In western Canada, the redevelopment of the View Royal Casino near Victoria is reportedly progressing well with operator Great Canadian Gaming Corporation hoping to have the first phase of the $15 million project finished by December.

According to a report from the local Goldstream News Gazette newspaper, February saw crews demolish the north end of the still-open British Columbia casino, which had contained its restaurant, lounge and several dozen slots, in order to make way for a new 600-seat entertainment venue and an enlarged gaming floor offering more high-limit tables.

“Everybody’s excited about the end result,” Chris Lynn, Vancouver Island Executive Director for Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, told the Goldstream News Gazette. “Sometimes the inconvenience of not having all of the amenities that they are used comes to the forefront but I think everybody has been pretty understanding and is super-excited about what we’re going to become.”

Lynn reportedly explained that the redeveloped north end of the View Royal Casino is to additionally contain a 150-seat buffet and lounge area along with a 20-seat quick-service restaurant while a name-change could also be on the cards although no final decision on this possibility has yet been approved.

Vancouver-based Great Canadian Gaming Corporation operates some 20 venues throughout the United States and Canada including the nearby Elements Casino and Hard Rock Casino Vancouver and first announced plans to expand its View Royal Casino in 2007. But, the subsequent global economic recession saw this proposal shelved until it was brought back to life in July after the British Columbia Lottery Corporation regulator revealed that the venue was to remain as the only commercial gaming facility for the whole of Vancouver Island.

Lynn reportedly declared that the firm is “pretty comfortable” with the December opening date and hopes that the redevelopment will see View Royal Casino able to begin offering a broader range of entertainment options.

“Our goal is to be the best in live and local entertainment in Victoria and have something for everyone,” Lynn told the newspaper.

The Goldstream News Gazette moreover reported that Great Canadian Gaming Corporation is additionally considering whether to bid for the right to operate a smaller casino that is rumored to be in the works for downtown Victoria. However, Lynn revealed that the firm only intends to make a definite decision once the British Columbia Lottery Corporation has established the final parameters for the proposed project.