Just steps away from the site of a new casino planned near Vancouver's BC Place, some Yaletown residents say they worry their neighbourhood is no place for sanctioned gambling.
One local told CTV News that he was concerned about having a casino so close to the local elementary school.
"It's probably not good to have gambling around little kids. It might be a bad influence," he said.
Another worried about the social problems that gambling could bring.
"It's pretty addicting. People lose money. Making it that big and that available -- I'm not too sure if that's a good decision."
That's a concern echoed by anti-gambling activist Bill Chu, who fought against the construction of the Edgewater Casino in False Creek in 2005.
"This is legalized pickpocketing, meaning that you are trying to legitimize something and take something from people's pockets, and this is wrong," he said.
Chu is also betting that the casino will attract criminals.
Four years ago, Lily Rong Li was murdered on the same day she left Richmond's River Rock Casino. She was reported missing for two weeks before the RCMP finally found her body.
Derek Dang, a Richmond city councilor, admitted that crime has been an issue.
"We've had instances where there were possible kidnapping, that type of thing, but all in all, the casino has been a great contributor to the city," he told CTV News.
But Vancouver has vowed to make sure the new casino doesn't hurt the neighbourhood.
"I think it's important to understand what we're up against in terms of gambling and its impact to our community," Coun. Raymond Louie said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jina You
