REGINA (Staff) – An American gambling addiction expert says the Saskatchewan government’s take from video lottery terminals is obscene.
Henry Lesieur, a professor at the University of Illinois, told about 100 people attending the Future of Gaming in Saskatchewan conference the government is keeping 30 percent of money going into the VLTs and only 70 percent is going back to players who win.
“It is the worst take-out rate I have ever heard of – ever, anywhere.”
In comparison, Las Vegas casinos retain between 2.5 and five percent of the money put into video poker machines.
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Lesieur said gamblers in Saskatchewan are playing in a “highly monopolistic environment where the state basically rapes the population as much as it can.
“To me that doesn’t seem to be a sound social policy.”
He said gambling should be entertainment provided by the province, with the money taken out slowly.
Health minister Lorne Calvert countered that the province uses the money for charities, health care and education, unlike Nevada where private companies get the profits.
But Lesieur said problem gamblers are funding the province’s charities, and that is questionable.
“Whether we’re going to be financing charities at the cost of suicide attempts and destroyed families … is it worth the price?”
He said problem gamblers each spend about $3,800 a year in Saskatchewan for a total of $110 million – or almost 30 percent of the money wagered.
“Why don’t we legalize crack houses, because crack houses would give (charities) a lot of financial support,” he said. “Yet, we’re broaching allowing VLTs into every nook and cranny in the province. It’s obscene.”
Lesieur did commend the province for spending more per capita than “anywhere on earth” to combat problem gambling. Sask-atchewan spends $1.5 million annually, compared to Nevada which spends nothing.
He said the toll-free problem gambler help line should be displayed in every bingo hall and on every lottery and break-open ticket.
He also said alcohol should not be allowed near gambling, length of play should be controlled and there should not be any credit locations within 300 metres of VLTs.
