A safer casino
Paul Pellizzari, executive director of policy and social responsibility at Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, continues to use sleight of hand to lull Ottawa into accepting OLG’s casino deal. At the outset, he states that five per cent of gamblers have problems. This number includes all forms of gambling, however, including lotteries, which have the highest number of players and the lowest problem rates. A fairer approach would be to restrict his focus to casinos, which offer only slots and tables. The latest and most reliable research shows that 5.5 per cent of slots players are high-severity problem gamblers, and they generate 31 per cent of slots revenue. For table games, 12.1 per cent are high-severity problem gamblers, and they generate 57 per cent of the revenue. On top of this, there are about three times as many moderate-severity problem gamblers. This means that, should the Ottawa casino open as envisioned by OLG, it will support 11,200 highseverity and 33,000 moderate-severity problem gamblers. Each, on average, has 2.8 family members, bringing an additional 126,000 local people into the burden of gambling harm.
In relation to prevention, OLG has steadfastly refused to adopt any research-validated measures. Pellizzari says they’re working on a method to “provide feedback” to pa- trons based on play patterns, while 10 years ago Saskatchewan began using validated algorithms not only to identify gamblers at risk of harm, but to actually intervene with them. Meanwhile, OLG has been working on its watered-down approach for years now. Other effective prevention measures are not even being discussed. Foremost is the refusal to modify casino loyalty programs, which are used to identify vulnerable patrons and then actively induce and sustain excessive play. An Australian gambling commission found that 2.5 per cent of casino loyalty program members generate 76 per cent of revenue.
Looking elsewhere, why are Ontario gamblers permitted to bet up to $15,000 per hand at table games, some of which take only a minute to play? Why did OLG’s CEO dismiss ending 24/7 casinos as non-negotiable? Why are slot machines designed to deceptively imply imminent wins?
Ottawa citizens should be able to consider casino expansion with the advantage of a full set of facts rather than distracting bromides. As a non-negotiable condition for accepting the role as a host community, city council should require that a local casino is designed to minimize harm to the people it was elected to serve.
ROB SIMPSON, Guelph, Ont., CEO of the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre, 2000-2010