The B.C. Lottery Corporation’s interim CEO has pledged to maintain Kamloops as the headquarters for the Crown corporation.
But, in an interview with KTW on Wednesday, Feb. 5, Jim Lightbody said where the eventual head of the BCLC resides will be a personal decision, as well as a direction from the board of directors.
“It’s important the Kamloops office remains the centre of our organization,” Lightbody said, noting the city is home to the headquarters, in addition to being the “technical backbone.”
Functions in Kamloops include legal and finance operations.
About 50 per cent of workers with the BCLC work out of Kamloops, with one-third in the east Vancouver office and another 20 per cent in the field at casinos.
Lightbody was named interim CEO after the sudden resignation last week of Michael Graydon.
Lightbody said Graydon is expected to make known in a few days where he has moved in the private sector.
Under Graydon’s near-six-year watch, a number of senior executives were moved to the east Vancouver office.
The interim CEO also met with Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar, who delivered a message on the importance of maintaining key operations here.
“We’ve seen a leakage of executive positions to the Coast,” Milobar acknowledged.
“I’d love to see the executive and president here.”
Despite that desire, Milobar said the city’s central focus is ensuring the majority of workers and technical operations remain in Kamloops.
“Overall, we’ve done quite well with him [Graydon] here,” Milobar said. “They’ve expanded the technical and security side.
“We’re hard-pressed to say we’ve been treated badly.”
Based in the Lower Mainland, Lightbody has been with the BCLC for 13 years, 10 of them running the lottery side of the business.
Discussion of an improved casino for the city also came up in talks with the city this week.
While speculation is operator Gateway Casinos and Entertainment wants to move its Lake City Casino to the former Rona building in Versatile from downtown, Lightbody said the BCLC is not directly involved in that decision. It will, however, support the city and its preferred location.
“Everyone is focused on how do we build a better, bigger casino and entertainment option for Kamloops,” he said.
“It’s complicated and it’s being worked on.”
The BCLC recently announced a renewed focus on responsible gambling. It recently funded an academic chair at University of B.C. that will focus on gambling research.
