Alberta Considers Keno Expansion to Fund Arenas
The game of Keno could substantially increase revenue for the Canadian province of Alberta and help build a new home for the Edmonton Oilers.
This was the opinion of Wildrose opposition leader, Danielle Smith, who told reporters that it was her opinion that the province should use the lottery to fund a new arena in downtown Edmonton and Calgary.
"The City of Edmonton would get a magnificent downtown facility, the Edmonton Oilers would get a new home and Alberta taxpayers wouldn't be on the hook for any of it," said Smith.
After examining figures, Smith said that the game of Keno had the potential to raise as much as $20 million a year to cover the arena project, which still needs $100 million to complete. The same amount could also be raised for a similar sized arena in Calgary, she said.
At present, Keno is offered in just 90 different bingo halls, casinos and gaming rooms in the province, and barely brings in $3 million a year. This number could significantly increase, said Smith.
Keno in British Columbia
Smith compared the numbers generated by Keno in Alberta with those in British Columbia and showed that last year the game generated $235 million in BC. Keno is offered in 4,000 locations, including sports bars and pubs, in BC.
To start the ball rolling, the opposition leader believes that there will need to be close cooperation between Edmonton, Calgary, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission and NHL franchises.
"We believe this could be the solution that fills the funding gap while respecting taxpayers at the same time," said Smith.
Opposition to Keno in Alberta
Not everyone was impressed with Danielle Smith's idea to expand Keno as a way to fund the arenas in Alberta.
Scott Henning, speaking for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said that the lottery money should be earmarked for charity and not for professional hockey teams.
"Moving money around from charities who are currently the beneficiaries of lottery funding to give it to private business owners so they can prop up their businesses and benefit themselves is a bad model," he stated. "It's corporate welfare."
However, Edmonton city councilor, Kim Crushell said that the idea of Alberta Keno expansion was worth considering. "There have been lottery attempts in the past and they haven't been successful," she said. "But you can look at the numbers in British Columbia and it might be an option for consideration."
"In the end, we'll see what the provinces decides to do."
