City council has said yes to live table games at Chances

Photo: Chances

Kelowna city council has paved the way for live gaming tables at Chances Gaming Entertainment, much to the disappointment of its competitor, Playtime Casino.

The application, put forth by Chances at the end of last year, sought to add live tables games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, poker or other games.

However, Gateway Casinos, operators of Playtime, argued against the application before council Tuesday.

Gateway stated it approached the BC Lottery Corporation in 2015 to add more tables to its downtown casino, but was turned down because it was felt there was not enough capacity to warrant the expansion.

They wonder what has changed over the past five years, and why additional tables will be going to its competitor.

They argued a decision to allow Chances to expand would cut into some of its unique features.

Both operations presently feature slot machines. But, Playtime features live tables and a poker room, while Chances features bingo and live off-track betting on horse races.

There's also the fact that the two operations are so close together.

BCLC officials agreed, saying they would never allow two casinos so close together, but indicated this is a unique situation.

Council approved the application, and a separate expansion application unanimously.

Host cities also profit from casinos. Kelowna brought in nearly 4.2 million from gaming in 2017-2018, and $4 million during 2018-2019.

Typically, more city revenues are generated through Chances.

Chances and the BCLC will now determine what games will be made available.