Gamblor’s World

Deborah Tetley, Calgary Herald, Saturday, June 16, 2007

As horse-racing lovers lament the loss of playing the live ponies in the heart of Calgary after Sunday, those in the industry are bracing for losses hovering around $12 million a year, given a replacement track planned for Balzac is nearly two years behind schedule.

Months of fights over water — and still no deal approved — have prompted developers behind the planned casino, mega-mall and horse-racing track to warn Alberta’s roughly 7,000 horsemen and women of the potential for hardship ahead.

“With a major racetrack closed, we’re looking at fewer racing dates across the province and many lost opportunities,” said Max Gibb, CEO of United Horsemen of Alberta, one of the developers.

Clerk of scales at Stampede racetrack Alex Ferris is out of work as of Sunday.

Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

“We are going to see people leaving the province to look for work,” said Gibb. “It’s going to hurt and be tough for a lot of people until we get this going.”

His comments come as horse racing fans take in the final live races at Stampede Park over the weekend, with Sunday’s final showdowns marking the end of a 120-year era.

It will be an emotional day for many.

“Racing downtown is part of the Calgary culture,” said the Stampede’s senior rodeo manager, Keith Marrington. “A lot of fans have been loyal to us for many years, so it’s going to be sad to see it end.”

Some fans and longtime industry employees fear two years will be too long to wait for the sport to return to the Calgary area.

“It’s sad to see this happening,” said Carl Mograbee, who has walked to the Stampede grounds once or twice a week for the past 20 years to watch the races.

“The industry is already going backwards and this is threatening for them and for the fans.”

Mograbee, 63, figures after two decades, he will take in his last live races this weekend.

“I won’t find my way through the obstacles of this city and Deerfoot Trail to go north of the city. A lot of the people I talk to say they won’t, either.”

Gibb, however, has confidence the industry will flourish once the new track is built, since the facility will be “one for the 21st century,” with a one-mile

(1.6-kilometre) track (the Stampede’s is 5/8ths of a mile) and an unobstructed view, unlike the current venue.

“We are going to be able to showcase the sport’s entertainment value.”

The idea of building a horse racing track at Balzac was first floated in the late ’90s. In 2004, Gibb, of the Calgary-based UHA, announced that the then-$80-million track, hotel and casino complex had been granted building permits and a 10-year licence and the project would open in the spring of 2007.

Earlier in 2004, the Stampede and Horseracing Regulatory Authority tried to come up with a plan to keep the track on the grounds, but couldn’t agree on the configurations.

Since then, the Municipal District of Rocky View has failed in several bids to source water for the now $1-billion entertainment venue on the east side of Highway 2, just north of the city limits.

Permits to draw water from the Red Deer and Bow rivers have been denied.

The M.D. is now negotiating an irrigation plan with farmers in the area to transfer water rights. A decision will be made next Thursday.

ED. - No mention here of the Carmen no show!

By JENNY FENIAK, Edmonton Sun, Sun, June 3, 2007

Aside from being one of the newest, swankiest establishments in town, the River Cree Resort and Casino throws great parties. So with a bunch of Hollywoodites in town looking for a party, the casino was an obvious choice.

With a tight and exclusive invite list, the Christmas in Wonderland cast party was aces.

Held at Mystic Ultra Lounge in the casino, the chic space offered a sophisticated, yet relaxed atmosphere.

Chef Cruz was on hand and had an incredible selection for first rate snacks from Kobe beef cubes and carpaccio to candied walnuts and the finest cheeses to be found.

Not surprisingly, local guests arrived first and then, one by one, the film crew and cast began filing in. Chris Kattan and Preston Lacy of Jackass fame were some of the first famous faces to appear. And Patrick Swayze did eventually make an appearance though it came with a request for no photographs to be taken. It was an understandable request, as the party was intended for the movie’s cast and crew to relax for an evening while in town for a few months filming.

With guests fed and watered, the music picked up as people started dancing and letting loose. There was a formal request from the film side for some late night karaoke, but others opted to join the public outside the dark curtains and throw some money around on the felt tables.

Either way, it’s great having such high profile visitors in town and River Cree were wonderful hosts for the occasion.

