Alberta gambling revenue expected to outstrip oilsands royalties

CBC Apr 27 (full article):

Alberta will take in more money from gambling than it will from oilsands royalties, according to provincial budget forecasts for 2009-10. Oilsands revenue is expected to drop to about $1 billion this year because of the global recession, but gambling revenue will remain steady at about $1.5 billion, according to the forecasts. Charities are expected to directly collect another $325 million from gambling revenue, mostly through volunteering at casinos. Alberta already raked in the highest amount per capita in gambling revenue among the provinces at $871 for every adult resident in 2007-08, according to the Canadian Gambling Digest. The national average was only $547.

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Alberta mulls pre-paid casino cards for gamblers CBC MAY (Full article)

Alberta is considering instituting a casino card system with pre-set spending limits for gamblers, CBC News has learned. Some casinos in other jurisdictions already use smart cards that are pre-set for the amount of money a gambler wishes to spend, or that stop working once a certain time limit is reached. Such cards could help reduce the number of problem gamblers in the province, Fred Lindsay, the provincial gaming minister and solicitor general, said in an interview. “We are considering that, there are some drawbacks to it that we need to address. When you use the card systems it also tends out to be a promotional tool for the casinos,” he said. “It has worked in other areas, but again, it’s part of the checks and balances that we want to put in place to make sure the industry operates with integrity.”

The Alberta Gaming Research Institute estimates that between one and two per cent of Albertans are considered problem gamblers — which could mean the problem has reached a level that they are missing mortgage payments or contemplating suicide — while another two to three per cent have some problems.

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The province gave the Alberta Alcohol & Drug Abuse Commission $90 million from the Alberta Lottery Fund in 2008-09. Besides multimedia campaigns and training for industry staff on spotting problem gamblers, the agency opened Responsible Gaming Information Centres in 16 of Alberta's 24 casinos. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission also spends about $1.1 million a year on "social responsibility" programs, including the one that allows people to ban themselves from casinos. University of Calgary professor David Hodgins, who is with the provincially funded Alberta Gaming Research Institute, said the government making so much money from gambling, they really can't be seen as an objective body for governing the industry.

“There's an awkwardness in Alberta around the fact that the regulator is also the owner,” he said. “I think it would be good to have an independent body that would look at the pros and cons and make a determination about what direction we should go.”