B.C. residents lost on average $436 in 2008 in local casinos, community gaming centres, bingo halls, lotteries and online games – up 14 per cent from $382 in 2005.

That now surpasses the national average of $430 annual per capita spending on gambling, and is projected to climb further to $511 by 2010.

The calculation is based on total population, including children.

The increase is attributed to casino expansion and the steady conversion of bingo halls to slot-equipped community gaming centres, according to the B.C. Lottery Corp.’s annual report.

Players collectively lost $1.95 billion last year gambling with BCLC and government-approved targets call for that to climb to $2.26 billion by 2011.

Gambling profits go to fund provincial health care and education, community charities and host cities.

The biggest growth area has been slot machines in community gaming centres, which are mini-casinos developed to replace traditional bingo halls where bingo revenues have plummetted.

Such centres with slots have been built in Mission, Langley and Abbotsford, with more contemplated in Chilliwack, Maple Ridge, Surrey and Squamish.

Thirteen per cent of B.C.’s nearly 10,200 slot machines are now in community gaming centres. Slot machine revenue in community gaming centres leapt 47 per cent, or $40 million, last year and helped offset slides in bingo revenue and slot revenue at regular casinos.

B.C. casinos eked out a small 1.4 per cent increase in revenue to $1.34 billion in 2008.

Several Lower Mainland casinos recorded decreased revenue in 2008, including:

n Coquitlam’s Boulevard – down 2.5 per cent

n Langley Cascades – down 9.4 per cent

n Burnaby’s Grand Villa – down 2.5 per cent

n Fraser Downs Racetrack Casino in Surrey – down 13 per cent; and

n River Rock in Richmond – down 1.2 per cent.

The new Starlight casino in New Westminster and increased revenue at some casinos such as Vancouver’s Edgewater helped offset decreases at other sites.

Local host cities get a share of the revenue.

River Rock – B.C.’s most lucrative casino with $233 million in revenue last year – delivered a $12.1 million share to Richmond city coffers, while Burnaby got $9.8 million from the Grand Villa and Coquitlam took in $9.7 million from the Boulevard. Surrey got $3.2 million from Fraser Downs.

The report says public support for gaming is now at 65 per cent, up from 51 per cent in 2005.