The application to move a casino to south Edmonton from a small nearby city has been denied by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC).
In a statement to 630 CHED, AGLC said the proposed relocation was denied because it didn’t provide significant economic benefits, would impact other Edmonton-area casinos and lacked support from the community.
“AGLC thanks all organizations and individuals who provided input on the proposal. More than 500 submissions on the proposal (were received), with nearly 98 per cent of them opposed to relocation,” said the statement.
Concerns were raised in August by residents in the area near the proposed site of 420 Parsons Road. They felt blindsided by the proposal and application, though Capital City Casinos did follow the requirements to let the public know.
Residents were worried the proposed 16,000-square-foot casino with 120-room hotel would increase traffic along Parsons Road. The narrow, two-lane road is already busy each day with commuter volume.
Concerns weren’t just over traffic — an advisor to casino charities told Global News in August that Edmonton-area charities could lose at least $6.7-million with the move.
Evelyn Humphries said the casino would still be under a rural license and therefore Edmonton-based charities couldn’t operate there.
Keren Tang, councillor for the area of the proposed relocation, shared on Twitter that the application wasn’t approved on Monday.
“If approved, this move would have (had) numerous negative consequences for the city,” said Tang.
“I wrote a letter to the AGLC in opposition and also put forward a motion for the mayor to submit a letter on behalf of city council to the AGLC board.”
AGLC said Capital City Casinos has 30 days to request a board hearing from AGLC to appeal the decision.
Comments