2009 Symposium River Rock Casino Resort

address:    8811 River Road Richmond BC   

Dates:        September 30 and October 1, 2009

Look for details in the mail in June 2009

On December 8, 2008 BCACG and  BCBC met jointly with Minister the Honourable Rich Coleman, members of his staff and Derek Sturko Assistant Deputy Minister Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch in Vancouver.

As a result of this meeting we made the following presentation to the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, after consulting extensively with many local Bingo Associations, to articulate a "meaningful role" for Associations.

(1) Communications: There is a strong desire to keep the existing network of organizations, local bingo associations and their representative provincial organizations-BCACG and BCBC intact.  Organizations currently rely on their local  associations for information on a wide range of issues concerning bingo affiliation and direct access.  They also rely on them to provide current and accurate information from GPEB.  Associations have also been utilizing BCBC and BCACG to communicate between themselves and other Bingo Associations.

(2) Marketing: This is a role established by GPEB as "doing hours" after BCLC took over operations previously performed by organizations in bingo halls.  BCLC recently wrote the following to BCACG: "Research indicates that the public has considerable interest in understanding more about "where the money goes"... in other words who benefits from the proceeds of Gaming Revenue.  To maintain public support for gaming, the charitable sector has a huge interest in helping the public understand the benefits.  We are therefore proposing reframing the issue of "hours" as "marketing activities".  Since many organizations and local associations still wish to have a presence in their local bingo hall or gaming centre and all understand the importance of advising their communities on gaming fund importance and how they are spent, we suggest that organizations continue such marketing activities and they continue to maintain records of these activities with the local association.

(3) While it has never been identified specifically as a key issue, it has come to the attention of BCACG and BCBC that GPEB perhaps would like to see Direct Access recipients included in local bingo associations.  This is certainly possible; however, each local association would have to be given the flexibility to determine the nature of that membership, especially given that some association have unique relationships to their bingo hall and gaming centre.  Direct Access recipients would benefit from the flow of information in the communications network described in o(1).  And, they would also be encouraged to engage in some form of Marketing activity as described in (2).

Currently, BCACG is of course already providing service to direct access recipients in addition to bingo-affiliated organization.