Information meeting set for August 20 to discuss allowing poker and blackjack at the gaming centre

A public information meeting is scheduled for Aug. 20 at city hall to discuss whether poker and blackjack should be allowed at Chances Chilliwack. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)

Residents of Chilliwack will be asked later this month whether or not blackjack, poker and Texas Hold’em should be allowed at Chances Chilliwack.

Currently the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation facility has bingo and slot machines. The addition of table games is considered to be a “substantial change” under the Gaming Control Act, which triggers consultation.

As part of the process city council scheduled a public information meeting for August 20 to receive community input.

The first step of that process involved consultation with “potentially affected local governments,” which meant the Fraser Valley Regional District and local First Nations.

• READ MORE: Chances Chilliwack looking to add table games into the mix

At the Aug. 6 meeting of city council, Coun. Bud Mercer expressed concern about the potential implications on policing and if the addition of table games could draw in a new clientele.

Mercer pointed to the well-publicized Peter German report on money laundering in casinos and real estate in British Columbia, which found $7.4 billion was laundered. He said he was interested to hear from the proponents of table games at Chances what has changed since the report was written in 2018 and what impact the changes might have on Chilliwack.

“With the addition of these new gaming opportunities, where the clientele was expected to come from and, as a small city, would we be exposed to something we haven’t seen before,” he said.

Mercer suggested representatives from the B.C. Lottery Corporation (BCLC) in council chambers might answer his questions, but given the motion on August 6 was to schedule a public information meeting on August 20 it was suggested the later date was the better time to discuss that.

BCLC says the request for table games is based on a “market review” that determined the introduction of these games “would best meet Chilliwack and Fraser Valley player expectations.”

If table games are approved, the gaming floor would be reconfigured to accommodate six table games initially, including blackjack, four-card poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

The City of Chilliwack, as host local government, receives 10 percent of the net revenue, and in 2017/18, this amounted to $2.04 million.

There are four Chances locations in the Lower Mainland, Chilliwack would be the first to get table games. Chances Fort St. John features nine table games.

Chances Chilliwack has been somewhat controversial since it was first approved a decade ago. There were 500 people at a meeting at Evergreen Hall to discuss approving the gaming centre. It was approved in a four to three vote with Couns. Ken Huttema, Chuck Stam and Dianze Janzen opposed, and Mayor Sharon Gaetz and Couns. Sue Attrill, Pat Clark and Stewart McLean in favour.

Then there was opposition from Chief Joe Hall, then president of Sto:lo Nation, who expressed his displeasure to then premier Christy Clark: “Untenured direct award licences have been issued and are currently being issued for gaming on the doorstep of several First Nation reserves, all without consultation and without accommodation.”

First opening in fall 2012, a year later Chances received an expanded liquor licence despite opposition from nearby pubs and failed bid for the change the first two times they tried city council.

• READ MORE: Chances gaming centre gets its liquor primary licence

The 49 charities that belong to the Knight Road Legacy Association were the original owners and operators of Chilliwack Bingo, and the association receives gaming revenue from Chances Chilliwck every year. In April of this year the KRLA received $641,444 for 2018.

• READ MORE: Charities get their annual payout from Chances Chilliwack

@PeeJayAitch

paul.henderson@theprogress.com

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