Community remains opposed to Camrose Casino relocation after application renewed

A rural casino is making another bid to relocate to south Edmonton after being denied last year.

The Camrose Casino has re-applied to relocate to an empty lot at 420 Parsons Road, and Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) is currently accepting public feedback on the proposal.  

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Last year, the casino's application received pushback from residents worried about how the 60,000-square foot facility would worsen local traffic congestion.

While Edmonton's mayor raised concerns over the potential loss of local charitable revenue, the then-owner of the casino said rejecting the move would disadvantage hundreds of rural charities who receive far less income from charitable gambling.

AGLC denied the application in November, and in January, the casino submitted a new proposal for an 88,000-square foot facility with 498 slot machines and 25 games tables. 

"Aspects of this application are different from the previous one, including ownership and the proposed games on site. As this is a significantly different proposal, AGLC has deemed it appropriate to move to step two for consideration and community support," the governing body said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ward Karhiio Keren Tang said on Thursday that she is aware of the new proposal and has already received concerns from community members about the new proposal.

"This issue certainly has been occupying my inbox," Tang said. "Lots of calls and meetings."

Tang said the lot has been looking for development for some time, but she believes the casino would have too large a footprint for Parsons Road, which is already a traffic pinch point.

"We're strapped for cash to expand that road, and these projects are going to have to wait until we're in a better financial situation," Tang said. "I hear regularly from residents about traffic, about the need to expand that particular part."

The project is currently in the public feedback stage, and anyone with objections must submit them to AGLC in writing by Aug. 21.

Charitable income

Like the former application, the Camrose casino would keep its rural licence after the move – meaning charitable income would go to rural charities.

AGLC said the relocation, as per the current application, would cause "significant" realignment in the Edmonton market, with an expected $19 million in earnings.

Local charities are expected to see a five per cent decrease in charity pool payments, while First Nations charities pool payments are expected to drop two per cent.

In comparison, rural charities served by the Camrose Casino would see more than a 50 per cent increase in those payments.

Tang said she has met with urban and rural stakeholders about the relocation and she is sympathetic to the issue of where casino dollars go, but she doesn't feel this move is the right one right now.

Instead, she said changes need to be made to AGLC's charitable gaming model, and there needs to be more provincial funding available for charitable organizations.

"We're again in this position where rural communities are pitted against urban communities fighting for charitable dollars that are reliant on increasing gambling," Tang said. "How is that fair for anybody?"

In 2022, Alberta Municipalities renewed a 2019 resolution calling on the province and AGLC to change charitable gaming regulations in Alberta to reduce funding inequalities between rural and urban charities.

AGLC began a review of the charitable gaming model in 2021 and said in a statement on Friday that the process is ongoing. 

CTV News Edmonton has reached out to AGLC for more information and is awaiting a response.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Karyn Mulcahy, Alex Antoneshyn, Adam Lachacz and Nicole Weisberg