Canada eyes impact of gambling

Tim Smith stumbled from a men's hostel to the steps of his provincial legislature in eastern Canada last week. Standing outside the historic building in Fredericton, New Brunswick, waving a placard and wobbling because of a week-long hunger strike, Mr. Smith says he is making one last bet.

"I'll do everything I can to get lawmakers to listen - to get them to do something about the destructive impact of gambling in this province," says the self-confessed gambling addict who attempted suicide earlier this month.

"I figured I had nothing else to lose since I've already lost everything," he said by telephone from the hostel where he is staying. "It's a shameful, hidden problem that needs government action because they're partially responsible for its devastating consequences." Smith ended his hunger strike last Wednesday after legislators agreed to look at proposals aimed at curbing gambling.

Over the past decade, provincial revenues from gambling have quadrupled, with an estimated 19 million adults, or nearly two-thirds of the population, wagering C$11.3 billion (US$9.3 billion) in 2002, up from C$2.7 billion (US$2.2 billion) in 1992. The money funds everything from schools to social services. While most Canadians wager responsibly, the rapid rise of gambling here is prompting a growing concern - and calls for the federal government to study its impact.

The Canada Safety Council, an independent charitable organization, calls addictive gambling a public-health crisis, saying it accounts for 200 to 360 suicides a year. In a letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin urging him to undertake a study, the Safety Council cites a range of growing social problems in addition to gambling-related deaths: an increase in bankruptcies, family break-ups, domestic abuse, as well as other forms of violence and crimes like loan-sharking.

"We don't know exactly what the costs are. But they appear to be mounting," says spokeswoman Ethel Archard.

Legal gambling is the preserve of provincial governments, many of which have rapidly expanded their casino, lottery, slot-machine, and video lottery terminal (VLT) operations over the past two decades. Revenues are nearly equivalent to those generated by taxes on tobacco and alcohol. The Ontario government has used the approximately C$2 billion - about 3 percent of its overall revenues - generated from gambling to fund healthcare, education, and other social services. Last year it spent C$1.5 billion of that money on hospitals and $100 million to support nonprofit organizations in art, culture, sports, and recreation. It also spent $21.7 million to help problem gamblers.

Gaming advocates stress that gambling brings many benefits to the community. Holly Ward, a spokesperson for the Windsor Casino, located across the river from Detroit, says the casino is now the third-largest employer in the city, with 4,200 workers.

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