Vancouver Gives Preliminary Green Light for Uber Casino Plans
Vancouver has given a preliminary green light to developers of a huge casino around BC Place.
The casino will be the biggest in Western Canada if it is given final approval by the city council.
However, there are several obstacles that could stand in the way of the plans before they receive final approval.
The city council has produced a list of questions that will need to be answered satisfactorily by the BC Lottery Corp before the plans move on to the next round.
February 17th has been earmarked for a public hearing on the new casino.
The new Paragon casino could include 150 gambling tables that will offer blackjack and poker, as well as 1,500 slot machines.
A number of city councilors have indicated that they will not support the casino due to concerns on how it may impact the social structure of the city.
Fears were raised that the BC Lottery Corp is not doing enough to combat money laundering and organized crime at its other casinos.
Another councilor expressed concerns that the super casino could impact established gambling facilities such as the Hastings Park race course.
The chairman of PavCo, which will develop the casino, promised to address all these concerns:
"As the chair of PavCo, we are concerned too," said David Podmore. "I guess we're satisfied this can be done in an appropriate manner, but we want it to be done in a first class way. We want to address those issues because it would be detrimental to PavCo's business if it isn't operated in an appropriate manner."
