Mission Could Get Slot Machines

The Boardwalk Gaming Center is trying to expand in Mission, and have been trying to get permission to for the past few years. A public hearing was recently held to get the opinions of the community on the expansion of the slot machine casino. Many who attended were in favor of bringing slot machines to the town – as they thought it was a great way to bring in revenue for charities.

It is currently illegal to operate slot machines in Mission, but the council could choose to overturn that bylaw and allow the machines in. There would be 50 slot machines brought into the gaming facility, and the money would go towards many things including charities. “The charities are in support of the slot machines,” said Karen Vinnish, who spoke on behalf of the 16 local charities which benefit from bingo revenue. “Charities rely on these funds. Our charities can’t afford to lose these funds. Bingo has been declining and we need to expand and give patrons more choices.”

She also added that by bringing in slot machines, the group would be bringing in more jobs for the area as well. One man said that he opposed bringing in the slot machines as “charities aren’t starving in this town.” He said that the charities would have to find another way of getting money other than the slot machines. He noted that not only was he a Rotarian once but also a Kinsmen, and that he was aware that there were other ways of making money without resorting to slot machine gambling.



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