We applaud the provincial government鈥檚 decision to scrap the plan to install slot machines on ferries, but running the numbers for the concept was the right thing to do. You can鈥檛 get ahead without being open to new ideas.
If sa国际传媒 Ferries stuck to the basics, offering mere transportation of vehicles and people, it would cost the public purse far more than it does.
The restaurants and gift shops on the large ferries that ply the main routes are profitable, and subsidize the costs of smaller ferry routes. It pays to look around for other ways to make money.
As Transportation Minister Todd Stone said in a statement: 鈥淏ritish Columbians have told the government to explore new and innovative ways to keep ferry fare increases affordable, which is why we explored the idea of introducing gaming on the sa国际传媒 Ferries.鈥�
And as sa国际传媒 Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan told the sa国际传媒 editorial board a couple of months ago, commercial endeavours improve the corporation鈥檚 bottom line and help limit fare increases. He鈥檚 not shy about enticing passengers to spend more.
鈥淲e want everyone to come onto the ferries so we can turn them upside down and shake everything out of their pockets,鈥� he joked.
Gambling, though, would be too much shaking people down. It is far more complicated, with far more side-effects, than a straightforward retail transaction.
Besides, a business analysis concluded the pilot project 鈥� adding slot machines on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route 鈥� would lose $240,000 a year because of the need for extra staffing, technology and equipment.
For now, the biggest gamble to be faced in riding the ferries should be whether you can make the next sailing.
