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Are you pleased about the new gaming centre to open in Castlegar as soon as a year from now?

Yes! It's exactly the kind of economic diversification the city has been seeking!
21% (29 votes)
Yes. I enjoy gambling, and think this will add another element to the quality of life here.
9% (13 votes)
Sort of - I like the idea of new jobs, but I'm not sure gambling is the best means to that end.
19% (27 votes)
No. The facts are in on gambling, and this will cause more problems than it solves.
48% (67 votes)
I don't know.
4% (5 votes)
Total votes: 141

Comments

Why take chances when you can

by Carol on 22 Aug 2011 at about 07:15.
Why take chances when you can count on a sure thing.

re:

by marax on 26 Oct 2011 at about 07:00.
Casinos provide employment, which is a good thing. They also provide entertainment so I have to say that I'm pleased about the new gaming centre. David http://www.jakpoderwacdziewczynex.pl/

Social Concerns

by Brandon Slots (not verified) on 21 Aug 2011 at about 21:44.
Casinos are causing social concerns in many neighborhoods. From an economic perspective they provide employment, yet s we know the issue of gambling can bring terrible problems to the social fabric. Bingo on the other hand has been played happily, without the many known addictive behaviors of other games. I imagine this is due to the low level of money that is passed and the controlled environment. Brandon http://www.doubledowncasino.com

Another perspective from another city

by CK on 23 Mar 2011 at about 15:55.
I am a Castlegar ex-pat who is currently living in Calgary. I'm paying attention to the gaming centre issue in Castlegar because my community (neighbourhood) in Calgary recently faced something similar. Basically, a development company wanted to put a hotel and casino in a new retail complex a stone's throw away from local housing--literally a block away from the boundary of the residential area and within a few blocks of the local K-4 school. Citizens had no problem with the retail development but we sure had an issue with another casino in Calgary, especially one so close to a residential area. Complicating this, our local city Alderman was in favour of this and really pushed for it to go through. The local citizens didn't have much time before this was all decided but organized a protest--a flyer drop, a website, and going to the local media (as well as a Facebook group) to say this is not something that's good for the local area and local families. This was all done by volunteers. Granted, there were some people who actually did want the casino and thought a gambling facility was a good thing but we made our case that it was not good where it was proposed to be placed and not good for families in the area. Ultimately the developer pulled out of it, citing the effect that the negative publicity generated. I think that the situation in Castlegar has many parallels; perhaps the local council in Castlegar wanted this and pushed it through without much consultation with local residents? I'm not sure of the complete details of the Castlegar news story so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. But if Castlegarians really don't want to have such an establishment, then perhaps they should look at starting to campaign like our community did. I know that Castlegar is much further down the process than we were so maybe it is too late--but perhaps not. I have to emphasize again that we were just ordinary people with no political experience what so ever; we had normal jobs and normal families and were busy with our day to day lives. But we did have a passion for saying what we wanted in our community. I hope this gives Castlegar people a bit of food for thought in regards to the gaming centre issue there. Here is a link to the website that was created for our campaign in case anyone is interested. http://royaloakcasinoopinion.com/

Is it perhaps time to take

by RightBehindYou on 23 Mar 2011 at about 07:51.
Is it perhaps time to take the Gaming Centre out of the backrooms of City Hall and re-examine it, in Public, in the ‘light of day’ .. and given today’s realities? When I first learned about it and downloaded many articles on the issue from http://bytesland.com search and when first proposed, the Gaming Centre appeared to be a first step towards economic diversification. I was one of the few folks who had an opportunity to actually ‘vote’ on the City’s participation in this Project. At that time, I was willing to support the Project 1) as a test case; 2) as at least one effort to stimulate some diversified economic development. Since that time many things have changed...

I think both commentors make

by walkinthepark on 12 May 2011 at about 20:51.
I think both commentors make good points. This should be an issue that is decided on by all Castlegarians of voting age. Those that vote yes will have good points, as will those that vote against. I've never really looked into the impact of gaming on communities. I know that from Monaco to Las Vegas to the Chickasaw Nation to Windsor, that gaming is a part of a lot of areas. What has the impact on these towns been? Are there any cities with a profile that is similar to Castlegar, that may give an indication of what the impacts of the gaming centre might be? Whatever Castlegar decides, I hope that there is enough public discourse among voters to make an informed decision.