Delta residents could be dropping some cash in the slots but where exactly has yet to be determined.
The B.C. Lottery Corporation announced Wednesday that the Corporation of Delta has been chosen as the preferred host local government for a potential new gambling and entertainment facility.
Overseen by a thirdparty fairness monitor, BCLC says its evaluation committee selected Delta based on a variety of factors including strong market potential, community plans and transportation access.
The potential gambling facility in Delta would be a relocation of Surrey's Newton Community Gaming Centre, currently just a bingo hall, which would be expanded to include more gambling and entertainment options.
Gateway Casinos Entertainment Ltd., the private-sector service provider of the Newton facility, would own or lease the potential gambling facility in Delta on BCLC's behalf, and operate it on a day-today basis.
This summer, the lottery corporation asked three local governments south of the Fraser River - Delta, the Tsawwassen First Nation and Surrey - if they were interested in playing host to a new gaming facility.
Surrey declined but both the Corporation of Delta and the TFN submitted expressions of interest, which included answering a series of questions regarding community plans, zoning and whether the government would be able to amend any restrictions within six months. The TFN submission stated it had areas zoned for entertainment but those
uses do not include a casino, so a rezoning would be required.
It's the same answer provided in the Delta submission.
Both also answered they currently have no restrictions that would limit the number of slot machines or gaming tables in a future facility.
Unlike Delta's submission, which included the Town and Country site as its location, the TFN didn't specify where a casino would be located.
When Delta council approved the Town and Country location, civic staff noted the potential gaming facility would require significant additional amenities, including a hotel, conference centre and restaurants, to support Delta's tourism strategy. The amenities would make the proposed gaming facility in Delta a complete entertainment complex and tourist attraction.
However, the lottery corporation now says it determined that Delta's choice is not a suitable location "due to its distance from the identified market opportunity and its proximity to the River Rock Casino Resort. In collaboration with Gateway, BCLC will determine a more suitable location that, combined with size and scope details, will form a gaming facility proposal for Delta's consideration."
It's not clear where the new Delta facility, which still has to go through the municipal approval process, could be relocated. Council had passed a motion stating the Town and Country site was the only suitable spot, but that's going to have to change.
Mayor Lois Jackson said they're still early on in the entire casino process.
"We're in a very middleof-the-road position. We'll go through the process and if something comes forward that looks amenable, obviously we would take that forward to council and go from there. Nothing is cast in stone in any way, shape or form...it would still all have to go to public hearing," she said.
BCLC spokesperson Angela Koulyras said it's Gateway's responsibility to identify a suitable location and BCLC will work with the company, coming up with a proposal that will be formally submitted to Delta.
There's no timeline for when that will happen.
