| Alberta gamblers are discovering just how stacked against them the odds are when it comes to winning at games of chance in this province’s casinos.
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission in partnership with the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission recently teamed up to open the province’s first Responsible Gambling Information Centre (RGIC) at Edmonton’s Palace Casino in West Edmonton Mall. This spring a second RGIC is scheduled to open at Calgary’s Deerfoot Casino.
The two-year, $300,000 pilot project is based on a similar initiative that was launched in Manitoba – the first jurisdiction in North America to operate so-called "responsible gambling information centres."
AADAC, the agency mandated to treat those with gambling addictions, says approximately 80 per cent of Albertans gamble and "five per cent have moderate to severe problems as a result of their gambling."
The information booth to open in Calgary, like the one already operating in Edmonton, will be staffed by social workers and nurses who will act as a first point of contact for those seeking support to reduce or stop gambling. The counsellors will also be on hand to provide sobering information about how slot machines are designed with a house advantage, and how the longer the period of time you play a casino game, the more likely you are to lose your money.
Pamphlets with titles such as The House Advantage and The Cost of Play will be handed out to anyone who asks for them. AADAC staff will also be available at the information booths to explain the Voluntary Self-Exclusion (VSE) program, which allows problem gamblers to voluntarily agree to be banned from Alberta casinos for a period lasting up to three years.
David Hodgins, a clinical psychologist at the University of Calgary, has conducted research on problem gamblers in Alberta. He says the impact of the information booths will have to be carefully evaluated during the next two years to determine their effectiveness.
"What we know is one to five per cent of the population has a gambling problem," says Hodgins. "We also know very few of those problem gamblers will go to formal treatment programs."
Hodgins says although the idea of placing a trained counsellor at the location where problem gamblers often frequent is positive, how the information booths operate will determine if they can become an effective tool in the reduction of problem gambling in Alberta.
Alberta Gaming has announced that the information booths will operate Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. – hours that Hodgins says may need to be expanded in order to reach the type of gamblers the program is intended to help.
"Peak times for problem gamblers can be in the morning," he says. "A crisis is likely to happen outside of those (noon to 8 p.m.) hours."
The U of C researcher also says that giving the information booths a highly visible location within the casinos will play a critical role in the future success of the program.
At the Palace Casino in Edmonton, the information booth is located on a little used landing of a back staircase between the first and second floors of the massive gaming facility. The location of the information booth at Calgary’s Deerfoot Casino has yet to be determined, according to the casino’s general manager, Mike Stoddard.
"They could easily be window dressing – look good but not be effective," says Hodgins. "We don’t know yet."
MLA Maurice Tougas, the Liberal gaming critic, says setting up information booths at select casinos in the province is a "nice show" but much more could be done.
"I can’t imagine many people are going to break away from gambling to go to the booth," he says.
Tougas doesn’t believe the Alberta government – which last year raked in more than $1 billion in revenues from gambling – is sincere about helping problem gamblers.
"The government doesn’t want to slow down the amount of money they’re taking in," he says. "There are lots of things they could do, like slow down the rate of play on slot machines and reduce the hours of casinos. Why do casinos have to be open until 3 a.m.?"
Tougas adds that he believes slot machines in particular are dangerous and that the provice should have warning stickers on the devices stating, "You can’t beat this machine."
"There were no problem gamblers in Alberta until these machines were introduced," says Tougas. "The machines are all owned by the government. The Alberta government loves gambling." |
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