"No new casinos. We don't want an economy based on losers. There will be no further expansion of gambling. We'll try to reduce it." -- B.C. Liberal party leader Gordon Campbell, April 1999, in the Vancouver Province
2 Number of full-service casinos in B.C. in 2002.
17 Number of full-service casinos in B.C. in 2009.
436 Slot machines in B.C. in 2002.
10,196 Slot machines in B.C. in 2009.
2.2% Proportion of B.C. government revenues derived from gambling in 1992.
5.2% Proportion of B.C. government revenues derived from gambling in 2006.
$189 Per capita gambling in B.C. in 2002.
$556 per capita gambling in B.C. in 2008.
$809 Per capita gambling in Alberta in 2008.
$468 Per capita gambling in Ontario in 2007.
$450 Per capita gambling in Quebec in 2007.
$528 Canadian average in 2008.
MAX. LEGAL CASINO SIZE IN B.C., 2002
300 slot machines
30 gambling tables
3 LARGEST CASINOS IN B.C., 2009
1,000 slot machines and 54 tables
941 slot machines and 70 tables
869 slot machines and 107 tables
NET GAMBLING INCOME DIRECTED TO B.C.'S GENERAL REVENUE FUND
$308M in 2001/02
$658M in 2008/09
$50M average annual increase
NET GAMBLING INCOME DIRECTED TO B.C. CHARITIES
$133M in 2001/02
$156M in 2008/09
$3.3M average annual increase
$35M Projected impact of B.C.'s Harmonized Sales Tax, on net income from gambling for 2010/11
$50M Projected impact of B.C.'s Harmonized Sales Tax, on net income from gambling for 2011/12
INTERNET GAMBLING REVENUES IN B.C.
$0 in 2002
$23.5M in 2008/09
$34M projected for 2009/10
$56.9 projected for 2010/11
$73M projected for 2011/12
B.C. GOVERNMENT PROBLEM GAMBLING HELP LINE CALLS
1,340 in 2001/02
5,656 in 2007/08
PROBLEM GAMBLING COUNSELLING ADMISSIONS IN B.C.
355 in 2001/02
1,051 in 2007/08
41.3% Online gambling revenues in Canada derived from problem gamblers
PROVINCIAL FUNDING FOR RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING INITIATIVE (INCLUDING COUNSELLING FOR PROBLEM GAMBLERS)
$4M in 2001/02
$7M in 2007/08
$1,632,740 Amount of 2007/08 allocation not spent
Sources: BCLC; Statistics Canada; Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre
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B.C. ANTES UP : Opens 'Pandora's box' of online gambling
One billion dollars and change. Another massive profit for the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. For the 24th year in a row, another record windfall. A punter would sell his soul to hit such a win streak. But bureaucrats inside the provincial Crown agency weren't satisfied with the figure, calculated at the end of the past fiscal year, in March. They had anticipated an even bigger profit, some $19-million more.
They decided something new was required to keep the win streak alive. More games. A different venue. An appeal to younger players. The bureaucrats set to work.Cutting against the grain and doing what no other government in North America has dared do before, B.C. is doubling down on Internet betting. Starting this month, adults in B.C. are invited to deposit into personal E-gambling accounts, managed by the province, the sum of $9,999. Every week. Visa and MasterCard accepted. And coming soon: Casino-style betting on games such as blackjack, roulette and poker, designed for computers and portable devices.
This was unimaginable a decade ago. "No new casinos," Gordon Campbell told a newspaper reporter in 1999, back when he was in opposition and the NDP government had embarked on a disastrous casino-licensing binge, one that led to police raids and the resignation of then-premier Glen Clark. "We don't want an economy based on losers," continued Mr. Campbell. "There will be no further expansion of gambling. We'll try to reduce it."Once in power, Premier Campbell embarked on the biggest, most aggressive gambling expansion program ever seen in Canada. Now there are signs that traditional gambling markets in B.C. may have reached the saturation point. (Rest of Article)
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