'Equivalent of another small casino': B.C. union opposes expansion of Parq Vancouver
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to include a clarification from Parq Vancouver.
A union is opposing the possible expansion of Parq Casino, about which Vancouver City Council is holding a public hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Parq Casino wants the City to permit them to add an additional 300 slot machines, increasing the amount from 600 to 900.
Unite Here! Local 40, a union that represents hospitality workers, asserts that 300 more machines are the “equivalent of another small casino.”
“We’re concerned about, you know, is this going to be a livable city? Is it an affordable city for hospitality workers to live in? And the decisions that this Council makes has an impact on not only our members, hospitality workers, but average working people across the city,” said Michelle Travis, the research director for Unite Here! Local 40.
In April 2011, public opposition prompted a previous Council to adopt a moratorium on expansions of gambling and gaming in Vancouver. But in May 2024, the current Council amended this to allow applications.
Travis said that they are shifting to a “gambler first approach” instead of having the facility as an entertainment venue.
“Who tends to use the slots? It tends to be older folks, and folks who are at lower income levels,” she said.
What are the risks?
A recent report from the City of Vancouver outlines some of the anticipated risks and benefits of the casino expansion.
Risks include that more slot machines would increase gambling-related harm, which disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups, including people with mental health and substance use issues, low social connectedness, older adults, and young adults — especially amongst Indigenous and South Asian communities.
The report states that problem gambling is associated with a higher risk of financial strain, domestic violence, substance use issues, and increased demand for health and social services.
“Problem gambling impacts not only the individual, but their friends, their family. It has kind of a cascading effect on those in their lives. And that does create public costs, in terms of public health costs. And so how do you put a price tag on that?” said Travis.
She’s also concerned about an additional cost in policing to the City, adding that between 2020 and 2024, there were over 1,400 police calls to Parq Casino.
The benefits outlined in the City of Vancouver report are increased public revenues, a marginal increase in employment, and expanded gambling options for “casual players” who aren’t at risk of problem gambling.
Provincial policies allow local municipal governments to receive 10 per cent of net gambling revenue generated from casinos within their jurisdiction.
The casino also contributes to a “social responsibility fund,” which Parq Casino said it would increase by $150,000 in 2027, from $600,000 to $750,000. In 2028, it will contribute $900,000, and it will be adjusted to inflation thereafter.
City staff found that the City has not made inflation adjustments under the existing agreement, and factored this into the updated contribution proposal.
Travis doesn’t think an additional $150,000 is enough, given the risks associated with gambling. She said that City Council needs to “ask hard questions when proposals like this come before them and really sort of examine the risks.”
“We want to make sure we’ve got a council that’s accountable to the people and not handing another giveaway again to the real estate owners that own the casino,” she said.
Why does Parq Casino want to expand?
Parq Casino and BC Lottery Corporation representatives told Daily Hive in an email that the goal with this proposal is to “keep entertainment-spend local,
They added that they want to do this within a framework of player health, safety, and community protection.
In its application to the City of Vancouver, Parq Casino said that it has the lowest density of slot machines among casinos in the Lower Mainland and isn’t meeting the current demand. Vancouver’s population has grown by about 140,000 in the past 20 years, and the regional population has grown by over 900,000. There’s also been an increase in tourism.
It argued that expanded slot machine capacity would help accommodate spikes in visitors during major events at nearby BC Place Stadium and Rogers Arena.
In its application, it’s also asking the City to remove the legal covenant that currently restricts gaming at the casino.
In Parq Casino’s statement to Daily Hive, they said they “fully support community participation in the upcoming public hearing.”
Unite Here! Local 40 is hosting a rally ahead of the public hearing next Tuesday.
With files from Kenneth Chan