The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has chosen Delta as the location for their upcoming casino project south of Fraser River. The new casino is to be a relocation of the Newton Community Gaming Centre in Surrey, BC, that’s currently operated by Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd.  The new venue will be run by the same operator on behalf of the BCLC, and it would have more gambling facilities that the old casino.

The decision to build a casino in Delta was reached after the BCLC reached out to local governments south of the Fraser River asking them whether they would express interest to host a new gambling venue in the area. Both the Corporation of Delta (CD) and the Tsawwassen First Nation responded with to the call, while City of Surrey declined, but the final decision came in Delta’s favor due to a variety of factors, including road access and market potential.

However, the location of the casino is yet to be decided, as the facility that was proposed in June by the local government was not accepted by BCLC. According to a local news report, the BCLC rejected the proposal from the Delta council to place the casino at Delta Town & Country Inn, on terms of the location being too far away from prospective customers and very close to the River Rock casino in Richmond, BC.

The local council has set their minds on this location due to it being isolated and outside of school areas and communities, but after a careful consideration the BCLC decided to look for a more “suitable” spot, informing the local government that they would form a proposal with Gateway which will only be pursued as long the CD approve of the new area. Per the agreement, the CD are to get 10% of the net income, which is projected to bring around $1-3 million to the local government’s budget.