CALL FOR VLT BAN IGNORED, GROUP SAYS
N.S. Gaming Corp. says getting rid of
machines not the answer

by James Keller

Anti-VLT advocates are urging the province to abide by a report that found Atlantic Canadians in favour of banning the gambling machines.

The report, released in October by the non-profit research group GPI Atlantic, found that 62 per cent of Atlantic Canadians are in favour of a complete ban on video lottery terminals.

Bernie Walsh, a recovering gambling addict who is suing the province over his addiction, said the government isn't listening to the public.

"If it's that high of a disapproval, why does the government still continue to have (VLTs)?" he said.

Figures used in the report came from a 2000 study by the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based non-profit research group.

That study surveyed 2,200 Canadians - 402 of them from this region - in June 1999 about their attitudes towards gambling.

Among 33 questions, the survey asked respondents how strongly they agreed with the statement: "VLTs should be banned in (your province)."

Forty-five per cent of Atlantic Canadians said they strongly agreed, and 17 per cent said they agreed.

"There's no real problem with GPI using that number in that context," said Jason Azmier, who wrote the Canada West report.

"It is reflective of my own opinion of what Maritimers felt."

According to the GPI report, there exists "a sharp difference between public policy and public opinion on gambling, particularly in Atlantic Canada."

Support for a ban was highest on the East Coast.

"I think (the numbers) can form a basis for debate for the government to look at the whole situation," said Karen Hayward, who authored the report for GPI. "Government has a social responsibility, and I think they need to take it seriously."

Mr. Walsh wants more than a debate.

"The public is saying 'let's get rid of these machines because we have people in our families, our neighbours, destroyed,'" he said. "It's time to get rid of them all."

Julia Watt, a spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, said such studies help form policies for the Nova Scotia gaming strategy, which will be completed next spring.

The strategy will guide provincial gambling over the next three to five years

She wouldn't rule out the possibility of a VLT ban, but said her organization doesn't support the idea.

"Right now, from the gaming strategy perspective, everything is on the table," she said.

"But we're strong believers that banning VLTs is not the answer, and it will make the problem become illegal rather than have (VLTs) out in the open."

Ms. Watt also pointed out that figures in the survey are more than five years old, but acknowledged that more recent data is still "relatively consistent" with the numbers used by GPI.

She cited a study commissioned last year by this newspaper sthat found 43 per cent of 400 Nova Scotians surveyed supported a ban, and 32 per cent wanted more restrictions.

"This, and a lot of research out there, is being considered and will be as we move forward," she said.

Ms. Watt said the gaming corporation has already done a lot in recent years to promote responsible use of VLTs, such as adding features that tally the amount of time and money players have spent on the machines.

Regan Fraser, another recovering VLT addict who sits on the board of the Society Against Gambling Addiction, said these initiatives don't help addicts.

"I'm very much the all-or-none school of thought with VLTs," Mr. Fraser said. "I don't think that any contraption they might attach to them will make the situation any better."