The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is making another pitch for a casino in downtown Toronto.

Chairman Paul Godfrey is stepping up the pressure, saying it would be the would be the largest development project anywhere in Canada.

In a speech to the Toronto Board of Trade Friday morning, Godfrey said the casino would create 12,000 new jobs and lead to more than $2-billion in capital investments. That figure would drop to about $1-billion anywhere else in the GTA.

“The fact that it would be in the neighbourhood of the city, there would still people who would come to Toronto as visitors, but it wouldn’t be insane,” Godfrey said. “I think that common sense tells you that, you don’t need to be an expert to know that.”

He said only 10 per cent of the square footage would be for gambling. The rest would be made up of a hotel, restaurants and a convention centre.

Godfrey said he needs Toronto to make up its mind by January or February at the latest.

The city’s executive committee will discuss the possibility in November but Godfrey said the OLG will only build where it’s wanted.