Alberta Gaming Research Institute Library’s November 2006 newsletter
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ON - Gambling time to end sinister, cowardly taxation
Gambling time to end sinister, cowardly taxation
By Wally Boonstra, Waterdown, The Hamilton Spectator, (Nov 1, 2006)
Re: ‘OLG integrity is on the line’ (Editorial, Oct. 27)
The time has come for the Ontario government to wind down government-sponsored gambling.
The story of the senior citizen cheated out of his winnings is emblematic of a much greater problem.
Government-sponsored gambling is the most regressive form of taxation. The government knows that those who can least afford to spend money on lotteries are the ones who do so.
We do not hear financial planners telling their clients to buy lottery tickets as a means of wealth creation. I spoke recently with a social worker who is in contact with four people who lost their homes recently because of gambling debt. Why does The Spectator not highlight these cases as it does when people win jackpots in lotteries?
There is much social ill that has resulted from gambling. I would vote for any political party that had as its platform the slow closing down of gambling. The only problem is that the Ontario government is itself addicted to gambling — the revenues that is. It is the most sinister and cowardly way to tax people.
Contents copyright 1991-2006, The Hamilton Spectator.
ON - OLG integrity is on the line
OLG integrity is on the line
By Lee Prokaska, The Hamilton Spectator, (Oct 27, 2006)
Numbers are not just serious business for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG), numbers are the heart of its business.
The integrity of those numbers is crucial, whether it’s winning lottery numbers or statistics about who’s winning money. Since the public must trust those numbers, it’s surprising the province isn’t pushing for an outside, independent investigation in light of allegations this week.
A CBC report indicated a disproportionate number of ticket sellers in the province have won $50,000 or more through lotteries since 1999.
The OLG is vigorously defending the integrity of its system, both in the media and on its website. David Caplan, the provincial minister responsible for gaming, wants an internal OLG review of the CBC allegations.
It has fallen to provincial ombudsman Andre Marin to launch an arms-length investigation of the OLG. Marin wants to know exactly how the lottery corporation responds to complaints of theft or fraud involving winning tickets.
People buy lottery tickets in good faith, trusting they will be dealt with fairly. If a government is going to use gambling for revenue, it must take extraordinary steps to ensure that public trust is well-founded. Tenacious oversight must be a part of the lucrative lottery system.
OLG is fiercely secretive about its operation and has fought Freedom of Information requests from this newspaper. It’s the same OLG that spent several hundred thousand dollars of taxpayers’ money defending a lawsuit it should have known wasn’t winnable.
Bob Edmond was paid $150,000 by the ex-owners of a store near Lindsay, claiming he was cheated out of Encore winnings in 2001; he settled a civil suit against OLG in 2005. Given the somewhat tainted atmosphere right now, it’s unrealistic to expect an internal review to bolster public trust.
OLG has taken a positive step in introducing check-your-own ticket machines. That certainly cuts down on the possibility of a third party pocketing a winning ticket and substituting a loser. Certainly ticket buyers should sign their tickets to avoid confusion over ownership.
But is it reasonable to allow lottery retailers to purchase tickets from themselves? Is it reasonable to allow them to purchase lottery tickets at all? These areas need intensive, independent investigation. Then the province must ensure OLG accountability to revive public trust.
OLG at a glance:
* 700 million transactions with lottery players each year.
* More than $1 billion in prizes each year.
* Prizes are about half of lottery sales.
* $6 billion in annual revenues.
* $2 billion in annual profit for the province.
* 20,000 people employed directly in OLG businesses.
* Nearly 11,000 independent lottery retailers.
* Operates and manages provincewide lotteries, casinos and slots facilities at horse racing tracks.
* Created April 1, 2000, under the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act, 1999.
Contents copyright 1991-2006, The Hamilton Spectator.
