The British Columbia Lottery Corporation recently granted preliminary approval for Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Ltd. to relocate the Newton Community Gaming Centre in Surrey to the Delta Town & Country Inn site in Ladner, a suburb of Vancouver. Gateway officials said the million project would create 700 new jobs and generate .5- million in annual revenue, based on 10 percent of net income that goes to local governments.
Originally the B.C. Lottery Corporation had considered other locations in the area. But the Corporation of Delta claimed the Delta Town & Country Inn was the only suitable site, due to its distance from residential neighborhoods, access to major transportation corridors and its fit with Delta’s tourism strategy.
Gateway said the development will feature an “exciting mix” of amenities, including signature food and beverage brands that will be announced soon.
The first steps in the approval process will be design approval from the BCLC and public input. Next, Delta Chief Administrative Officer George Harvie said the plan will be treated like any other development application submitted to the municipality. “Our expectation, which they know, is to have a hotel there plus an entertainment area, including a number of restaurants, a small area for corporate meetings and, of course, gaming. We would not accept phasing. It would have to be a complete project built all at once,” Harvie said. He said a public hearing could be held early next year.
Gateway operates 26 gaming facilities throughout Canada.
