Gambling a sure bet for Greater Victoria
Lottery corporation will seek your views on expanded facilities in capital region
After nearly 20 years of experience managing the casino market in B.C., we at the B.C. Lottery Corporation have learned a lot about how the business works and what appeals to players who are seeking gambling entertainment.
We also know that whenever opportunities for new facilities are discussed, including here in Greater Victoria, there are questions about how we arrive at our decisions. I can assure you the answer is simple — we rely on facts, and a professional marketplace assessment, conducted by a third-party specialist in hospitality and tourism evaluations across Canada and abroad.
Based on key data and analysis, and the unique demographics and geography of this particular region, players and tourists who gamble would be best served by two gaming facilities.
According to the 2011 census, the West Shore accounted for the fastest-growing population in the region. This means that the View Royal Casino has a captive and growing player base in its back- yard, which secures its position in the marketplace; all the more reason to proceed with planned amenities.
We also know that our customers like to play closer to home, generally within a 20-minute drive. Finally, focus groups conducted in the region show there is a desire for gambling entertainment in the area that isn’t being met with the existing single-facility configuration.
Around B.C., there are examples of multiple gaming facilities that operate successfully in a single community or region. This is especially true when our service providers, those who run the daily operations of casinos and community gaming centres, re-invest in their facilities and routinely refresh their entertainment offerings to retain and attract players.
Kamloops is a great example of this where, with a population about a quarter the size of Greater Victoria, the city features a casino and a community gaming centre that are each financially successful by securing unique markets in the community.
We know Greater Victoria has a growing population and is underdeveloped from a gambling and entertainment perspective. And since our role is to benefit our shareholder, the people of British Columbia, we make our decisions based on what is best for the marketplace overall.
We are working with Saanich and Victoria to determine which municipality might be able to cap- ture the potential market that is currently under-served. We are also committed to continuing discussions with View Royal and all municipalities of the West Shore to address their concerns.
In the weeks and months ahead, we’ll be out in the community, hearing what people have to say and sharing details of where it could go and what it could look like.
In the end, as is always the case, it will be the selected community’s decision whether to accept our proposal for a gaming facility and forge ahead with this exciting new opportunity.