Unbalanced Reel Gaming Machines Reveals Slot Machine Design Responsible for VLT Addiction Epidemic
Unbalanced Reel Gaming Machines Reveals Slot Machine Design Responsible for VLT Addiction Epidemic
Contact: Pendra Lee Snyder, Citizen USA, 937-233-6227, 937-304-0010; Roger Horbay, President of Game Planit Interactive Corporation of Canada, 519-846-1905
DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 31 /Christian Newswire/ — Publisher’s note: The Citizen USA newspaper, Ohio’s only Judeo-Christian worldview general interest newspaper, will be releasing the following story in further detail on Wednesday Nov.1, which could prove to be devastating to the gaming industry as it attempts to spread the highly addictive Video Lottery Terminals across the country. VTR’s in Ohio will be the result if Issue 3 passes in Ohio on Nov. 7, under the guise of “Earn and Learn” scholarships for Ohio students. Other states are moving now to remove VTR’s after realizing devastating cultural effects. Pendra Lee Snyder, Publisher
Ohio’s Issue 3 “Earn and Learn” revenue source will have “catastrophic” effect on the Buckeye state
By Nanse Browne
CCN-USA-A landmark Canadian-Australian research paper released September 9, 2006 is causing shock waves among gambling addiction treatment professionals internationally.
The paper, authored by two well-respected experts on casino operations/ gambling addictions reveals that video lottery terminals (slot machines) used routinely in North American gambling establishments are designed in such a way as to be purposely programmed to lead players into believing they are about to win a jackpot, when the odds of doing so are far smaller than they visually appear. This dishonest programming, hidden from plain view unlike more traditional forms of casino gambling like dice and cards, may also be accomplished through loopholes in existing federal oversight laws in North American gambling establishments, while governments in New Zealand and Australia have already banned all such devices.
The nineteen page report, entitled “Unbalanced Reel Gaming Machines” was co-authored by Tim Falkiner, a former commercial/legal officer for the Victorian Casino Control Authority of Australia, and Roger Horbay, President of Game Planit Interactive Corporation of Canada. The report has potentially staggering implications for the U.S. gambling industry and states that have legalized slot machines to produce revenue.
Ohio will vote to legalize the currently banned VLTs on November 7th. The computerized, flashy, easy to operate machines are universally acknowledged to be the most addictive form of gambling in history, hooking tens of thousands of casual players until they become “pathological” gamblers. Divorce rates, suicides, financial and violent crimes, bankruptcies and domestic abuse rates soar among this population. Costs to society are enormous, with some economic experts modeling that such individuals cost a state 2-3 dollars for every dollar taken in revenue.
The entire story in Nov. Citizen USA, or on the web at www.citizenusa.us.
Copyright © 2006 Earned Media™. All Rights Reserved.
To read “Unbalanced Reel Gaming Machines,” which is co-authored by Tim Falkiner, a former commercial/legal officer for the Victorian Casino Control Authority of Australia, and Roger Horbay, President of Game Planit Interactive Corporation of Canada, go to:
http://www.casinofreepa.org/images/documents/falkiner_horbay_09_09_06.pdf
UK - Government defends decision to regulate online gambling
from Telegraph.co.uk
Government defends decision to regulate online gambling
By PA
Last Updated: 4:41pm GMT 31/10/2006
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Online gambling companies will gain respectability and enhanced reputations if they register in the UK, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has said. In an attempt to lure the companies to the UK, she said: "You shouldn’t underestimate the reputational advantage that operating within our rules will bring." Her comments came as she tried to persuade more than 30 countries to sign up to a common regulatory framework. Speaking outside a day-long conference, she insisted there was an "international appetite" for regulated gambling. The Tories said they would be watching closely for any concrete success, and suggested that the Government was merely trying to secure a lucrative new tax stream. But Ms Jowell said the Government’s drive on regulation is geared towards public protection rather than tax revenue.
"The benefit to the economy is less important than our priority of protecting UK citizens," she said. Ms Jowell said the UK should prove an attractive prospect to the industry, which has suffered from the US government’s ban on online gambling. She said: "You shouldn’t underestimate the reputational advantage that operating within our rules will bring." Sports Minister Richard Caborn insisted, however, that attracting companies to Britain is not the Government’s priority. He said: "We have not gone round the world (to online gambling firms) and said, ‘Will you come back to the UK’. Whether they come on board or not is another issue. "I think sometimes we get misrepresented on that. If companies want to come and be registered here, and if they want to trade here, they will have to operate under a certain set of rules." He added that some companies might be reluctant to operate under the tight regulatory structure that is being proposed. He denied claims that the UK is reacting to the actions of the US, which snubbed today’s conference. "This is not a knee-jerk reaction," he said. "This is not about the Brits grabbing a chunk of tax revenue."
Editorial comment: Say it often enough and people might begin to believe it. |
