British Columbia Casinos
Besides the forests and mountains, this province is home to some of the best gambling in Canada. Now Canadian players can enjoy the best gambling online and in British Columbia. B.C. residents have plenty of options when they step outside the world of sports betting. Whether it’s horse racing, casino gambling or online slots, British Columbia is sure to quench the thirst of local gambling enthusiasts.
There’s something special about playing from mobile devices that makes online gambling very easy. You can access the games you want to play in a matter of moments from anywhere with a reliable Internet connection. That means you can play in a coffee shop, at a friend’s house, or anywhere else in B.C. where you have a tablet or smartphone.
What types of casinos exist in the province?
British Columbia has 34 casinos and community gambling centers across the province, with everything from slot machines and table games to restaurants and concert venues. British Columbia has 34 casinos and community gambling centers across the province, with everything from slot machines and table games to restaurants and concert venues.
The Casinos of British Columbia
The British Columbia Lottery and Gaming Corporation (BCLC) is in charge of the province’s casinos, lotteries, and online gaming. PlayNow.com is the name of the government’s online gaming service, which features slots, poker, bingo, and betting lines. If you want to wager on the outcome of two or more athletic events, you’ll have to use parimutuel betting. Events like the outcome of U.S. elections are permitted to be covered by the media. Because internet casinos aren’t taxed and don’t share profits with communities, citizens of British Columbia are free to play at other online casinos that may or may not provide higher odds. It is estimated that eGaming income generated by PlayNow.com is 2,000 times lower than money generated by lotteries and destination casinos combined. While famous games from well-known suppliers like NetEnt can only be available at PlayNow, prominent offshore online casinos undoubtedly dwarf those figures. To go along with its six bingo parlours, the BCLC runs 17 casinos with full service and 19 gaming facilities without table games. All of the casinos and gaming locations in the greater Vancouver area to Fort St. John in the north provide food and drink, entertainment, and gambling. Some people have stayed at hotels. The province of British Columbia has almost a billion square kilometres of land available for casino development, so we’ll divide it into sections, starting with the Lower Mainland, which encompasses Vancouver and its surrounding districts, the Fraser Valley, and the one casino in Squamish. In addition to 888 slot machines, table games, and a theatre, Cascades Casino, Langley has approximately 80,000 square feet of gaming area. A hotel and convention center is on the property. After a multi-year refurbishment, Elements Casino, Surrey reopened its racetrack and casino in 2017. The facility, originally known as Fraser Downs, features a poker area with 12 tables open seven days a week and 24 hours a day on weekends, in addition to slots and table games. The Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby, British Columbia, has approximately 100,000 square feet of gaming area, 1,000 slot machines, 50 table games, seven bars, restaurants, and a show lounge. For those who need a night’s rest before returning to Vancouver or other destinations, a hotel with 200 rooms and suites is available. There are three live entertainment venues, a poker room, a racebook, slot machines, and electronic table games at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver in Coquitlam. This casino caters to a younger clientele. There are 42,000 square feet of gambling area at Hastings Racecourse & Casino in Vancouver, where slot machines are available seven days a week, and horse races are held from April to October. One of the city’s newest casinos is Parq Vancouver. Edgewater Casino’s license was transferred to Paragon Gaming, a Las Vegas developer, which launched the casino in late September 2017 alongside two expensive hotels. At 750,000 square feet, the building includes 72,000 square feet of gaming area. Richmond’s River Rock Casino Resort has more than 1,000 slot machines and electronic tables, 114 table games, and poker within 30 minutes of downtown Vancouver. The hotel’s Show Theatre has a beautiful view of the shoreline. The Starlight Casino in New Westminster, British Columbia, includes more than 800 slot machines and approximately 50 gaming tables, as well as free parking and a variety of food and beverage options. The Newton Community Gaming Centre in Surrey provides a lottery center, paper and computerized bingo games, and food to its patrons, among other things. On Main Street, you’ll find the Vancouver drop-in bingo facility Planet Bingo. Locals nickname it the Match Eatery and Public House because of its informal dining options and its paper and computerized bingo games. Fraser Valley casinos in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge and Mission were all known as Chances. Chances Squamish, a casino on Squamish Nation grounds, offers bingo, electronic gaming, and slots. On the north end of Vancouver Island, there are five casinos and four on the south. The View Royal Casino and the Casino Nanaimo on Terminal Avenue both include table games. First Nations people make up the population of Salmon Arm. If you’re looking to escape away to the mountains, check out St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino and Chances Castlegar, both of which are in the Kootenays. A First Nations casino may be found in St. Eugene, Oregon. Quesnel and Prince George have casinos, as well as five Chances locations.
The BCLC Casino Operations Department provides traditional gaming services, including slot machines; a full range of table games, including blackjack, baccarat, poker, craps, roulette, sic bo and pai gow; electronic table games; and bingo. Not all games are available in all establishments; their availability is determined by local market demand. BCLC operates 17 full-service casinos, 19 community gaming centers (slot machines and bingo only) and six bingo halls.
The slot machines come in a huge variety. You’ll find classic slot machines with spinning reels and digital video screens, penny slots and dollar games in casinos across the province. The key is finding a slot machine that fits your playing style and budget. The province’s public online gambling platform is a popular choice for those who want to play poker, casino and slots. It continues to partner with successful companies to expand sports betting, a form of gambling that is currently very limited.