This Monday saw a surprising turn of events for the City of Victoria in British Columbia, as the location announced it is no longer willing to pursue previous plans for a gaming venue situated in the downtown area of the city. The statement came from Mayor Lisa Helps herself, stating she has lost the initial ardor towards a casino venue located within the city’s limits.
For the past months, she has remained relatively uninterested in the idea of a casino venue in Victoria. Only recently she came to the conclusion that this is not what the region needs at the moment and she is willing to make things official by seeking the support of city councilors. Once they all reach an agreement on this subject, the city is going to reach the British Columbia Lottery Corporation overseeing the local field and notify it the area will not proceed with previous plans for a gaming venue.
Casino Venue Might not Come to Town
One of the potential reasons for this decision coming at a pivotal time for the region is the money laundering scandal involving casino venues in the province used as washing machines for dirty money. The local leader is willing to sacrifice previously issued plans in order to maintain the city in its current state British Columbia is becoming less likely to see new casino venues constructed in the foreseeable future, as the local gaming field was marred by the criminal discoveries.
It could be recalled that the year 2015 brought the official announcement of casino plans, as the staff of the City Council notified the same British Columbia Lottery Corporation about its desire to welcome a gaming venue. The bad reputation casino venues in the region have built over the span of the past several months is what eventually changed the official’s mind and tilted the scales in the direction of no casino venue.
Previous Concerns on the Subject
It could be recalled that earlier in September the City’s Councilor wanted to make sure that the new casino venue will not follow in the footsteps of other gaming facilities in the province and continue the money laundering practice ongoing up until that point. Jeremy Loveday was concerned back then that a casino operation within the borders of the city regardless of the particular location is going to inevitably provide criminals in the area with the means for money washing.
Furthermore, the Councilor also shares the common opinion that the new casino venue is going to increase the criminal activity in Victoria. This has been a recurring pattern around the world, inevitably impacting the local Councilor of the city. The information which was sought back then included logs of systemic failures which have led to the facilitation of the money laundering process for a long period of time. Such concerns have further chilled the already lukewarm attitude toward casino operation.
Last month the BCLC even went so far as to request a list of casino developers and operators willing to manage casino venue in Victoria, since several years had passed since the initial expression of interest. Now the City Mayor provided her concerns in the form of a letter at the most recent City meeting, seeking the council’s position on the subject. This is going to be the tipping point for Victoria’s gaming future and upcoming weeks are set to see more development on the subject.
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