The B.C. Lottery Corporation gave preliminary approval to Gateway Casinos & Entertainment to relocate its Newton Community Gaming Centre in Surrey to a new, expanded facility at Delta Town and Country Inn, at the intersection of Highway 99 and Highway 17A. The Delta Town and Country Inn was selected as the most suitable site due to its distance from residential neighborhoods and access to major transportation corridors.
In addition, BCLC said the Delta Town & Country Inn site was the best location to not significantly affect other casinos in the region. “In light of this feedback, BCLC and its third-party specialized advisory consultant undertook a detailed analysis of this location utilizing existing player data. This analysis shows that the Delta Town and Country Inn site will capture incremental revenue, with minimal impacts to adjacent gambling facilities in Richmond, Surrey and New Westminster,” a BCLC statement said.
Last November, the nearby town of Richmond sent a report to the BCLC and the Corporation of Delta stating that Richmond was opposed to any casino at the Town & Country Inn. The report suggested that “any casino in Delta should be located sufficiently away from Richmond, so as not to negatively affect the city or the existing River Rock Casino.” Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said, “I still have those concerns since the Delta Town & Country Inn is just up the highway from the River Rock and could form some unwanted encroachment.”
However, BCLC spokesperson Doug Cheng said, “We made this decision after getting clear feedback from Delta that the only suitable site on which it would consider a gambling and entertainment facility at this time is the Town & Country Inn.” Brodie said he was pleased the BCLC did an analysis. However, he added, “I’m not sure that I’m confident in their approach, but I’m pleased they took a good look at it.”
Cheng added, “What we found was, in this particular region of the Fraser Valley, our players were underserved. This was about better serving our players and growing our revenue, which will go back into the community.”
The new facility is expected to generate $25- $50 million in annual revenue, according to a BCLC document. The host municipal government will receive 10 per cent of the net gaming income, or $1.5-$3 million. In addition, the new casino will create 700 new jobs and bring an estimated $70 million investment to the area.
Gateway Casinos now will develop a proposal detailing the facility’s size, scope and amenities. If that’s approved by the BCLC , it will be submitted to the Corporation of Delta for final approval.
Gateway operates casino attractions in Western Canada, including Burnaby’s Grand Villa Casino and New Westminster’s Starlight Casino.
