The money that the City of Quesnel is receiving from the BC Lottery Corporation is up slightly.
The total for the 2017-2018 fiscal year was 497 thousand dollars, up from 479 thousand the previous year and 468 in 2015-2016.
That is down however from historical levels that peaked back in 2007 at almost 692 thousand dollars.
Greg Walker, the Director of Public Affairs with the BC Lottery Corporation, addressed Council at this week’s meeting.
He also talked about other community support…
“The Gaming Grant program itself, about 6 thousand non profits and charitable organizations across the province received some of this funding. Last year there were 41 organizations in Quesnel that received funding through the Community Gaming Grant program.”
Quesnel organizations received more than 622 thousand dollars and that is separate from the money that the City gets for having the Billy Barker Casino.
Walker went on to say that the Casino also on its own supported some organizations, including supporting a Pet Safe Coalition Society to help animals that were in distress because of the wildfires.
The Billy Barker Casino has been up and running since January of 1998 and employs 50 people.
On average, 72.5 percent of adults participated in at least one gambling activity in the past 12 months and moderate and high-risk problem gamblers make up an estimated 3.3 percent of adult British Columbians.