Gamblor’s World

By ALISON AULD The Canadian Press, Halifax Herald, Sat. Nov 17 - 5:18 AM

The Nova Scotia government put the regional lottery corporation under further scrutiny Friday when it called for a performance review of the head of the embattled agency.

Angus MacIsaac, the minister responsible for the Gaming Control Act, said he sent a letter to the provincial gaming corporation asking the Atlantic Lottery Corp. to conduct an evaluation of its CEO, Michelle Carinci.

MacIsaac said he became alarmed earlier this week when Carinci appeared at a public accounts committee to face questions about the corporation’s procurement policies and the number of retailers who win cash prizes.

The minister said he was struck by Carinci’s apparent lack of concern for what he called “obvious problems” at the corporation.

“There might not have been the level of understanding of the concerns Nova Scotians have and I have asked the board to evaluate whether that level of concern is there,” he said in an interview.

“This is a matter of re-establishing Nova Scotians’ confidence in the Atlantic Lotto Corp.”

continued at http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/985465.html

14/11/07, The Cape Breton Post

HALIFAX — Officials from the Atlantic Lottery Corp. have fielded a series of tough questions from a Nova Scotia legislative committee about measures taken to ensure the integrity of its games.

Corporation officials were explain to the public accounts committee why retailers won big prizes at rates up to 19 times more than should have been expected.

Corporation CEO Michelle Carinci says while she can’t explain the statistics, steps have been taken to protect customers and that complaints are followed up on.

Carinci also admitted that the procurement process wasn’t transparent enough in the awarding of a recent Internet gaming contract to Swedish company Boss Media.

continued
at http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=80263&sc=145

Report finds retailer-wins high, security low, By DAVID JACKSON Halifax Herald Provincial Reporter, Tuesday June 5, 2007

The Atlantic Lottery Corp.’s president seems to be on solid ground for now, though her counterpart in British Columbia is gone after a scathing report on a lack of lottery security.

Stirling (Ginger) Breedon, chairman of Atlantic Lotto’s board of directors, said Monday the board hasn’t discussed whether president and CEO Michelle Carinci should keep her job in light of the higher-than-probable rate of retailer wins and lax security dating back to 2001, as found in recent reviews.

“We believe we need to fix the things that need to be done, both technically and in terms of policies and processes, and we’re working with the team we have in place to do that, so that’s where we’re at,” said Mr. Breedon.

“She’s doing exactly what the board wants her to do in terms of moving forward on all the recommendations and putting into place the things that will ensure our players have their just prizes when they win. That’s our interest.”

The British Columbia Lottery Corp. fired its president and CEO last Friday, just days after the province’s ombudsman released a report showing retailers were winning too often and that corporation officials weren’t doing enough to find out why.

….

The Atlantic Lotto board had commissioned an audit of the corporation after an internal review released in March found that retailers won prizes of at least $25,000 at a rate 10 times higher than probabilities said they should have.

The audit by KPMG Forensic showed even more retailers won big prizes. It also found eight retailers had their selling privileges revoked but some were later reinstated.

The corporation has given files on retailers’ wins to police. In all, 85 retailers and their employees won a total of $14 million.

….

Two more reviews of Atlantic Lotto are coming, one initiated by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour and another by agencies that are shareholders in the corporation on behalf of the four Atlantic provinces. Atlantic ombudsmen also plan to monitor steps the corporation takes to fix the problems.

Lottery corporations across the country have undergone internal and external reviews since CBC TV’s The Fifth Estate aired a story last fall about an elderly Ontario man cheated out of his winning lottery ticket, and high rates of retailer wins in that province.

Ontario’s ombudsman released a report in March that concluded the province’s lottery corporation was “fixated on profit rather than public service.” The president and CEO of Ontario Lottery and Gaming resigned just prior to the report’s release.

