After an extensive process of consideration, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation has announced that a decision has been made as to which local government will play host to a new gambling venue in British Columbia. Several areas were under consideration, with an Expression of Interest process taking place to see just which governments would like to be chosen. The BCLC has decided that the Greater Victoria region will be the perfect choice for the gambling venue.

The BCLC announced that the facility will be constructed based on what will best fit the market of Victoria. There is already a casino establishment in the area, the View Royal Casino, which will still be the primary venue for Victoria despite the new development.

Officials of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation have been discussing a redevelopment plan for the View Royal Casino with the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation and the new plans for the existing casino will determine the size and offerings of the new casino build.

The BCLC decided to provide another gaming venue in British Columbia after a market assessment was conducted. This assessment determined that there was a market for such a venue and the BCLC moved forward with the process known as the Expression of Interest which began in October of last year. Six local governments had the opportunity to decide if they would like to be considered.

Expression of Interest paperwork was provided by Victoria, the chosen area, as well as Saanich, Songhees First Nation, Esquimalt Township and the Esquimalt First Nation. Once the submissions were turned in, the BCLC seemed to have narrowed down their choices to Saanich and Victoria. The final decision by the BCLC was based on the economy, demographic, geography and support by the community.

Now that the area has been decided, the BCLC will now move on to choosing an operator to develop a construction proposal for the new venue. Officials of Victoria will be consulted as well as the West Shore Communities. Municipal governments have the option to decide as to if they would like to see a new gaming venue added to the community.