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The Semiahmoo First Nation has announced it will acquire Elements Casino Surrey from operator Great Canadian Entertainment, pending regulatory approval.
It is the eighth casino in southwest B.C. that Great Canadian has sold to a First Nation in the last two years.
Elements Casino Surrey is adjacent to the Fraser Downs racetrack, which ceased racing operations last August, even as the casino remained open.
Great Canadian said in a joint statement with Semiahmoo First Nation that it would provide a year of transition services for the nation’s SE-MI-AH-MU Development Corporation as it works to close the deal.
Semiahmoo First Nation Chief Harley Chappell, seen here in June 2024, said the new venture would create meaningful benefits for the nation’s people. (CBC)
“This acquisition represents an important step forward in strengthening economic opportunity for Semiahmoo First Nation and reaffirming our presence within our traditional territory as a strong and capable business entity,” Semiahmoo Chief Harley Chappell said in a statement.
The First Nation’s traditional territories are along the Semiahmoo Bay, and include parts of Surrey, White Rock and even northwestern parts of Washington state in the U.S.
Elements Casino has 500 slot machines, according to Great Canadian.
In addition to the proposed acquisition of the Surrey casino, Great Canadian had announced the Vancouver Island-based Snuneymuxw First Nation will purchase the Great Canadian Casino Vancouver in Coquitlam in December.
The month before that, the casino operator had announced Elements Casino Chilliwack would be sold to the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe, which consists of seven First Nation communities in the Chilliwack area.
Elements Casino Surrey isn’t the only racetrack-adjacent casino that Great Canadian has moved to sell in the last year — with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation announcing its intended acquisition of the Hastings Racecourse Casino last June.