The British Columbia Lottery Commission (BCLC) is trying its luck at convincing the North Shore’s three local governments and two First Nations to consider hosting a new casino.
The BCLC, which regulates casinos and community gaming facilities, announced June 1 that it was seeking expressions of interest from the North Shore as well as south of the Fraser River.
There is a demand for local gambling that’s currently not being met on the North Shore, according to the BCLC, which routinely does marketplace assessments that take into account population trends, transportation access, estimated revenue potential, and tourism among other things.
“We know most people like to gamble at a facility close to their home and there is no facility on the North Shore. Some residents are travelling to other facilities, for example in Vancouver or Burnaby, but for other people, they just won’t even bother. They’ll stay on the North Shore,” said Angela Koulyras, BCLC spokeswoman.
“We determined there is revenue potential of approximately $25 million to $40 million that is currently not being captured on the North Shore.”
Any jurisdiction that hosts a gaming facility receives a 10% share of net gaming revenue generated, less operating costs. According to a marketplace assessment by BCLC, that would mean about $1.5 million to $2.2 million annually for one lucky municipal or band hall.
Because the assessments contain “competitive information,” they cannot be released to the public, even under Freedom of Information of Information legislation, Koulyras said
“It could harm our interests and the interests of our private sector service providers,” she said.
District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton said he’ll take direction from his council members on how to greet the pitch from the BCLC. But, he added, if the past is any indication, there won’t be a lot of appetite.
“We’re really a suburban community and a lot of our residents feel they don’t want a casino in close proximity to them, and if they want to gamble, well, it’s just across the bridge in Burnaby,” he said. “If there’s a change in the general consensus, it’s incumbent upon me to talk to council and get direction from them if they want to hold a meeting.”
City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto was not available for comment, but in 2015, city debated and turned down a request to overturn its bylaw forbidding commercial gaming.
District of West Vancouver Mayor Michael Smith was also not available for comment, although in March, he told the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce members it would take someone “very brave” to come to West Vancouver and pitch a casino project.
Neither the Squamish Nation nor Tsleil-Waututh Nation responded to a request for comment on the proposal.
Should one or more of the governments step forward and offer to host a casino, it remains very much an open question who the casino developer would be.
Previously, Playtime Gaming was given exclusive rights by BCLC to the North Shore territory. That prompted a lawsuit from North Vancouver-based Pinnacle Gaming Solutions. The company’s owner, David Moretto, stated in his suit against the BCLC that he had been working with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation since 2007 on a proposal for the nation’s land. During numerous meetings with the BCLC, the regulator’s officials indicated their Tsleil-Waututh project would likely be approved, Moretto alleged.
In response, BCLC denied those claims.
Playtime Gaming was sold to Burnaby-based Gateway Casinos in December 2015. According to the BCLC, that “extinguished” Playtime’s exclusive rights.
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