Surrey Casino Rejected by BC Councillors
The city council of Surrey, BC, Canada has voted down the proposal to construct a $100 million casino complex in a tight vote, that ended last Friday morning.
Eight councillors cast their votes, with four voting in favor, and four against. The tie breaker came down to Mayor Dianne Watts who ultimately voted against the idea, thereby bringing the vote to 5-4 in defeat of the proposal.
Mayor Watts said that she had initially been in favor of constructing the new casino, but after hearing the 'No' side's arguments, she reluctantly changed her mind.
"For me, it was certainly a very difficult decision, without a doubt," said Watts. "Looking at one side of the ledger, you've got the taxes and the jobs and the amenities we need. And on the other side, you're looking at it from the city's perspective, the community's perspective, and how we've evolved as a city, what are values are, what our vision is."
Surrey Misses out on Casino Revenue
There is no doubt that a new casino would have generated plenty of revenue and jobs for Surrey, BC.
While weighing the options, the mayor said that an idea was considered to just build a hotel and convention center on their own, without the casino. However, she admitted that these would not have generated enough revenue by leaving out the casino.
The casino project was proposed by Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, which wanted to move its temporary gaming license to a larger facility in Surrey. The idea of a new Surrey casino was backed by the BC Lottery Corporation.
The BCLC was slammed by critics for trying to get city councilors to give their blessing to the project. "This is a Crown corporation and they represent all of us," said casino opponent, Phil Embley. "They also have a regulatory role, so what are they doing being a regulator and then cheering for this?"
The BCLC dispelled rumors that had offered Surrey 'incentives' to vote in favor of the casino. "There was no horse trading and we acted in good faith," said provincial cabinet minister in charge of gaming, Rich Coleman.
No More Gaming Proposals for Surrey
The BCLC, disappointed with the Surrey Casino rejected, said that the government would not be proposing another gambling complex for Surrey, and said that other municipalities would be approached instead.
"We don't have any confidence in council's decision making," said Coleman. "We met the conditions they asked us to, and the councillors still decided they didn't want it."
