Slot machines approved

Council has voted 5-3 to allow slot machines in Abbotsford's bingo hall. The gambling issue split the largely conservative community, with 500 people packing a public hearing in September to debate it. As the result of council vote, the Abbotsford bingo hall on Peardonville Road can install up to 125 slot machines. In poll commissioned by Abbotsford Families United last week, 52 per cent of respondents said council should reject the slot proposal while 36 per cent felt they should accept it. Twelve per cent were undecided. At the September public hearing, more than two-thirds of those who spoke voiced support for the plan.