"A BC Liberal Government will stop the expansion of gambling that has increased gambling addiction and put new strains on families."
Campbell's New Era Document, page 26

Anyone who believed Gordon Campbell's promise to protect families by stopping the expansion of gambling should visit Great Canadian Casino's newest gambling palace, River Rock which opened at 2 PM on Friday, June 25th. The Vegas style, 24/7 operation, will never close. Its opening was preceded by speeches from Richmond's mayor, executives from Great Canadian and from the President and CEO of the BC Lottery Corporation. Notably absent were local MLAs, the Solicitor General and the Premier.

When the RAV line gets the go ahead on the third try, it will conveniently locate a station near the new Richmond casino. With 70,000 square feet of "gaming" on the main floor, the casino has nearly 1,000 slot machines and 70 gaming tables including two crap tables. Executives from Great Canadian announced that the machines include nearly 40 penny machines, but they also include machines for the high rollers that take a minimum of $100 per pull.

For people who believe responsible adults should not be prevented from making the choice to gamble and doing so in luxury, the River Rock brings BC into what the BC Lottery Corporation's CEO termed "the next stage". There is nothing like the River Rock casino anywhere else in BC, Washington State or Alberta. It is in a class usually not found outside of Reno or Vegas.

The casino in Burnaby has also recently added crap tables, and is about to embark on a multi-million dollar expansion that will provide a similar Vegas style operation. The problem for Gordon Campbell is that he promised not to do this. At the time of the last election the Liberals said that gambling was addictive for far too many, and that it destroyed families. Now the Minister responsible for gambling, Solicitor General Rich Coleman, maintains that addiction is not a problem, and is limited to a very small percentage of players. No effort is made by the Campbell government to track suicides and violence that is gambling related.

For those who don't have the time, or interest, to visit River Rock, the plan for the next stage of gambling can be viewed from the government's books. Revenue to government from the BC Lottery Corporation was $562 million in fiscal year 2000-2001; it rose to $671 million in fiscal 2002-03 and is projected to be $1,010 million in 2006-07. That will be an increase of 80% over six years! By contrast, corporate income tax is forecast to decrease by $100 million over that period, from $1,054 in 2000-01 to $959 in 2006-07, and personal income tax is forecast to decrease by over $300 million during that period, from $5,963 million in 2000-01 to $5,606 million in 2006-07. During the six years when revenue from gambling is projected to increase by 80%, health care, often characterized as a bottomless money pit, is projected to increase by 31%, from $9,555 million in 2000-01 to $12,511 in 2006-07. Gambling seems to be the biggest growth industry in BC. Visit River Rock and you will see why, or maybe the why is named Gordon Campbell.