The westernmost province of Canada, British Columbia (BC) is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains.British Columbia, which is the largest province in Canada, covers 944,735 kilometers (364,764 square miles) of land and water and has more than 4.8 million people living in it, including more than 40 casinos and two racetracks.To gamble online or on-land in British Columbia, visitors must be at least 19 years old.
The casinos are located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, on the 49th parallel north.
There are four First Nation (tribal) casinos, as well as a number of private/public partnerships between corporations like Great Canadian Gaming,Gateway Casino & Entertainment, and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC).
The BCLC is a Crown Corporation, which means it operates as if it were a private firm but is entirely owned by the province.Almost 4,000 retail lottery locations and over $3 billion in casino and lottery ticket earnings are testament to British Columbians’ interest in lottery games.
The government gets approximately 40% of that, which it then divides among non-profit community organizations, local governments that host casinos, local economic development projects, and other worthy causes.
A national lottery retailer sells Lotto Max and BC-specific lotteries, scratch tickets, and Keno. The lottery industry generates over CDN$1.2 billion in revenue each year.
In British Columbia, the horse racing business is suffering just as much as elsewhere, with three of five tracks closed. About 7%, or nearly $10 million of the BCLC revenue goes to supporting the two remaining tracks – Elements Casino (Fraser Downs) in Surrey and Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver. 5,000 jobs are supported and 125 live race dates a year are feasible with the subsidies’ aid. With assistance, supplementary support is available to entice top trainers, riders, and horses.
In British Columbia, the BCLC is in charge of casinos, lotteries, and eGaming. PlayNow.com is the government’s internet gambling gateway, offering slots and other casino games as well as poker, bingo, and betting lines.
Single sports are not permitted to be wagered on in British Columbia, therefore they provide a variant of parimutuel betting on the outcomes of at least two events.
Sporting events, such as the result of an American election, are not prohibited.
Residents of British Columbia may play at other online casinos that may or may not have better odds because they aren’t taxed and don’t contribute revenue to local communities. Through the PlayNow.com platform,Betsoft Gaming makes approximately CDN$2 million a year in revenue, which is 2,000x less than lottery and destination casinos combined.
Some internet casinos are popular even though they are not as popular as games by well-known providers like NetEnt.
BCLC operates 17 full-service casinos and 19 gaming centers without table games. They are in the Greater Vancouver Area to Fort St John.
All of the British Columbia casinos and gaming centers offer food, entertainment, and a place to gamble. Some have rooms for people to sleep over.
We’ll break the province down by regions, starting with the Lower Mainland, which includes Vancouver and adjacent areas, Fraser Valley, and a single casino in Squamish, with almost a billion sq km of real estate to develop brick-and-mortar casinos on.
Cascades Casino is in Langley and has over 80,000 sq ft of space with 888 slots and table games.Also, they have a hotel.
Elements Casino, Surrey is home to a racecourse and full-service casino. After renovation, it reopened in 2017.
There are lots of options for games like slots and table games.They also have a poker room upstairs with 12 tables which runs 7 days a week on the weekends at the facility formerly known as Fraser Downs.
Over 100,000 sq ft of gaming space, 1,000 slot machines, and 50 table games are available at Burnaby’s Grand Villa Casino. Along with seven bars, restaurants, and a show lounge. A hotel with 200 rooms and suites is ideal for visitors and revelers who want to stay the night before traveling 20 minutes back to Vancouver or other destinations.
The Hard Rock Casino Vancouver in Coquitlam is a great place for the younger generation to party with three live performance sites, poker, racebook, slots, tables, and electronic table games.
Parq Vancouver is a casino in the city. It opened with two hotels. The old casino, Edgewater Casino, closed on the same day.
Paragon Gaming made it with a license from Edgewater Casino.The casino facility, which comprises of two casinos and a hotel, occupies almost 750,000 square feet.
The main complex covers 72,000 square feet and contains two casinos and a hotel.
River Rock Casino Resort, Richmond has over 1,000 slots and electronic tables. There are 114 table games. It is about 30 minutes away from downtown Vancouver. The Hard Rock Casino Vancouver in Coquitlam has great views of the water and the Show Theatre offers entertainment.
The Starlight Casino, New Westminster, BC is a major gaming spot with more than 800 slots and nearly 50 gaming tables. There’s free parking, as well as several meals and beverage choices.
The Newton Community Gaming Centre, Surrey, provides paper and electronic bingo games, a lottery facility, and food.
Planet Bingo, Vancouver
Planet Bingo is a bingo hall in Vancouver that people can just drop into. It is located on Main Street.
Playtime Langley
Playtime in Langley, more of a social gathering place, is referred to locally as Match Eatery and Public House, with casual dining and paper & electronic bingo.
Fraser Valley Casinos
Fraser Valley Casinos are in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge, and Mission.
They have games for children to play.
Fraser Valley Casinos also has a casino located on Squamish Nation land called Chances Squamish.
Vancouver Island Casino
On the north end of Vancouver Island, there are five gaming centers, each with a different style.
Four of them specialize on bingo and slots, while the fifth has table games.
The View Royal Casino and Casino Nanaimo on Terminal Avenue feature table games as well.
Thompson Okanagan Valley
Thompson Okanagan Valley has 7 casinos.4 of them have table games.Kelowna has 2.
St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino and Chances Castlegar
St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino and Chances Castlegar are in the Kootenays region for people who want to go to the mountains.
The Casino of the Rockies at St. Eugene is a First Nations casino.
There are casinos in Quesnel and Prince George, as well as five Chances restaurants across the region of Northern BC.
B.C.’s government currently licenses 34 casinos and community gaming areas, which range from slot machines to table games to restaurants and music halls.
Proline British Columbia. BCLC Sports Action is a sports lottery that people can play in British Columbia.They can play this lottery from anywhere in Canada.
In British Columbia, gaming of almost any sort is not permitted in pubs and bars. Slot machines (VLTS) are only legal in licensed gaming establishments such as casinos and race tracks.
Catalyst Capital Group Inc runs casinos in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. The headquarters of Gateway Casinos and Entertainment are in Burnaby, British Columbia.In 2002, The Catalyst Capital Group Inc., a private equity investment firm, acquired the company.