The Lottery Corporation of British Columbia has plans to expand more of its casinos into resort complexes along the lines of the River Rock Casino in Richmond. The total number of casinos in the Canadian province will remain at 17 but the new venues are expected to attract more tourists and boost gambling revenue by over 15%. Two new style casinos are already under construction.

It is hoped to develop the casino properties into exceptional entertainment attractions with restaurants, theatres and 5-star hotels. Since it opened River Rock has been drawing visitors from outside British Columbia but some local residents are concerned about a possible rise in crime. Solicitor General John Les has said that any such problems would be effectively handled by the gaming enforcement branch with an increased budget of C$4 million (US$3.4 million) over the next three years.

The government has been criticised for breaking a 2001 election promise not to increase gambling in the province. Although the number of locations and the forms of gambling remain unchanged, many more slot machines have been added since then. Online lottery products now bring in around C$13 million (US$11.2 million) annually, and sales nearly triple those in 2004. The Lottery Corporation is hoping that the casino upgrades will boost gambling revenue to C$2.8 billion (US$2.4 billion) by 2010. (E-02.23.07)

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