Press release

Montréal, December 2, 2020 — Loto-Québec wishes to set the record straight following the publication of an article entitled “Le producteur de spectacles du Casino soudainement écarté” in yesterday’s Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec.

The Cabaret du Casino’s opening

First of all, when the Cabaret du Casino opened 24 years ago, in 1996, it was the Casino de Montréal that produced the various shows that were presented there.

Subsequently, between 2000 and 2007, the Casino sought the services of various production companies, some of which had the same administrator or director as Groupe Bazz inc., founded in 2009, to take over the production of certain shows at the Cabaret, all in accordance with agreements entered into by Loto-Québec with these production companies.

Outsourcing of the Cabaret du Casino’s operations

In 2007, in order to ease the burden of managing the programming and production of shows, and meet its need for industry expertise, the Casino decided to outsource, through a call for tenders, the programming and production of shows as well as the Cabaret’s operations.

Following a call for tenders, the contract was awarded to Productions 2P3 inc., which ensured these services from 2007 to 2010.

Renovations and reopening of the Cabaret du Casino

The Cabaret du Casino closed up shop from 2010 to 2015 to make major renovations to its performance hall. When it reopened in 2015, another public call for tenders was issued. The contract, the total term of which was five years, was awarded to Groupe Bazz inc. This contract expired on September 2, 2020.

Rules and reviews

The awarding of service contracts related to government-run casino operations is subject to reviews by the Sûreté du Québec under the Act respecting lotteries, publicity contests and amusement machines. In 2015, following these reviews, Loto-Québec was authorized to enter into the contract.  

The same sort of reviews were carried out with a view to extending the contract. It was in the context of these latter reviews that Loto-Québec terminated the contract. The investigative reports mention a letter sent by Loto-Québec to Groupe Bazz inc. confirming the end of the contract. It should be noted that this letter was in response to a letter sent by the attorney for Groupe Bazz inc.

A new call for tenders will be issued in order to find a new production company for the production and programming of shows at the Cabaret du Casino.