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Victims' families call for federal VLT inquiry
By SCOTT DEVEAU
Monday, June 27, 2005 Updated at 5:05 PM EDT
Globe and Mail Update
John O'Donnell, a chaplain with the Interfaith Council of Halifax, was hit by the pervasiveness of video lottery addiction well before 150 people showed up Sunday night at a Halifax church.
While he was looking for help last week for the vigil to remember those who committed suicide resulting from their addiction, Mr. O'Donnell asked one of his university-age parishioners and her sister to volunteer at the event.
The usually helpful girl met his request with silence. After a short pause, the girl offered an explanation.
"I'd love to be there," she told Mr. O'Donnell, "but my family is moving next week because of our father has just lost everything to VLTs."
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"I bump into this stuff on a very regular basis," Mr. O'Donnell said in an interview with globeandmail.com Monday. "I'm one of the ones who helps them pick up the pieces."
Families and friends of people from Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia whose lives has been affected by VLT addiction held a press conference Monday in Halifax calling for a federal inquiry into the social and economic impact of continuous electronic gambling machines such as Keno, slot machines and VLTs.
The vigil Sunday night, which included members of various religious faiths, including Muslims, Buddhists, Hindu, Native, and Christians kicked off a symposium in Halifax Tuesday organized by the anti-gambling citizen group GameOverVLTs.com. The group is pushing for an outright ban of VLTs in the province.
The symposium will feature psychologist Frank Quinn, who has done extensive research on VLTs in South Carolina — the only jurisdiction in North America to have had the machines at one time before moving to an outright ban in 2000.
Nova Scotia takes in more than $174-million from its more than 3,800 VLTs in bars, casinos, and bingo halls across the province.
The province has promised to reduce the number of machines by 1,000. However, in the meantime, each of the estimated 7,500 problem VLT gamblers in the province, is thought to lose roughly $1,200 a month to VLTs.
Newfoundland announced a plan this spring that would reduce the number of VLTs in the province by 15 per cent over five years.
Quebec is removing more than 2,500 VLTs from neighbourhood bars and putting them into centralized gaming parlours.
Meanwhile, Ontario has imposed a moratorium on casion expansion, British Columbia has said it won't put VLTs in bars and lounges, and Alberta set a goal to reduce the number of locations with VLTs up to 15 per cent.
Manitoba is one of the only provinces that seems to be moving in the other direction, with recent plans to add to its stock of VLTs.
In Nova Scotia, the provincial government, while planning to reduce the number of machines, has no plans for outright ban.
Hugh Fraser, spokesman for Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm, said banning VLTs could lead to more illegal gambling.
GameOverVLTs.com is co-chaired by Halifax MLA and former Liberal leader Danny Graham. Mr. Graham said Nova Scotia's dependency on gambling dollars is analogous to an addiction of its own.
He said that, intellectually, the government knows that VLTs are the most "the most pernicious form of gambling."
"They know what the right thing to do is, but they just can't break the habit," Mr. Graham said.
Mr. Graham said the negative social impact of the machines outweighs the economic benefits. The only argument left, he said, is that without government regulations an underground industry would be created, inviting organized crime.
Mr. Graham said Mr. Quinn will be presenting research showing that by using only a $500 fine, South Carolina law-enforcement officials have been able to pronounce that the "scourge is gone."
"If this is the only remaining argument left for the Premier to wave his magic wand," Mr. Graham said, "(the symposium) should give him a reason to wave that wand."
By SCOTT DEVEAU
Monday, June 27, 2005 Updated at 5:05 PM EDT
Globe and Mail Update
John O'Donnell, a chaplain with the Interfaith Council of Halifax, was hit by the pervasiveness of video lottery addiction well before 150 people showed up Sunday night at a Halifax church.
While he was looking for help last week for the vigil to remember those who committed suicide resulting from their addiction, Mr. O'Donnell asked one of his university-age parishioners and her sister to volunteer at the event.
The usually helpful girl met his request with silence. After a short pause, the girl offered an explanation.
"I'd love to be there," she told Mr. O'Donnell, "but my family is moving next week because of our father has just lost everything to VLTs."
Advertisements
click here
click here
"I bump into this stuff on a very regular basis," Mr. O'Donnell said in an interview with globeandmail.com Monday. "I'm one of the ones who helps them pick up the pieces."
Families and friends of people from Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia whose lives has been affected by VLT addiction held a press conference Monday in Halifax calling for a federal inquiry into the social and economic impact of continuous electronic gambling machines such as Keno, slot machines and VLTs.
The vigil Sunday night, which included members of various religious faiths, including Muslims, Buddhists, Hindu, Native, and Christians kicked off a symposium in Halifax Tuesday organized by the anti-gambling citizen group GameOverVLTs.com. The group is pushing for an outright ban of VLTs in the province.
The symposium will feature psychologist Frank Quinn, who has done extensive research on VLTs in South Carolina — the only jurisdiction in North America to have had the machines at one time before moving to an outright ban in 2000.
Nova Scotia takes in more than $174-million from its more than 3,800 VLTs in bars, casinos, and bingo halls across the province.
The province has promised to reduce the number of machines by 1,000. However, in the meantime, each of the estimated 7,500 problem VLT gamblers in the province, is thought to lose roughly $1,200 a month to VLTs.
Newfoundland announced a plan this spring that would reduce the number of VLTs in the province by 15 per cent over five years.
Quebec is removing more than 2,500 VLTs from neighbourhood bars and putting them into centralized gaming parlours.
Meanwhile, Ontario has imposed a moratorium on casion expansion, British Columbia has said it won't put VLTs in bars and lounges, and Alberta set a goal to reduce the number of locations with VLTs up to 15 per cent.
Manitoba is one of the only provinces that seems to be moving in the other direction, with recent plans to add to its stock of VLTs.
In Nova Scotia, the provincial government, while planning to reduce the number of machines, has no plans for outright ban.
Hugh Fraser, spokesman for Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm, said banning VLTs could lead to more illegal gambling.
GameOverVLTs.com is co-chaired by Halifax MLA and former Liberal leader Danny Graham. Mr. Graham said Nova Scotia's dependency on gambling dollars is analogous to an addiction of its own.
He said that, intellectually, the government knows that VLTs are the most "the most pernicious form of gambling."
"They know what the right thing to do is, but they just can't break the habit," Mr. Graham said.
Mr. Graham said the negative social impact of the machines outweighs the economic benefits. The only argument left, he said, is that without government regulations an underground industry would be created, inviting organized crime.
Mr. Graham said Mr. Quinn will be presenting research showing that by using only a $500 fine, South Carolina law-enforcement officials have been able to pronounce that the "scourge is gone."
"If this is the only remaining argument left for the Premier to wave his magic wand," Mr. Graham said, "(the symposium) should give him a reason to wave that wand."
While you're at it, ban alcohol and the internet! I know people addicted to those, too.
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