( djackson@herald.ca)

© 2007 The Halifax Herald Limited

The Canadian Press, The Halifax Daily News, 31/05/07

TRURO, N.S. (CP) - A Crown attorney with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service says provincial legislation may have to be rewritten to deal with games of chance such as Texas Hold’em in licensed establishments.

“This is a new kind of activity that the legislature and the statutes really have to address,” said Peter Craig following the successful conviction Wednesday of Calico’s Lounge owner Kevin Dawe.

“We’re restricted somewhat at this stage of the game with the existing legislation. And as you heard Judge (John) MacDougall comment about today, there is really nothing on the books right now, so to speak, that is meant to address this specifically.

“And that may be something that the provincial legislation is considering in the future.”

Dawe was fined $1,000 for allowing a Texas Hold’em poker tournament in January.

Sgt. Al Wadden of the RCMP’s provincial gaming section said Wednesday it has a number of investigations open.

“It should be a clear message that these are going to be investigated,” he said regarding the court case.

Wadden said all liquor licensees received letters outlining the rules and regulations in the past year.

“If I was in a business such as that I’d certainly want to make sure I was in compliance with all the (regulations) and requirements to run my business,” he said.

© The Daily News info@hfxnews.ca

Last Updated: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 | 1:35 PM AT, CBC News

A woman whose addiction to VLTs cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars and her freedom hopes her story will be a cautionary tale for gamblers.

Margaret Alice Baldwin, 62, a former military nurse currently serving a five-year sentence for robbing a bank, told CBC News her problem started innocently enough in 1994 when she put a loonie in a video lottery terminal in a northern New Brunswick bar.

At the beginning, gambling gave Baldwin a high. And not even a bartender’s snide comment could dampen her spirits the day she won $300.

“‘I don’t know why you are so excited, you lost over $3,000 before you won that $300,’” she recalls being told.

As Baldwin’s addiction spiralled out of control, she lost friends and was unable to pay her bills, despite a substantial pension cheque from the military.

“I had a $500 watch on me and I would sell it for $25,” she said. “I would take it just to keep playing the machines.”

Fearing there was no way out, Baldwin held up a fast-food restaurant in 1999 with a toy gun she stole from a department store, hoping to be shot and killed by police.

She received counselling in prison but succumbed to the sparkle of the VLTs soon after her release. Numerous suicide attempts followed.

In September 2006, Baldwin robbed the Scotiabank in Amherst. She told the teller she had a bomb and demanded $100,000.

Throughout the entire incident one thought kept playing over and over in her head: “You’re going to be shot very shortly and this will be over,” she recalls.

Baldwin barely made it out the door when the police nabbed her, again without firing a shot.

Baldwin says she doesn’t want sympathy, she simply hopes her story can help others realize how deadly a video gambling addiction can be.

Copyright © CBC 2007

The Canadian Press, 18/05/07, The Daily News

HALIFAX (CP) - The Nova Scotia government has awarded the contract for a study into the social and economic impacts of gambling in the province.

An Edmonton-based research company, Anielski Management, is expected to complete the job by next April.

The study is part of the provincial gaming strategy.

Anielski was the lowest of three bidders considered for the project, coming in at about $212,000.

By KRISTEN LIPSCOMBE Staff Reporter, Halifax Herald, Monday May 7, 2007

Recovering gambling addict Debbie Langille said she learned a lot from a workshop Saturday at Saint Mary’s University, including how she likely got hooked on video lottery terminals.

One of the guest speakers at the day-long event was Roger Horbay, an Ontario expert in the software and mechanics of VLTs who travels the world to share what he’s learned with those who may need help.

Ms. Langille said Mr. Horbay’s presentation showed “just how deceptive these machines are, as well as how they manipulate the player.

“You can see how you’d become so easily addicted to them,” the Halifax woman said Sunday. “I always wondered, how did these machines get me? I’m an intelligent person.”

