Councillor George Maroosis says gambling already exists in our community and a casino won’t curb that issue.
During Monday night’s council meeting a resident made a public presentation opposing a casino in North Bay. Maroosis says there are already mini-casinos in our town and they are called convenient stores. He says you can play poker, role dice and bet on sports right at the counter.
Maroosis says the cow has left the barn when it comes to betting in Ontario. He says money is already leaving North Bay when people buy lotto cards and tickets, but he says with a casino there is revenue generated back to the city.
Maroosis says if you talk to the people who run the convenient stores they get a small percentage off that lotto ticket. He says he would like to see some research done on how much money leaves the community when people gamble through that method.
Maroosis says that is a big question they will have to deal with as the process moves forward.
