The old saying that the “house always wins” has never seemed more true. Especially when it comes to the Chances gaming centre franchises that the Province of British Columbia have put up in the vast corners of the province.
The Tyee on line magazine has provided a well researched story on the success of the Chances brand across the province, where some 11 of the mini casinos have located in various cities across B.C., with many, many more apparently on the way.
The move by the province to tap the wallets and purses of the folks outside of the Metropolitan Vancouver area has been a winning strategy (financially anyways) almost from the get go.
The Tyee quotes figures that show that since the move to bring gambling to the boondocks, the province has more than doubled their revenues, with the potential ripe to double them again, all within just two years.
The Tyee on line magazine has provided a well researched story on the success of the Chances brand across the province, where some 11 of the mini casinos have located in various cities across B.C., with many, many more apparently on the way.
The move by the province to tap the wallets and purses of the folks outside of the Metropolitan Vancouver area has been a winning strategy (financially anyways) almost from the get go.
The Tyee quotes figures that show that since the move to bring gambling to the boondocks, the province has more than doubled their revenues, with the potential ripe to double them again, all within just two years.
.
One segment of the Tyee series shows just how the addictive slot machines have proven to be and how they may be more beneficial to the house than the players realize.
Needless to say, the introduction of slots to the small towns of British Columbia have been a prosperous thing for the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and by extension for the municipalities which gain tax revenues from the operations. While the old style bingo halls have gone into decline over the last number of years, the hybrid bingo/gambling halls are taking the bottom line in a definite upward direction.
.
From relatively modest beginnings, the Chances centers earned $53.7 million in revenue in 2005-06 and are expected to pull in more than $115.7 million for 2007-08, Things get better for the province over the following 48 months, with projections to double that take to 249.8 million in the next two years. From there the sky could be the limit it seems, thanks to the insatiable appetite of the gambling public for slot machines and video poker units.
This all comes at a time when there seems to be a very definite chasm between the have and the have not communities in the British Columbia, a story in Monday’s Globe and Mail highlights this precarious split between the two British Columbia’s where some communities prosper due to a construction boom, while others wither thanks to a serious decline of their resource based economies.
This all comes at a time when there seems to be a very definite chasm between the have and the have not communities in the British Columbia, a story in Monday’s Globe and Mail highlights this precarious split between the two British Columbia’s where some communities prosper due to a construction boom, while others wither thanks to a serious decline of their resource based economies.
.
In many of those communities the move is on to transform the local bingo halls into the Chances brand, with the province ready to increase their take, though you have to wonder from whom they hope to claim their money from.
The sudden urge to double down and double down again, makes for an interesting paradox between past concerns of the Liberals back in the campaign of 2001 and the reality of today.
The sudden urge to double down and double down again, makes for an interesting paradox between past concerns of the Liberals back in the campaign of 2001 and the reality of today.
.
As the Tyee points out, back in that mild era of temperance the provincial Liberals campaigned on the promise to “stop the expansion of gambling that has increased gambling addiction and put new strains on families." An election promise that seems to have been conveniently exorcised from their current mindset when it comes to revenue streams.
During the process of approving the Chances facility for Prince Rupert for instance, much was made of the need for a gambling addictions counsellor for the North coast. But with Chances well established now in the community, with the slots and video machines regularly frequented and apparently doing well, the North coast still awaits the arrival of the counsellor that was promised many years ago.
It is a concern that was once again brought up at Prince Rupert city council as recently as at the last council meeting on February 25th. Interestingly enough at that same council meeting, the councillors examined a proposal for an amendment to the existing Chances liquor licence to allow for increased hours tied in with the expansion of floor space of their convention centre. That proposal comes up again at their March 10th public session, where perhaps the public could offer up their thoughts over the change of hours of operation application and any other gambling related items that might cross their mind.
In the end, for the provincial Liberals it seems that the lure of easy money, over ruled the concern over any addictive tendencies that the gambling boom might create in those same communities which the Liberals were so concerned about seven years ago.
Communities it seems where the only growth industry now is the introduction of gambling into a social setting where incomes are becoming harder and harder to come by. But judging by the handle coming out of the various centres across BC, finding the cash to feed the machines isn’t proving to be a problem.
During the process of approving the Chances facility for Prince Rupert for instance, much was made of the need for a gambling addictions counsellor for the North coast. But with Chances well established now in the community, with the slots and video machines regularly frequented and apparently doing well, the North coast still awaits the arrival of the counsellor that was promised many years ago.
It is a concern that was once again brought up at Prince Rupert city council as recently as at the last council meeting on February 25th. Interestingly enough at that same council meeting, the councillors examined a proposal for an amendment to the existing Chances liquor licence to allow for increased hours tied in with the expansion of floor space of their convention centre. That proposal comes up again at their March 10th public session, where perhaps the public could offer up their thoughts over the change of hours of operation application and any other gambling related items that might cross their mind.
In the end, for the provincial Liberals it seems that the lure of easy money, over ruled the concern over any addictive tendencies that the gambling boom might create in those same communities which the Liberals were so concerned about seven years ago.
Communities it seems where the only growth industry now is the introduction of gambling into a social setting where incomes are becoming harder and harder to come by. But judging by the handle coming out of the various centres across BC, finding the cash to feed the machines isn’t proving to be a problem.
.
Or is it?
No comments:
Post a Comment