Vancouver Casino Move Approved by Councillors
In April this year, Vancouver city councillors shot down plans for the expansion of gambling in the city after they voted against a proposal to move the Edgewater Casino to the new BC Complex and allow more slot machines to be introduced in a bigger casino complex.
Last week, however, the Vancouver casino move was approved to the new BC complex, on condition that there is no expansion of the gambling facilities and that the number of slot machines and gambling tables stay the same.
The original proposal called for the number of slot machines and gaming tables to double in the new complex, but the mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson said he was standing by his original election promise to his voters to curb the expansion of gambling in the city.
Last year Paragon Gaming Co., a Las Vegas-based gambling group, proposed the construction of Canada's biggest ever land casino on the property between Cambie Bridge and the BC Place Stadium.
The group proposed the building of two new hotels - each with as many as 500 rooms - as well as the giant gambling complex which would house 1,500 slot machines and a casino floor three times the current size.
New Gaming Facility Would Create More Jobs
At first, there seemed to be much support for the idea, especially since it was shown that the new gaming facility would create more jobs and attract additional investment.
However, a strong coalition of opponents to the Vancouver Casino
- comprising social groups and health officials - mounted a counter campaign and
held public hearings to bring forth their arguments to packed rooms in the weeks
before the council vote.
As a result of that campaign, the Vancouver councillors rejected the expansion
of Vancouver Casino's gambling facilities, and their decision was reiterated
last week when they approved the move of the casino from its current Edgewater
home to the False Creek next to BC Place - on the condition that its facilities
not be doubled.
Paragon Gaming has not yet issued a revised proposal for a smaller gambling complex.
"The majority of councillors, including myself, were very clear we were not in support of any further expansion of gambling for this next term, and elected under those conditions," said the mayor last week.
"So, to make it as clear as it possibly could be, there will be no expansion of gambling on my watch."
