Rolling the dice: What Vancouver's newest casino means for the city and province
Researchers critical of the impact the 'world class' resort will have on problem gamblers
Viva, Las ... Vancouver?
The city's new casino resort — headlined by two luxury hotels and eight 'world-class' restaurants — boasts the bright lights that have come to characterize the Las Vegas strip.
Developers behind the $640 million Parq Vancouver believe it will enhance the city's tourism and entertainment markets, while the B.C. Lottery Corp. (BCLC) will commit funds to responsible gambling programs.
But the optimism isn't shared by everyone.
"This is the last thing this city needs," said Lisa A., a Vancouverite battling gambling addiction who wished to remain anonymous.
The new casino features 600 slot machines and 75 gaming tables — the same amount as the now-defunct Edgewater Casino.
While there's no net increase of overall games, Lisa A. fears the buzz and hype will encourage a newer and younger clientele to visit the luxury resort.
"I would have never known I was an addictive gambler until I visited my first casino," she said. "The bigger, nicer, more attractive they make it, the more often people will want to go for a good time."
"[And] these hotels are beautiful because they make money."
More money, more tourists?
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, developers described Parq Vancouver as an international destination and a driving force for tourism.
"This entertainment or stadium district as we now know it, I think will be changed," said Scott Menke, co-founder of Paragon Gaming. "Customers coming for any of the three sports teams, entertainment, or meetings, will have an elevated experience."
The facility carries a 30,000 square-foot rooftop park, and more than 60,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
The hotel plans to begin welcoming visitors in just a few weeks, but some researchers are skeptical of how much of a driving tourism force Parq Vancouver will actually be.
"Vancouver is already a very popular tourist destination — so gambling is not going to bring in many more," said Garry Smith, a research specialist at the Alberta Gambling Research Institute.
"The only casinos in Canada that draw tourists are the ones that are right on the border," Smith said, citing resorts in Niagara Falls and Windsor. "They're less productive now because they've built casinos on the other side."
"No other casino in Canada draws more than about five per cent of their patrons as tourists."
Addictions, research and treatment
The resort does promise to generate dollars for addictions treatment. A partnership between the developers and the City of Vancouver will contribute $1.5 million annually to addictions research at St. Paul's Hospital Foundation.
According to the BCLC — which provides games and equipment, oversees operations, and collects the bulk of the gambling revenue — as much as 10 per cent of the money generated from the casino will go to the city.
The dollars will also fund community projects and grants across the province, as well as the BCLC's responsible gambling program.
"In the fiscal year of 2016/17, the Edgewater Casino generated $168 million, and we expect Parq Vancouver to perform well, generating higher revenues than the previous facility," said BCLC spokesperson Doug Cheng in an e-mailed statement to CBC News.
But gambling researcher Garry Smith takes issue with how the dollars are collected in the first place.
"[The BCLC] is kind of selling their soul there," said Smith. "They're getting a small amount of money and they're hurting a lot of their own citizens. People that elected them to serve, and they're hurting the vulnerable in their community."
"[The money that's spent is] just a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of money that's been drained from the community."
With files from CBC's BC Almanac
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