Ontario should scrap its ``empire-building'' plans for more casinos and online gambling and focus instead on bolstering the horse-racing industry.

The provincial Tories say they wouldn't reinstate the slots-at-racetracks program that
brought in $345-million a year if they formed the next government.

But they add race operators, who are still reeling from the Liberals' decision to cancel the program, should be able to buy existing slot operations at ``fair market value.''

Party leader Tim Hudak says shelving the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.'s plans for online
gambling and building 29 new casinos in places like Toronto won't cost the province new revenue or new jobs.

Hudak says the province still needs a ``pro-jobs agenda'' that will re-ignite the economy and draw investment in the face of a $12-billion deficit, but more gambling is not the solution.
   
The Tory leader adding``I think in fact closing down racetrack slots across this province is going to compound that problem by tossing 65,000 people out of work.''