27-Aug-09. First Nations want control of casino bucks. Edmonton Journal, A6.

First Nation leaders in Saskatchewan want control over 100 per cent of  revenues from their casinos and have set up a new commission with the goal of achieving this objective. First Nations in Saskatchewan currently have access to 75 per cent of revenue generated from gambling at their casinos. The remainder is directed into the province’s general revenue fund. The First Nation Gaming Commission is expected be in place as early as this Fall.

29-Jul-09. Woohoo! It’s time to bet the farm. Globe and Mail, A15.

This opinion-style article takes a whimsical look at a recent Statistics Canada report on gambling which indicates that Saskatchewan residents are gambling at 1.5 times that national average. According to the report, residents have gone from the lowest spending province in 1992 ($86 annually per person on gaming) to the highest in 2008 ($825 annually on lotteries, bingo, VLTs and other gaming).

20-Nov-08. $100M suit charges lotto policy unfair. Edmonton Journal, A8.

Regina lawyer Tony Merchant has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Western Canadian Lottery Corp. and Saskatchewan lottery agencies. The suit involves the continued sale of scratch-and-win lottery tickets after big prizes have already been won. On average, a top prize is won after 50 per cent of lottery tickets are sold which means that half of these tickets are purchased by people when they no l onger have a chance to win the jackpot.

17-Mar-07. Saskatchewan won’t boost or cut VLT machines. Edmonton Journal, A9.

The province of Saskatchewan announced Friday that it will not raise the cap on the number of video lottery terminals (VLTs) allowed. The announcement came after it released a study that suggested a strong relationship between electronic gaming machines and problem gambling. Critics argued that that this does nothing to address the issue of problem gambling.

17-Mar-07. Saskatchewan opts to keep cap on VLTs. Globe and Mail, A12.

The province of Saskatchewan announced Friday that it will not raise the cap on the number of video lottery terminals (VLTs) allowed. The announcement came after it released a study that suggested a strong relationship between electronic gaming machines and problem gambling. Currently, there are nearly 4,000 VLT machines in 318 communities across Saskatchewan.

17-Mar-07. Cap on VLTs won’t help: critics. Calgary Herald, A16.

The province of Saskatchewan announced Friday that it will not raise the cap on the number of video lottery terminals (VLTs) allowed. The announcement came after it released a study that suggested a strong relationship between electronic gaming machines and problem gambling. Critics argued that that this does nothing to address the issue of problem gambling.

17-Mar-07. Sask. Nixes bigger cap on VLTs. Lethbridge Herald, A7.

The province of Saskatchewan announced Friday that it will not raise the cap on the number of video lottery terminals (VLTs) allowed. The announcement came after it released a study that suggested a strong relationship between electronic gaming machines and problem gambling. Currently, there are nearly 4,000 VLT machines in 318 communities across Saskatchewan.

2-Jun-06. Saskatchewan to ease charities’ gambling rules. Globe and Mail, A10.

This newsbrief reports that the Saskatchewan government will soon allow charitable organizations to raise money by holding poker tournaments and gaming nights. The relaxed rules are part of a strategy to help charities, which have struggled in recent years because of declines in gaming-related revenues.

27-Feb-06. Addicted to VLTs. National Post, A12.

In this brief editorial, it is noted that the Saskatchewan government has ordered a study to examine whether lowering the number of video lottery terminals (VLTs) would help reduce problem gambling. A research article suggests that Saskatchewan and Manitoba have the largest number of VLTs per capita in Canada, as well as the highest rates of problem gambling.