Canadian Responsible Gambling Programs Continue to Proliferate
Two Canadian provinces took new steps in their responsible gambling efforts. In a blue-ribbon report on Ontario’s programs released in October, a number of new initiatives were proposed, including:
- Extending the province’s responsible-gambling programs to its public lottery
- Reducing Ontario’s spending on treatment for compulsive gambling-which was far above spending levels by comparable jurisdictions
- Promulgating to the public more information about the risks of compulsive gambling
- Focusing responsible gambling efforts on consumer protection, including possible modifications of gaming machines to assist players in controlling their own gambling, and removal of features that encourage unsafe or addictive behavior
“Review of the Problem-Gambling and Responsible-Gaming Strategy of the Government of Ontario,” Report to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (by Stanley Sadinsky, Q.C.).
The Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation announced in December that it will launch a new initiative to “identify and track high risk behavior in real time, to alert casino management to this behavior and to track interventions.” The new system, called iCare, purports to analyze player activity through both software and floor observation, and then structure effective interventions with high-risk players. A public demonstration of the iCare system is scheduled for January 17, 2006.
