River Rock Casino Resort
Encyclopedia
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
is the largest casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
in the province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The casino is owned by Great Canadian Gaming
Great Canadian Gaming
The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation is a gaming operator in Canada. It is the largest operator of casinos in British Columbia.-Operations:*Boulevard Casino*Casino Nanaimo*Casino Nova Scotia Halifax*Casino Nova Scotia Sydney*Chances Dawson Creek...
. In addition to its 222 rooms, lodging space is available at the 144-berth marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
.
The casino has 10,000 visitors per day on average and generated an annual revenue of $244 million as of August 2006.
History
The casino was built on the site of the former Bridgepoint Market in Richmond. It first opened to the public on June 25, 2004.Several variances were needed from the City of Richmond to allow it to open with service that customers expect. This included a modification of its liquor license and operating license to allow liquor to be consumed in the casino's theatre.
It hosted the British Columbia Poker Championships in November 2005, 2006 and 2007. The premier event of the Johnny Chan Poker Championship was also held in 2007.
The 2006 Gemini Awards were presented at the River Rock Casino Resort, marking the ceremony's West Coast debut; the event is normally held in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Transportation
The casino is served by Bridgeport Station on the Canada LineCanada Line
Canada Line is a rapid transit line in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. Opened in August 2009, it is the third line in TransLink's SkyTrain metro network, servicing Vancouver, Richmond, and the Vancouver International Airport...
SkyTrain
SkyTrain (Vancouver)
SkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...
, located across from the casino.
Bus service, operated by TransLink, is provided via bus routes within walking distance of the casino.
The casino is located about five minutes from Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
, on Richmond's Sea Island. It is also near Highway 99, the main highway connecting Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
to the southern suburbs.
The casino also plans to build a 1,200 parking space complex for casino patrons and for park-and-ride transit use.
The 1,200 stall parkade will cost $33 million to build. TransLink (the Canada Line Operator) will give the Great Canadian Casino Corporation land worth $9.5 million, and $4.5 million in cash in return for building the park-and-ride facility. Transit users will be charged $2.50 to use the facility.
River Rock Casino and the film industry
Because the Vancouver area has a big film industry, River Rock has played host to various productions looking for casino filming locations. While this is generally well received, there have been some unfortunate incidents. On 8 November 2006, three photographers made their way onto a closed section of the hotel's balcony intending to photograph actress Denise RichardsDenise Richards
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
during filming of the movie Blonde and Blonder
Blonde and Blonder
Blonde and Blonder is a 2008 Canadian comedy film starring Pamela Anderson, Denise Richards and Emmanuelle Vaugier. The film was directed by Dean Hamilton, and was released on January 18, 2008.The film's name is a reference to Dumb and Dumber....
. In an ensuing argument, she allegedly threw a laptop computer belonging to one photographer off the balcony, striking the arm of an elderly lady in a wheelchair.
The casino was also prominently featured in the Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
episode entitled "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece."
Loan sharking controversy
A report released by the British Columbia Lottery CorporationBritish Columbia Lottery Corporation
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is a Crown Corporation of the Province of British Columbia, Canada.It has provided government sanctioned lottery services in British Columbia since 1985...
showed that out of 56 incidents of a casino patron in British Columbia being barred from gambling for suspected loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
ing activity, 34 of those incidents took place at River Rock.
Controversy within Richmond was further stirred when the RCMP admitted it could do little to stop loan sharking unless a victim came forward, yet it was the suspected motive for a variety of kidnappings, extortions, threats and violence.
The most prominent case occurred when Rong Lilly Li, a suspected loan shark, disappeared after last being seen getting into a van outside the casino on 26 May 2006. Her body was finally recovered on the weekend of 9-10 September 2006.