“I didn’t even want to gamble. I didn’t like gambling,” she said, explaining that Mr. Horbay helped her better understand what drew her to the noisy, flashy gaming machines.

The free workshop, called a Day of Help, was held for exactly that purpose: To help gambling addicts and their loved ones get a grip on the illness by garnering knowledge and coping skills. The first-ever event was hosted by GameOverVLTs.com, a non-profit group, and funded by the Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation.

“We covered everything,” said Ms. Langille, GameOverVLTS.com spokeswoman.

She said about 25 people showed up for Saturday’s gathering in the Loyola Building on the Saint Mary’s campus. Other speakers included Halifax lawyer Bruce Clarke and trustee Derek Cramm, who talked about how to protect your assets if there’s a gambler in the family, and Montreal addictions counsellor Sol Boxenbaum.

“He has a radio show that he does from 3 to 5 in the morning and it’s called Last Call with Sol,” Ms. Langille said. “It’s for people that that might be out late, that come home and want to talk about what happened.”

According to a news release issued by GameOverVLTs.com, Mr. Boxenbaum estimates 75 per cent of VLT players suffer from some sort of addiction and will probably harm themselves or their families.

Ms. Langille said her group filmed the workshop and soon will start selling DVDs of the day’s presentations on its website, in order to reach out to those who couldn’t attend Saturday and to encourage other regions to host similar events.

GameOverVLTS.com hopes to host another workshop this fall, she said.

“If we can just get one person to understand, it’s one more person than I had the day before,” Ms. Langille said.

( klipscombe@herald.ca)

© 2007 The Halifax Herald Limited

CNS Release 05/03/07 1:50 PM >>>
Review Panel Appointed
———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— -
A panel of experts has been appointed to conduct an independent review of retail ticket lotteries, the Minister of Environment and Labour said today, May 3.

“Appointing this review panel fulfils the province’s commitment, announced in March, to respond to the finding that retailers are winning at 10 times the rate of the general population,” said Mark Parent.

Results of an internal review announced by Atlantic Lottery Corporation in March showed that retailers had won ticket lottery prizes more often than they should have, statistically.

The panel will analyze the ticket-lottery system and identify steps that can be taken to ensure that Nova Scotians have confidence in its integrity.

Depending on the findings of the panel, the minister may expand the review to include VLTs and linked bingos — games played using video feeds.

“To ensure a thorough review of retail ticket lotteries, I have appointed a high-calibre panel with William Hogg, a former deputy minister of finance, natural resources and government services, as chair,” said Mr. Parent. “The two other expert panel members are Ms. Dawn Russell, a former dean of law at Dalhousie University, and Mr. David Wojcik, a lawyer and former RCMP constable.”

The retail ticket lotteries review panel will interview and review documents from retailers, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation and the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation.

The panel will be supported by the alcohol and gaming division of the Department of Environment and Labour and by other experts.

The alcohol and gaming division regulates gaming in Nova Scotia. It ensures rules and regulations are followed within the industry. As regulator, it operates independently of other entities in the industry.

The Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation is the Crown corporation that manages the business of gaming on behalf of government, with all profits going to government. Its mandate is to balance revenue generation and social responsibility and to advise government on gambling policy. It oversees two operators who run the day-to-day business of gambling in Nova Scotia: Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, which operates casinos in Halifax and Sydney, and Atlantic Lottery Corporation, which operates ticket and video lottery games across the province.

The review panel’s budget will be about $125,000. Its report is expected before the end of October.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— -
FOR BROADCAST USE:

A panel of experts has been appointed to conduct a review of

retail ticket lotteries.

Environment and Labour Minister Mark Parent says the panel

is the province’s response to an internal review done for the

Atlantic Lottery Corporation in March that showed retailers were

winning ticket lotteries more times than they should,

statistically.

The panel of experts includes William Hogg, a former

provincial deputy minister, Dawn Russell, a former dean of law at

Dalhousie University, and David Wojcik, a lawyer and

former RCMP constable.

