The Camrose Casino has applied to relocate to southwest Edmonton and is seeking letters of support for the decision
The Camrose Casino has submitted an application to Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) to relocate to southwest Edmonton. If the relocation is approved, the southwest Edmonton casino would continue to be linked to the Camrose and St. Albert casino regions. Based on projections, the relocation would result in the casino generating much higher charitable revenues compared to its current Camrose location.
AGLC is accepting letters of support and objection to the relocation until August 21, 2024. All letters can be sent to the Senior Manager of Inspections Gaming at gaming.inspections@aglc.ca. The RMA encourages members to support this application by sending a letter of support to AGLC, and to request that non-profit organizations within their communities provide letters of support as well.
The proposed relocation will benefit rural charitable organizations in the Camrose and St. Albert casino districts because a casino located in southwest Edmonton is projected to generate significantly more revenue than the current Camrose casino, which currently generates the lowest revenue among charitable casinos in the province.
While the relocation would benefit a portion of the rural charities across Alberta that receive substantially less charitable gaming funding than their counterparts in Edmonton and Calgary, it is does not address the broader inequities within the charitable gaming model. A fulsome review of the model and corresponding policy changes is required to address the charitable gaming revenue imbalance among rural organizations and those within the Edmonton and Calgary casino districts. The disparities faced by charitable organizations in the Camrose and St. Albert casino districts are not experienced in isolation – charitable organizations across rural Alberta feel the inequity of this system and it must be addressed on a wider scale. The RMA is in the process of developing a report and recommendations on the charitable gaming model, which will update the data and recommendations found in the RMA Charitable Gaming Committee Final Report, which was released in 2019.
Kallie Wischoff
Policy Advisor
855.319.2245
kallie@RMAlberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com