Copyright © 2006, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved. Test

Fatigued Carmen snubs casino

By GRAHAM HICKS

Sun, June 3, 2007, Edmonton Sun

TEMPERAMENTAL CELEBRITIES

Not too pleased with Carmen Electra is the Touch Ultra-Lounge and River Cree Resort.

In town for the filming of Christmas In Wonderland, Carmen was contractually obligated to show up Friday night at the soft opening of the new Touch Ultra-Lounge in the resort and casino.

Carmen never showed up. Media photographers and fans hung around until almost 2 a.m. before giving up on her.

The River Cree people were furious, given it was a promotional appearance she had been paid for, quite independent of the film.

So mad that they talked Friday night of punishing the entire film cast for Electra’s transgressions by kicking them out of the River Cree Marriott before filming ends by mid-week. (Cooler heads did prevail.)

Nobody on the film side was commenting, given that Carmen’s deal was independent of the film.

But her excuse, apparently, was that she was too tired after filming late into the evening. Poor baby.

WHO NEEDS ELECTRA?

To heck with Carmen, says new club operator Allen Ladd, in from Las Vegas to make the former Mystic Ultra-Lounge into the far more happening, see-and-be-seen Touch Ultra-Lounge.

“When we have our grand opening, we’ll have people far more famous than Carmen Electra,” he promises.

Ladd expects to have (not fully confirmed yet) socialite Kim Kardashian and Aubrey O’Day (of the band Danity Kane and Making The Band TV show fame) showing up this coming Friday. And there’s talk of Timbaland coming by after a concert in the by-then open River Cree Auditorium on Aug. 5.

MLA urges gaming review

Sat, May 5, 2007

By JEREMY LOOME, Calgary Sun

Before Alberta rolls the dice on any more gaming, politicians should deal in the public, says an Edmonton MLA.

Maurice Tougas, MLA for Edmonton-Meadowlark, has proposed an all-party committee to review all aspects of gambling in Alberta.

As a private member’s bill, Tougas realizes he’s about as likely to draw an inside straight as see the committee proceed.

“But there’s been a lot of discussion of the parties working together more and I guess I’m hoping they’ll start to take that seriously,” he said.

But Tougas’ suggestion yesterday the gaming industry has “never been scrutinized” shocked Alberta Gaming and Liquor spokeswoman Marilyn Carlyle-Helms, who noted the government has completed three major studies on gaming since 1995, including a two-year gaming licence policy review in 2001. Additionally, she noted, public opinion has been regularly surveyed, with some of those results included in annual reports.

Jason Markusoff, The Edmonton Journal, Thursday, March 22, 2007

EDMONTON - An Alberta aboriginal band is rebuking Solicitor General Fred Lindsay’s “cease and desist” order on its proposed Internet gambling enterprise, insisting it’s a sovereign nation and not subject to provincial law.

Lindsay said Wednesday he won’t be stared down by the Alexander First Nation. Online casinos are outlawed in Alberta, and federal law gives the province authority to stop illegal gaming activity.

“My job is to enforce the Criminal Code, not negotiate it,” he told reporters.

The Edmonton-area band has set up a massive data centre to host online casino operators from overseas and has been approached by several gambling firms, said Cheryl Giblon, an Ontario-based official with a computer firm speaking for the Alexander band.

However, no gambling operations have begun and the band hasn’t collected any of the $20,000 US application fees, she said.

Trying to bolster its case, the Alexander band boasted it had the United Nations’ support, releasing a letter from Alberta aboriginal leader Willie Littlechild, who is a member of a United Nations body for aboriginal issues.

But the personal letter does not signal UN approval, said Gurston Dacks, a University of Alberta political scientist who specializes in aboriginal relations. “Although Mr. Littlechild is a distinguished Albertan and Canadian, the content of the letter refers to his view alone,” Dacks said.

Lindsay said if the band wants to argue about the Criminal Code, it should do so with the federal government.

Alexander Chief Raymond Arcand said in a news release issued Wednesday that gaming is an integral part of the band’s heritage and is willing to defend his case in court.

