Report BRITISH COLUMBIA


BRITISH COLUMBIA SPLENDID ISOLATION


Progressive and liberal, the BCLC has developed robust responsibility programmes while expanding its gaming footprint


British Columbia is the most westerly province in Canada and its name was originally chosen by Queen Victoria back in 1858. It became the sixth Canadian province in 1871.


The region has strong cultural and personal ties to the Canadian Prairies and Ontario as well as to the West Coast of the US and to Alaska and Yukon. It is also a component of the Pacific Northwest.


The province has a population of 4.4 million and borders the Pacific Ocean on the west and Alaska in the northwest, Yukon and the Northwest Territories in the north, Alberta in the east and US states Washington, Idaho and Montana in the south. Its capital, Victoria, is the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada however the largest city is Vancouver. Half of all British Columbians live in the Metro Vancouver area


British Columbia is renowned for its spectacular scenery which is the backdrop for a booming outdoor and eco- tourism industry. Some 75 per cent of the province is mountainous, 60 per cent is


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forested and only five per cent is arable. There are 14 designations of parks and protected areas and 141 ecological reserves. The province’s economy is centred on the forestry industry but also mining plays a huge part whilst its film industry, known as Hollywood North, provides the third largest feature film production location in North America.


British Columbia has a pattern of boom and bust in terms of economics and politics. Tourism in British Columbia generates around $14bn in revenue and there are around 15 million visitors to the province


THE GAMING SECTOR British Columbians can gamble in the following activities – provincial and national lotteries, horse racing via the five horse tracks and 22 Tele-theatres, 17 casinos, 17 Community Gaming Centres, 10 bingo halls and PlayNow.com online gaming.


The gaming industry is worth $2.7bn per year and the sector employs 26,000 people directly and indirectly with over 9,100 licensed gaming events held last


The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch regulates


all gaming in British Columbia including the British


Columbia Lottery


Corporation which then manages


lotteries, casinos and bingo halls, plus gaming


service providers and British


Columbia’s horse racing industry.


year. In 2011/12 commercial gaming grossed $2.7bn ($1bn from lottery and $1.6 from casinos and CGCs) compared to $2.6bn the previous year. After prize payouts the net win was $2bn whilst net income after expenditure amounted to $1.19bn.


This revenue then supports local communities, the horse racing industry, Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) operations and government programmes and through the community gaming grant programme the GPEB distributed $135m to around 5,000 non profit organisations last year.


Local governments which host casinos receive 10 per cent of net gaming and last year the GPEB paid $82.3m in grants to 29 host local governments.


The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch regulates all gaming in British Columbia including the British Columbia Lottery Corporation which then manages lotteries, casinos and bingo halls, plus gaming service providers and British Columbia’s horse racing industry.


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