Ontario Gaming East Limited Partnership, a partnership which the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation owns a majority share of, was selected by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) as operators of the East Gaming Bundle or Gaming Bundle 2, new gaming facilities.

The City of Belleville and the municipality of Quinte West, both located in Southern Ontario, Canada, have been named as possible build sites as part of the East Gaming Bundle’s second gaming zone, one of three gaming zones contained in the East Gaming Bundle. One of the locations could see a new casino by 2017. Included in the partnership deal, according to information obtained on intelligencer.ca, are two established facilities, OLG Slots at Kawartha Downs in the first gaming zone, and OLG Casino Thousand Islands in the third gaming zone, which will be run by Ontario Gaming East beginning in 2016, according to OLG spokesperson, Tony Bitoni.

The deal signed on September 8 between OLG and Ontario Gaming East commits the latter to a 20 year services and casino operating agreement when the deal is finalized next year. The agreement includes the acquisition of OLG’s East Gaming Bundle’s gaming assets in entirety. The deal, worth $37.4 million, will include $13 million in cash to cover working capital, according to company vice-president, Chuck Keeling, who said it was too early to speculate on the possible location in the Quinte region or facility design and amenities and added that new jobs created will be offered to local residents. Keeling said, “This will be a new build and all about finding the local talent and skill set to operate this facility […] instead, of trying to bring in a bunch out of town people who don’t know the community and the marketplace.” As part of the agreement, current employees must keep their present positions, must not be relocated for a minimum of a year, and full benefits must be provided to those eligible, according to the OLG announcement.

While pinpointing which location would be chosen wasn’t possible at this early juncture, and Wallbridge-Loyalist Road in Belleville, on the Bay of Quinte (Quinte West) was named as a possible site for a facility, Jim Harrison, Quinte West’s mayor, said that he told OLG officials on Wednesday that there isn’t any land in Quinte that is suitable for a gaming facility and that the city wasn’t interested in applying for a license, therefore should not be directly involved in the process.

Great Canadian Gaming Corporation’s website operates gaming, hospitality and entertainment facilities in Washington State, British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia and with approximate 4,500 employees.

The first bundle award is part of OLG’s ongoing modernization process.