Chances COVID Closure could roll some snake eyes for City of Prince Rupert and Community Groups and Organizations

As is the case across BC, the Chances Gaming Centre in Prince Rupert
has been closed since mid March owing to the COVID pandemic

One of the many sideswipes from the COVID-19 pandemic has been the closure of Casinos and local Gaming Centres like the Chances facility in Prince Rupert.

The normally quite busy gaming facility has been closed since March and if the recent themes from the Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry are a guidepost, the doors won't be re-opening any time soon.

With the closure of the Centres and the Stop on the Slots and Banishment of Bingo however will also come a reduced stream in revenues for the City of Prince Rupert and for funding for a range of Community Groups.

For the City of Prince Rupert, the current arrangement delivers 10 per cent of net casino gaming revenue from Chances.

Terrace is the only other community in the Northwest that benefits from a gaming centre revenue stream.

The most recent complete list of funding for community groups comes from one year ago and offers a glimpse at the range of 25 local groups in Prince Rupert that have benefited from the program from 2018-19

The 2018-19 review of community group funding from gaming revenues
(click to enlarge)

We took note of some of those programs last year.

December 2019 -- Community Gambling Funding to lend assistance to Prince Rupert Marine Rescue Society
December 2019 -- Prince Rupert Ground Search and Rescue gain more community funding towards command centre planning
November 2019 -- Prince Rupert receives close to $140,000 in funding as Province releases list of communities to benefit from Gaming Grant Fund

As the COVID emergency continued through the Spring some of the gambling revenue in BC was shifted towards provincial food banks, put to work to help keep those vital services in operation in a period of time when they are needed more than ever.

Looking down the road, the amounts to be distributed in 2020 will surely see some declines owing to the two month closure to date and with no indication that the slot machines and bingo boards will be coming back to life in the near future.

One area of the gaming industry in BC is however finding a surge in participants, the online PLAY NOW program in British Columbia has seen a significant increase in people logging onto their website to keep their fingers in operating order.

Some BC communities have already cast an eye on that revenue stream and are making inquiries of the BC Government as to how they can get a share of the take.

Earlier this month, the UBCM noted that it was looking to address the loss of gaming revenue and a range of other COVID related issues.

More notes on Municipal Government in Prince Rupert can be found from our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.