They will interview retailers, the Atlantic Lottery

Corporation, the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation and other

experts.

Depending on the findings of the panel, the minister may

expand the review to include VLTs and linked bingos — games

played using video feeds.

-30-

Media Contact: Bruce Nunn
Environment and Labour
902-424-6427
E-mail: nunnbx@gov.ns. ca

Last Updated: Thursday, May 3, 2007 | 5:59 PM AT, CBC News

A Sydney man who says his compulsive gambling cost him $500,000 and his marriage hopes a new report forces Nova Scotia’s two casinos to do a better job of dealing with problem gamblers.

Paul Burrell, who says he’s planning a lawsuit, filed a complaint against the Sydney casino last year, claiming staff stood by and watched as he gambled away his life savings.

He claimed casino workers did not fulfil their legal obligation to identify and bar people who appear to have a gambling problem.

The provincial ombudsman reviewed his complaint and late last month sent an interim report to Burrell and the other parties involved.

The report, obtained by CBC News, says casino staff are not enforcing that regulation and are relying instead on individuals to identify themselves to staff as having a problem.

Burrell, who is hoping the province will refund his losses and apologize, says true gambling addicts are unlikely to admit they have a problem, and if casino staff had done their job and barred him, his life would likely be very different today.

“It would have saved my marriage. It would have prevented me from gambling the monies that I did,” he told CBC News Thursday.

Burrell, who estimates he lost about $500,000 over three years, admits it would not have been easy to be told to stay away from the casino.

“I probably would have been mad because I was addicted, but there’s an obligation,” he said.

The ombudsman’s report recommends additional training for staff to identify problem gamblers, and urges the Department of Environment and Labour, which enforces alcohol and gaming regulations, to monitor the situation.

The parties have until the end of May to respond to the ombudsman’s “consultative report.”

A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation would not comment specifically on Burrell’s case, but said staff are extensively trained in how to spot problem gamblers, and resource staff at both casinos are available to help people who feel they have a problem.

PAUL MCLEOD

The Halifax Daily News Daily News, 03/05/07

There are many people who want to wipe out problem gambling. The catch is, no one knows how to stop it.

That’s why the Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation (NSGF) hosted a roundtable discussion on problem gambling this week. The roundtable explored new research in the hopes of finding innovative ways to confront the issue of gambling.

“The problem is that the field is in its infancy,” said Rob Simpson, CEO of the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre and a speaker at the event.

“If you look at problem gambling’s closest cousins, drinking and smoking, we know much more about those two. We have 50 years of alcohol studies to look at. Whereas my company is the largest gatherer of gambling research in the world and we’ve only been around six years.”

New research, showing that gamblers fall into three types, was presented by Dalhousie psychiatry and psychology professor Sherry Stewart. According to Stewart’s team, the three types of gamblers are “coping gamblers,” “enhancement gamblers” and “low-emotion regulation gamblers.”

Coping gamblers are people who gamble to escape negative emotions such as depression or anxiety.

Enhancement gamblers are the thrill seekers. They do it for the rush of risking money and the high of winning.

The third group is the most curious to researchers. They don’t fall into either previous category and don’t tend to have any other mental health issues.

Researchers already know that problem gamblers are most likely to be one of the first two types. Stewart hopes that before long, they can develop specific treatments for each type.

The NSGF is an arms-length government organization that offers funding to Nova Scotia community groups and researchers dealing with problem gambling. Almost 100 people came to the roundtable to discuss the foundation’s future direction.

Among those in attendance were people affected by problem gambling in various capacities, from friends and family members to advocates to community workers.

The NSGF ultimately hopes to find the best way to address problem gambling in the future.

“Optimism is the theme of the day,” said Simpson. “You have to define the problem. Today we went a long way in defining problem gambling in a way that we’ll have more insightful solutions.”

pmcleod@hfxnews.ca