[SpongeG]

Nanaimo casino to expand

NANAIMO -- Nanaimo's Great Canadian Casino is planning a major expansion.

Chris Dikeakos Architects Inc. has submitted a development proposal to the City of Nanaimo, on behalf of the GCC, for a massive upgrade and expansion to the 19,000-square-foot casino, located adjacent to Port Place Mall downtown.

Dale Lindsay, from the city's development services department, said the expansion is planned in two phases, with the first being an addition of 23,000 square feet facing Terminal Avenue and underground parking for 200 vehicles.

The second phase calls for the demolition of the existing casino and the construction of 22,000 square feet of new casino space, as well as another 280 parking spaces in underground parking, a new parkade and surface parking.

A major feature of the new casino is a large glass entrance that will face Gordon Street and the new Vancouver Island Conference Centre, one of the main components of the Port of Nanaimo Centre, that will open in June.

Casino spokesman Howard Blank said the company won't make any comments regarding the proposal at this time but will answer questions if and when the GCC makes an official announcement on its plans.

The GCC is Nanaimo's service provider for the B.C. Lottery Corporation.

The lottery corporation has been undertaking major upgrades among a number of its 17 casinos in B.C., in an effort to attract tourists from outside the province and boost gambling revenues by more than 15 per cent.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/business/story.html?id=8c088609-ae6c-4295-881c-9b457b74a1f5

[Nutterbug]

Expansions of casinos should be looked at with the same pride as the expansion of a drug injection facility.

At least the drug injection facility tries to rehabilitate its users, whereas the casino aims to exacerbate its users' addictions.

[Phil McAvity]

^That's only half-true. Not everyone that steps foot inside a casino is a gambling addict. There are many recreational players like myself that have been to Vegas (twice actually!) but are a long ways from being addicted.

The thing about casinos is that they are often a last ditch effort at urban renewal in economically depressed cities. When all else fails, cities will often turn to gambling to try and prop up an otherwise failing local economy.

[Nutterbug]

^That's only half-true. Not everyone that steps foot inside a casino is a gambling addict. There are many recreational players like myself that have been to Vegas (twice actually!) but are a long ways from being addicted.

I bet you came out thinking what a waste of money it was.

[jacob.maclean]

An overhaul of that entire section of the mall would be a great improvement over what it is now. If they could go for a bit more of a classy design like the Casino in Colwood; we would be rocking!

The strip-mall plaza look doesn't do it justice. Especially with Nanaimo's quickly developing 'new image' in their downtown.

[Nutterbug]

^That's only half-true. Not everyone that steps foot inside a casino is a gambling addict. There are many recreational players like myself that have been to Vegas (twice actually!) but are a long ways from being addicted.

The thing about casinos is that they are often a last ditch effort at urban renewal in economically depressed cities. When all else fails, cities will often turn to gambling to try and prop up an otherwise failing local economy.

Do casinos get enough casual gamblers to stay in business, by the way?

I'm all for anybody's right to gamble and the responsibility is on them to restrain themselves, but trying to profit from other people's problems and weaknesses seems vulturous at best.