“The government of Alberta desires to ignore our sovereignty and our right to regulate online gaming transacted within our territory, along with all of the positives of our developing economic independence, and has chosen to launch this attack,” he said in the statement.

No Canadian judge has ever ruled in favour of an aboriginal group’s intrinsic right to run gambling operations, and Dacks said the band’s sovereignty claim is highly questionable.

“The Supreme Court of Canada has not ruled on sovereignty of First Nations, or on the self-governance rights, except in a very narrow sense in a small number of cases,” he said.

Federal and provincial officials have declared that a similar, long-running online venture by the Mohawk in Quebec also is illegal. No action has been taken against the Kahnawake band.

By VALERIE DUFOUR, Calgary SUN MEDIA, Sat, March 17, 2007.

Gambler wants VLT ban, Clotilde Berube is a compulsive gambler. She has unsuccessfully tried to get Quebec’s casinos shut down, and now seeks to rid the province of VLTs.

Clotilde Berube is sick, but not with an illness that stops her from going out. The 58-year-old woman is a compulsive gambler and that compulsion led her to burn through more than $1 million at the Casino du Lac-Leamy.

“In the beginning, it was a game, but I eventually lost control. I never thought I would become a slave to it,” Berube told Sun Media in French.

The compulsive gambler decided to speak about her experience in casinos after the release of a tell-all book by a former croupier named Eleonore Mainguy.

HUSBAND DIED

It was the death of Berube’s husband in 1996 that sent the lawyer’s life off course.

Overcome with grief, she sought refuge in diversions, including going to the Casino du Lac-Leamy daily.

“I would go to the casino crying. Once there, I’d become a different person. I’d forget everything,” she said.

She said she’d leave for the casino at around 11 a.m. and spend the afternoon there before picking up her daughter around 5 p.m. She’d eat dinner and return to the casino at around 8 p.m.

Berube said she followed that routine every day for five years.

“I didn’t think you could become sick from gambling, but the casino was a crutch,” she said.

At the time, Berube had the money to make big bets. The professional success she and her husband had enjoyed allowed them to live in an upscale Ottawa neighbourhood and to buy eight other properties in the capital region.

“There comes a moment when you stop looking at money the same way,” Berube said.

She said she took home some big winnings, but the money didn’t matter to her.

“All I wanted was to keep playing,” she said.

Berube said she would always bring $20,000 to $25,000 cash in her bag and once made a $10,000 bet playing baccarat.

Pathological gambling is worse than alcoholism, she said. When you drink you crash after drinking 40 ounces, but gambling is more deceitful. Nothing can stop you and your body keeps going like a machine, she said.

BIG STAKES ROOM

Her gambling habits also evolved over time. She went from card games to the slot machines. And because she was a good customer, she had access to the big stakes rooms and received special treatment.

“I was a VIP client,” said Berube, who added that all her meals were paid for and she was given several weekend ski trips to Mont Tremblant as gifts. She said Loto-Quebec also paid to celebrate her kids’ birthday on a boat with all their friends.

Berube has been through therapy three or four times.

“It’s like a drug. What I’ve found as a compromise is I go to the U.S. once every two months and spend $500 and play poker. I hate myself for doing it, but I need to.”

on the Alberta Gambing Institute website at

http://www.abgaminginstitute.ualberta.ca/researcher_interviews.cfm

D. Crockford, Dept. of Psychiatry, U of Calgary

Again, adapted from the Summary

“Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease
resulting from a loss of dopamine producing cells in the brain.
Recent reports have described treatment-emergent gambling
problems in some patients, especially those treated with
dopamine-enhancing agents. Reports to date have not examined
patients in a systematized fashion using validated
instruments, nor have they attempted to delineate whether emergent
gambling problems relate to comorbidity, treatment of the
Parkinson�s disease process, or cognitive status. A study of
patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson�s disease
would help to characterize this phenomenon and form a basis for
further understanding of the neurobiological basis of
problem and pathological gambling.”

What They Were Looking at:

The objective was to determine whether or not the 12-month
prevalence of problem and pathological gambling in patients
with Parkinson’s disease was greater than in a comparable
community sample. They also wanted to determine whether or
not any increased prevalence of problem gambling that might
be found could be attributed to co-morbidity.

