Dr. Robert Williams and colleagues from the universities of Lethbridge and Alberta began a phone survey of 8,000 Albertans on Wednesday to determine the prevalence of problem gambling. The two-month study is part of a bigger $685,000, two-year socio-economic study on the costs and benefits of gaming in the province. With the broader socio-economic study, Williams hopes to provide the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission with a detailed report outlining the social costs versus the economic benefits of gambling. The province’s portion of gaming and lottery revenue for the 2007-08 fiscal year was $1.5-billion.
June 20, 2008
A recent article in the Journal of Gambling Studies recommends that all Parkinson’s patients now be screened for possible gambling problems, and monitored through the course of their treatment. Dr. David Crockford and his colleagues recruited 140 Parkinson’s patients aged 44 to 88 in three Alberta centres and assessed them for gambling addiction using standard tests. They concluded that 3.6% were problem gamblers and 5.7% pathological gamblers. The 9.3% total compares with a rate of about 1.6% among similarly aged people in the general population.
June 20, 2008
This article profiles a problem gambler in the Toronto area with Parkinson’s disease who has already gambled away funds received from an out-of-court settlement with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. Mounting evidence suggests that drugs prescribed to Parkinson’s patients sometimes lead to impulse-control disorders, such as pathological gambling or an obsession with sex. A study published this week found that more than 9% of patients at a Calgary clinic were either problem or pathological gamblers.
June 20, 2008
Calgary’s original Stampede Casino shut its doors at the Big 4 Building on June 14 and has relocated to a facility at 12th Avenue and Olympic Way, where it opens for business on June 19. The casino is now owned by Calgary West Hospitality, the same company that owns Deerfoot Inn and Casino. it is expected to encompass almost 100,000 square feet, containing 600 slots, 40 table games and a 24-hour poker room.
June 20, 2008
This short news item notes the variety of advertisements being used to promote free dot-net gambling sites where individuals can learn to play poker with virtual money. The ads never mention that there are also identical dot-com addresses where it is possible to play with real money. Toronto gaming law specialist Michael Lipton estimates that there are 1,300 web sites offering gambling.
June 16, 2008
This short item reports that a Markham, Ontario man has filed a $3.5-billion class-action lawsuit against the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. on behalf of addicted gamblers who say not enough was done to keep them out of the province’s casinos.
June 12, 2008
The chiefs of Stoney Nakoda First Nation officially opened Alberta’s newest casino on Tuesday with hopes that it will bring economic and social benefits to a reserve with 80 per cent unemployment. The $65-million resort casino is at the junction of the Trans-Canada and Highway 40, at the turnoff to Kananaskis Country. The casino faced opposition from some tribal members and struggled with construction delays due to staffing and weather.
June 12, 2008
Plans for a new casino, hotel and convention centre at the south entry to Liberty Crossing and Gasoline Alley in Red Deer have been made public for the first time. Details of the proposal remain sketchy but materials submitted in support of te application contained the name Cash Casino. A spokesperson with the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission said no application for a new casino licence or for the transfer of an existing one has been received by her office.
June 12, 2008
ESI Entertainment Systems Inc., a publicly traded Canadian company providing online gambling and lottery services, has agreed to pay more than $9-million to avoid U.S. criminal charges for facilitating illegal Internet gambling. The Burnaby, B.C.-based company admitted to corporate criminal wrongdoing by processing more than $2-billion worth of illegal gambling transactions for customers in the United States. ESI and its subsidiaries have contracts with an array of government lotteries, including the B.C. Lottery Corporation.
June 9, 2008
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation instituted several new safeguards in the past two years as a result of controversy over insiders winning major lottery prizes. A review of its winners database and an ongoing forensic audit by an accounting company was the latest measure announced this week. The CBC program The Fifth Estate fought an 18-month legal battle seeking internal documents from insider win investigations, which was opposed by the lottery corporation.
June 9, 2008
