16-Dec-09. Ontario looks to unload Crown corporations. Globe and Mail, A1.

In an effort to raise cash to reduce its deficit, it is reported that the Ontario government is looking into the sale of all or part of its collection of Crown corporations, including the provincial lottery company. Sources close to the provincial Liberals say Mr. McGuinty is disenchanted with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) and would welcome an exit from the casino and lottery business as long as it guaranteed the province could continue to receive income from it. The agency put $1.7-billion into provincial coffers last year.

10-Dec-09. Schools end lucrative casino fundraisers. National Post, A8.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton has moved to ban casino fundraisers held by Catholic schools in the city, raising concerns that parents will be forced to make up the shortfall. Casino fundraisers raise about $6-million every 18 months for Catholic schools in Edmonton according to Debbie Engel, chair of the board of trustees at the Edmonton District School Board.

8-Dec-09. Work resumes on grandstand at Lacombe-area horse track. Red Deer Advocate, B1.

Construction of the Alberta Downs grandstand is underway again and now the horse racing track’s owner Robert Allen is working to get approval for simulcast betting. Allen is hoping to get this approval from the federal government by the end of the year. Allen originally hoped to build a racing entertainment centre with up to 150 slot machines but the provincial government is not licensing any more slot machines until a gambling review is completed.

9-Dec-09. In a town haunted by Oka, nobody is ‘Canadian’. Globe and Mail, A3.

The main focus of this article is the Olympic Torch Relay through the Kahnawake reserve south of Montreal. It is mentioned that the Mohawk community has become a huge global player in the online gambling industry and is thriving. Kahnawake’s computer servers are home to more than 500 Internet casinos, an activity that is technically illegal under Canadian law.

6-Dec-09. Fair may benefit arts community. Edmonton Journal, A14.

This item is part of an editorial and sub-titled “Lotto scam a dark side of gambling.” The author draws parallels between two gambling-related stories from the past week. The first was an announcement from the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton that it is headed toward a formal policy to stop its constituent parts from drawing funds from casinos, highball bingos and video lottery terminals for fundraising purposes. The second story was that of a former Toronto convenience store owner who pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming a $5.75-million winning lottery ticket as his own.

26-Nov-09. Gambling way down. Red Deer Advocate, A3.

The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission says overall gaming revenue is down $1.3-billion from last year and Alberta’s lottery fund was down by $100-million. The commission says people are cutting back on entertainment and that includes gambling.

25-Nov-09. Alberta gaming revenue takes a hit. Calgary Herald, A1.

An Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission report released Tuesday indicates that total provincial gambling revenues dropped about five per cent last year to $25-billion, down from $26.3-billion the previous year. Of the $25-billion in revenues, about $15.5-billion came from slot machines, $8.9-billion from VLTs and the rest from electronic bingo and lottery ticket sales. About $22.8-billion was paid in prizes. The effects of the downturn have been felt in Calgary. In August, the operator of Stampede Casino placed itself into voluntary receivership and a few months earlier the owner of Silver Dollar Casino filed for creditor protection.

18-Nov-09. Canadian money launderer exposes Las Vegas casinos. Calgary Herald, D5.

Canadian Stanko Grmovsek admitted in a Toronto court earlier this year to making $9.4-million with a friend from law school in a 14-year illegal scheme. Court documents show he said he laundered some of it by gambling cash in Las Vegas casinos. Experts say that strict controls have reduced financial crime in Vegas casinos to a fraction of what it once was, and most organized criminals use less scrutinized industries to convert illegal profits into clean money. In a typical scheme, a money launderer approaches the cashier’s cage with cash and converts it into chips using a players card to establish his identity. He later returns without his card to exchange the chips for cash, leaving no named record of the transaction and creating the impression he has gambled away thousands of dollars.

14-Nov-09. Big lotto win safe from tax payment. Edmonton Journal, E12.

In Canada, wagering and lottery winnings are usually tax free unless the Canada Revenue Agency concludes that you are “carrying on the business of gambling” which means that you are considered to be a professional gambler. An official explanation for Canada’s policy can be found in the Department of Finance’s Tax Expenditures and Evaluations companion document, published in 2004. It states that there is already a considerable element of implicit taxation of lottery and gambling proceeds.

3-Nov-09. Disputed $17M lotto prize released. Calgary Herald, B1.

A judge has ordered that lottery prize of $17-million be turned over to a  Calgary man after a challenger dropped his claim for a portion of the prize. Seguro Ndabene says he’s bitter lottery officials made him wait for eight months despite what he insists was a frivolous claim. He plans to sue the lottery corporation for interest on the money.