downtown casino

A casino could open in downtown Sudbury.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is looking to expand throughout the province.

Sudbury Mayor Marianne Matichuk and MPP Rick Bartolucci both like the idea.

But not everybody's on board.

It's the number of people who will need addiction services that case manager Alana Zingers is most concerned about.

"We already have an issue with people who aren't getting the help they need," Zingers said Friday.

Zingers said opening the doors to a casino downtown will put temptation in front of a vulnerable population.

"Problem gamblers go out and gamble away all of their money and are left with nothing," she said.

Sudbury resident Carol Humphries rarely ventures downtown. However, she said, a casino could change that.

"I'm not a heavy spender, but I do enjoy the odd gamble. So maybe this will bring me down."

Increased spending is exactly what the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation hopes for. It is accepting business cases from private companies who want to partner with the province.

Five per cent of OLG gambling revenue flows back to the host municipality.