Penticton Bingo Palace will close permanently in the spring

PENTICTON – As Gateway Casinos prepares to open a new casino at the South Okanagan Events Centre, the Penticton Bingo Palace will close permanently in the spring.

Gateway Casinos and Entertainment public relations director Tanya Gabara says in an email the bingo hall will close on Saturday, Mar. 4, 2017.

“Our priority in the coming weeks and months is to transition the (bingo hall) staff to positions at the new casino,” Gabara says in the email.

The Bingo Palace will be used for training and preparations leading up to the opening of the new casino, but after that, the future of the property has not been determined, Gabara says. Bingo will not be offered in the new facility due to the limited demand for the game.

“We thank our customers for their patronage of the bingo hall over the past 30 years,” she says, adding the closure of the hall was a tough decision.

Gateway Casinos and Entertainment acquired the bingo hall in December, 2015 when it purchased Playtime Gaming's six B.C. locations.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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