24-Oct-09. Gambling 101. Lethbridge Herald, A1.

To recognize Alberta’s Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, this feature article examines problem gambling prevention efforts in the Province of Alberta. University of Lethbridge professor Dr. Robert Williams says that these is little evidence that educational techniques have a big impact on preventing problem gambling. It does, however, have the potential to be effective with adolescents before they develop superstitious gambling beliefs and behaviour. Williams says little education about gambling is provided in schools around the world, unlike for smoking, drinking and safe sex.

24-Oct-09. Improving odds in fight to curb problem gambling. Lethbridge Herald, A8.

This editorialist says that additional prevention efforts need to be directed at youth in order to stem gambling problems later in life. University of Lethbridge professors Robert Williams and Robert Wood have developed a five-session curriculum for use in schools that has proven effective in preventing problem gambling. At present, all that is available to Alberta schools on the issue of gambling addiction is a one-hour session from AADAC that schools must request.

7-Oct-09. What to do when your best customers have a problem. Globe and Mail, A4.

Policing of self-bans has been a vexing problem for government-owned casinos in Canada. Addictions specialist and electronic gaming machine expert Roger Horbay of GamePlanit Interactive Corp. says self-exclusion programs should be overseen by a third party and not by casinos that stand to profit from problem gamblers. Dr. Robert Williams of the University of Lethbridge says that without enforcement, these programs may actually be harmful as they provide false hope. A more effective program exists in the Netherlands which requires gamblers to provide photo identification before entering a casino, making it simple to detect a self-excluder or a person violating their visit limits.

15-Jul-09. Ontario rejects blame for gambler’s losses. Globe and Mail, A7.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. says that gambling addicts who keep coming back to casinos and racetracks despite joining a voluntary list of problem gamblers aren’t the responsibility of provincial authorities. The OLG is responding to a proposed $3.5-billion class-action lawsuit centred on a Markham, Ont., man who says his gambling addiction cost him his job and his life savings. At present, any of the 12,500 people in the province who have signed up for the program could be turned away from gambling venues if staff recognize them from their photos.

18-Jun-09. Rodent research: Life in the rat race leads to gambling. National Post,

University of British Columbia behavioural neuroscientist Catharine Winstanley’s research on “gambling” by rats may prove instrumental in curing high-risk gambling addictions in humans. For the study, rats had to play against the clock in choosing between four gambling options to win different numbers of sugar pellets. Dr. Winstanley called the study an important first step in offering clues into what neurotransmitters or what brain chemicals are involved in regulating gambling behaviour.

3-May-09. Gambling on addiction. Lethbridge Herald, A4.

Alberta is considering using casino cards with set spending limits in an attempt to prevent problem gambling. The use of such cards in other jurisdictions such as Nova Scotia is being studied according to Lynn Hutchings-Mah, spokeswoman for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission. The devices could be used in both slot machines and video lottery terminals (VLTs) and would prevent people from gambling once a card’s limit was reached.

18-Apr-09. The big bluff. Globe and Mail, A1.

This lengthy article provdes additional details about a $3.5-billion lawsuit that was been filed against the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. on behalf of more than 10,000 problem gamblers. Those eligible to join the proposed class action are an estimated 10,428 gamblers who signed the self-exclusion contract between Dec. 1, 1999 and Feb. 10, 2005. The proposed class action also has implications for Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan, seven provinces that also have self-exclusion contracts and whose governments are responsible for enforcing them.

7-Apr-09. The problem with gambling exposés. National Post, A14.

In this article, Bill Rutsey, president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association calls for the adoption of a balanced forward-looking approach with respect to gambling and problem gambling in Canada. He is concerned that the recent CBC documentary Playing the Machines and the W-Five episode “Winners and Losers” do not indicate that the vast majority of gamblers do not experience problems. Repeated research by the Canadian Partnership for Responsible Gambling shows that approximately 1 per cent of Canadians can be classified as problem gamblers. Rutsey notes that Canadian government and gaming industry groups invest $102-million annually in responsible gaming awareness, education, treatment and research — more per capita than in any other country in the world.

31-Mar-09. Tot left 6 hours in car at casino. Calgary Herald, A1.

A 21-month-old toddler was rescued by emergency services after being left in a locked car for six hours outside the Silver Dollar Casino on Monday. The boy’s father was charged with child abandonment.  This case echoes several in Canada and the U.S. where children have been left unattended and may be the result of a gambling addiction, according to Robert Williams of the Alberta Gaming Research Institute.

23-Mar-09. Social costs of gambling grow as economy softens. Calgary Herald, A3.

According to the provincial budget, the amount of money being gambled in Alberta is slowing down, but those who treat problem gamblers say there has been no drop off in the problems they see. As the economy softens and people lose their jobs, professionals who work with problem gamblers suspect the situation will get worse for those experiencing difficulties with VLTs, slots and blackjack. Robert Williams of the Alberta Gaming Research Institute says that it unknown which groups of gamblers have reduced their spending. He indicates that a study that took place last year showed the prevalence of gambling problems was in decline. In Calgary, defence lawyers say they are regularly seeing cases related to gambling addictions before the courts.