The BCLC last year determined Victoria can support a second casino in the Greater Victoria region and sought expressions of interest.
It received expressions of interest from five of six local units, and BCLC now is looking for an operator for the proposed casino.
BCLC says it will locate one via a request for proposals and task it with locating a casino site located within Victoria’s city boundaries.
Great Canadian Gaming operates the View Royal Casino and is looking to renovate it. BCLC says it would remain the area’s top casino, while the proposed Victoria casino would be its complement.
Meanwhile, the Surrey City Council recently voted unanimously to forego a small casino proposal in favor of a more comprehensive project—if one ever arises.
Anything less, the council surmised, would only result in revenues leaving the city, rather than driving the local economy.
Surrey’s 15-year-old gaming policy requires a casino to be part of a larger, tourism-based development, such as a hotel, convention center with meetings space, and an entertainment venue.
The Surrey City Council made its vote in light of a June request for expressions of interest by the B.C. Lottery Corporation (BCLC), which wants a gaming operation to open in the Fraser area and generate some $50 million, in estimated annual revenues, including about $3 million the host municipality.
CBLC sought expressions of interest from Surrey, Delta, the North Shore, and Tsawwassen First Nation.
Delta submitted an expression of interest, with the Delta Town & Country Inn suggested as a gaming site.
In Fort McMurray, the Boomstown Casino reopened on July 15, following a mandatory evacuation due to a massive wildfire.
The casino suffered smoke and heat damage during what became the largest wildfire in Canadian history. Repairs were completed in time for the casino’s reopening.
