Saskatchewan Canada Promotes Responsible Gambling

Canadians are going to make the world sit up and notice soon as they embark on a journey that their southern neighbours the Americans are struggling to contain. As the province of Quebec prepares to partner with other provinces in the vast but not too populated country to legally provide online betting to it’s citizens it is a sure thing that there will be growing pains. The USA will at some time or another get around to regulating online gambling there but in the mean time Canada will make progress sorting out what’s what. Case in point the mid west province of Saskatchewan.

In Saskatchewan the government is waging an advertizing campaign appearing in restaurant and bar washrooms, universities and bus shelters, stating unfavourable facts about video gambling slot machines, "Every spin gives you the exact same chance of winning or, more often, losing." declares one of the posters. the health ministry is responsible for the negative ads. Rick Kilarski, a director in the ministry's community care branch responsible for problem gambling said, "We are not anti-gambling, but we want people to know the myths so they can make informed choices," adding every Video Lottery Terminal in Saskatchewan has a sticker with a problem gambling hotline number.

Apparently 1.2 per cent or up to 13,200 people, are considered problem gamblers, according to the health ministry. Low to moderate risk gamblers range somewhere between about 87,800 to 122,200 people. Provincial income from its 3,991 machines reached $195.6 million in 2008-09, up from $185.2 in the previous fiscal year and $175 million previous to that, according to statistics from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority. The province has put aside $2.5 million annually for its problem gambling strategy, which includes about $1.3 million for treatment, $800,000 for prevention and $100,000 for research. The recent campaign ran for a month, last year and been run periodically in 2009 and could run again next year, costing $300,000 annually.