What They Found:

“Primary results were that the 12 month prevalence of
problem and pathological gambling in the Parkinson’s disease
sample was 9.3% compared to 1.6% in the community sample.”

Dr. Crockford states:

“The increased prevalence was not accounted for by
demographic factors, cognitive impairment, co-morbid
depression/anxiety symptoms or substance abuse. All patients were on
dopamine replacement and/or agonists.

The increase prevalence was not specific to the type of
dopamine agonist used, however, most subjects with problem or
pathological gambling reported a temporal association
between the onset of gambling and starting treatment for
Parkinson’s disease. ”

Dr. Crockford concludes that the study seems to confirm
that problem and pathological gambling is more prevalent in
patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease treated
with dopamine replacement and/or agonists. The increased
prevalence is not attributable to psychiatric or substance
use co-morbidity.

http://www.abgaminginstitute.ualberta.ca/crockford.cfm
Notes: What is happening here?

Are the various medications leading to the increased risk
of the problem gambling? Patients were using different
types of dopamine agonists though.

Or is there a threshhold of neurodegenerative change at
which treatment with dopamine agonist medications is likely to
start, and that extent of change/ damage is simply
associated with the problem gambling?

Or is it something unrelated?

C. Rose, R. Williams & G. Nixion University of Lethbridge

———————————————————————
Adapted from the Summary:

Senior women were interviewed in focus groups to gain an
in-depth understanding of their lived experiences with
problem and pathological gambling. In addition they were asked
about their experiences, if any, with treatment for their
problem gambling. The aim was to help design an effective
group intervention for problem/pathological senior women
gamblers.

What They Found:

Several focus groups were held at two senior�s
facilities, as well as two treatment facilities. All of the
participants were 55+ years old. All of the women self-identified as
problem gamblers. Similar to what has been found in
previous research by others, these older women with gambling
problems were identifying that that they felt marginalized, they
had a sense of financial disenfranchisement, and they had
lots of spare time on their hands.

In addition, all the women identified that in addition to
having a problem gambling and they also had another
addiction (in other words, comorbidity).

Their identified addictions were: smoking cigarettes,
alcohol, misuse of prescription medications, and illicit
substances (marijuana, cocaine). Also of significance was that the
majority identified histories of childhood trauma (sexual,
physical and emotional).

In terms of implications for group treatment, all the
women felt that being in women-only groups was of benefit.
Otherwise they would often feel the need to “care take” of
the guys or would be overwhelmed by male participants in
co-ed recovery groups.

The women also identified they needed to learn
self-monitoring skills to avoid the pitfalls of succumbing to resuming
gambling. Of most significant import was the unanimous
request for treatment groups that helped these senior women
resolve their historical trauma.

An article entitled “The At Risk Gambler: Older Adults
Opinions, Perceptions, and Beliefs About Gambling” based on
thevstudy has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

http://www.abgaminginstitute.ualberta.ca/s2.cfm

Édité par TQa, dimanche 16 janvier 2005 à 01:49 :: GAMBLING (english) :: permalien #201

Compulsive Gambler Wants More Than Tiny Portion Of Lottery Revenue To Go Into Researching And Treating Problem Gambling

Last July, a compulsive gambler named Garry Johns chose an unusual venue -Vancouver City Hall- to talk about his
sickness. When it was his turn to speak at a public hearing on slot machines, the stocky retired warehouse worker started
on an upbeat note, emphasizing the “pro-social” side of his personality. He said he was a past president of the
Canadian Junior Chamber of Commerce, a coach of junior and midget baseball, and a volunteer at the Molson Indy and
at various fireworks events. But his voice quivered slightly when he started talking about his antisocial side: his gambling
addiction and its devastating impact on innocent people.

“I’m a terrible, terrible monster when I gamble,” Johns confessed to the packed council chamber. “And when I gamble,
people get hurt because I don’t know when to stop.”

continued at http://www.toxicoquebec.com/actus/index.php?2005/01/16/201-is-bc-overlooking-the-devastating-impact-of-compulsive-gambling