In its most recent economic study, the Canadian Gaming Association revealed that legal gaming has effectively tripled in size since 1995. In 2010, total industry revenue stood at $16bn, around $8.3bn - 52 per cent - of which was generated by Canada’s casinos.
The Canadian provincial governments have largely taken a proactive approach to gaming, with state-run lotteries, casinos, racinos and video lottery terminals mixing with privately operated ventures. Some are also beginning to offer online gaming services.
“Casino gaming in Canada has more or less stabilised but remains a strong and popular entertainment choice for Canadians and tourists,” the association’s president and chief executive officer, Bill Rutsey, tells InterGaming. Rutsey joined the industry “by accident” but quickly established himself as one of its leading advisors.
“I was running a consulting practice at Coopers and Lybrand that was focused on public assembly and leisure facilities like stadiums, arenas and civic and trade centres,” he recalls. “In the early 90s, the government of Ontario put out a request for proposals that essentially asked ‘if casinos – how many, where, how big, how do we operate, regulate and benchmark, and how do we deal with problem gambling?’ which I bid on and won.”
That first contract, he explains, laid out the blueprint for casino development in Ontario and led to multiple assignments. His experience as an industry advisor later saw him take on the role of CEO of PT’s Pubs, a Las Vegas-based chain of video poker bars.
“There have really been three milestones in my career,” he continues, “that first advisory contract with the Ontario government, getting into the business from an operational perspective in Las Vegas and being asked to create the Canadian Gaming Association by a group of the largest operators and suppliers in Canada.
This feature can be read in full in the April 2012 issue of InterGaming
