The farming community of Barrhead is the first town to vote to keep its controversial video lottery terminals since the Alberta government allowed communities to decide for themselves if they wanted the machines.
But no one is sure if the vote signals a change in people’s opposition to the machines or just plain apathy.
Of the 3,000 people eligible to vote in the community northwest of Edmonton, only a handful cast their ballots earlier this month on whether to remove the 20 machines.
The vote was 324 to remove the machines and 387 to keep them.
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To Rev. Kirk MacNeil, with the Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Lacombe, it’s a sign the side that wants the machine out of town wasn’t organized.
With Lacombe scheduled to hold its vote in a few weeks, the Barrhead results should give those opposed to VLTs more reason to turn out and vote.
But Eunice Zarowny, assistant manager of the Lotus Hotel in Barrhead, said the vote to keep the machines means more people are discovering the benefits gambling money brings to small communities.
“We were battling for the entire town of Barrhead. There are some people still mad at me, but they just don’t understand.”
VLTS voted out
People in Rocky Mountain House, Sylvan Lake and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray, have voted to remove the machines from their communities.
The government has only removed VLTs from Rocky Mountain House. Officials say they won’t remove the machines in the other communities until they know the outcome of a court case with a Fort McMurray hotel owner.
In Lacombe, two leaflet drops are planned before the vote to keep the plebiscite debate on voters’ minds.
Last year in Lacombe, population 8,000, the government took $1.9 million out of the town through 31 VLT machines and gave $300,000 back in grants. This year, the government took out $2.3 million from the 32 machines and gave back $39,000 in grants.
“The more you realize what the government’s doing, the sicker you get,” said MacNeil. “The government is supposed to be protecting the citizens, not exploiting them.
“Making money off the avails of someone’s weakness sticks in our craw.”
Last year, Albertans pumped $1.8 billion into VLT machines, $79.5 million more than the previous year. The government paid out $1.36 billion, $43.5 million more than the previous year. The government still had enough money left over to add $1.1 million into general revenue each week from the VLTs.
