Lake City Casinos' plans to expand its Kamloops venue are receiving a positive reception in the Tournament Capital. "From what I've heard so far, I think that whenever you clean up an area downtown and make it look better, then it's good for everybody," said city councillor and downtown business owner
Tina Lange."My first gut instinct is it's a good thing. So I hope I'm right." Lange's restaurant, Hello Toast, is located one block from a parking lot recently purchased by the Casino. Once city council and the B.C. Lottery Corporation give the project their blessing, the Kelowna-headquartered chain plans to build a gaming-entertainment facility about twice as large as the one it currently operates in the Executive Inn. Lake City Casinos has similar expansion plans for its venues in Vernon and Kelowna. Having a larger casino-entertainment facility, according to Lange, could also lure visitors to Kamloops. "Big cities - and we are a big city now - offer casinos. And we simply don't want to be left behind," she said. The expansion plans, however, are still preliminary. Steve Kumpf, the company's vice-president for Okanagan operations, said he expects preliminary designs to be drawn up within the next 90 days. These plans will be sent to city hall and the
B.C. Lottery Corporation. Construction should begin in 2008 or 2009, said Kumpf. He said construction may be delayed because of the shortage of building supplies and tradespeople in the province. The Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association has not formally discussed the casino expansion plans, but the organization's general manager said she's pleased with what she has heard so far."To see a development in that lot - it's always good to see new growth downtown," said Gay Pooler. "And to see an open parking lot made into a building is always good." Pooler said once the casino expansion is complete, it could complement the Landsdowne Village that is still under construction. Once the casino expansion goes before city council for a vote, it could spark a debate about gambling facilities. However, said Coun. Arjun Singh, member of the city's social planning council, the debate is not likely to focus on mixing gambling and alcohol because the casino already serves liquor. Singh said it is good to have a variety of businesses in the downtown, but did not say if he favours an expansion of the casino.
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