The moral high ground is proving to be one expensive piece of real estate.
As casinos popped up in most areas of the Lower Mainland over the last decade or so, Delta has been one of the few jurisdictions that has turned a cold shoulder to these increasingly popular gaming centres. There's certainly some validity in the argument that casinos prey on the vulnerable and bring a variety of social ills to town, but there's no getting around the fact we're giving up a lot, at least in monetary terms, for eschewing such economic activity.
Our neighbours to the north in Richmond received almost $15 million from the River Rock last year and have raked in a whopping $115 million since 1999. Burnaby got over $9 million from the Grand Villa Casino last year, while Coquitlam's coffers got a $7.5 million boost from playing host to the Boulevard Casino. Vancouver got $7 million, New West almost $6 million and Surrey, which entertained but ultimately rejected a major casino complex last month, appears interested in a bigger piece of the action given it received less than $3 million.
In total, local governments in B.C. received more than $83 million in gaming revenue last year, which goes a long way to fund everyday municipal services. How many libraries and playing fields can places like Richmond, Burnaby, Coquitlam and the others build every year with the money they receive from casinos? To put that in perspective, Delta needs an extra one per cent on every property tax bill to raise just $1 million.
Even though we're not cashing in like our neighbours, at least we're secure in the knowledge that we're immune from the negative consequences. After all, none of our residents would ever cross municipal boundaries to visit a casino for the evening.
So as the B.C. Lottery Corporation looks for a landing spot for its ill-fated South Surrey proposal, it appears another community, or perhaps a First Nation, will soon reap the financial rewards of playing host to that casino complex. You can bet (although that's frowned upon in these parts) Delta won't be in the running for that windfall, but given the casino will be located somewhere south of the Fraser River, a segment of our population will surely follow Lady Luck to its doors.
It's clear that when it comes to gaming, the barn door has been open for quite a while in Greater Vancouver. We can continue to pretend we're somehow immune from it all or we can belly up to the table and begin to cash in like the others.
