26-Nov-05. Deerfoot bets on Alberta’s boom. Calgary Herald, C1.

The first half of this lengthy article provides information about southwest Calgary’s new $42-million Deerfoot Inn and Casino. The facility includes a 60,000-square-foot casino with 600 slot machines, an indoor water park, a 188-room hotel, restaurants, lounges, conference rooms, and live entertainment. The second half of the article examines the overall casino market in Calgary and includes interviews other city casino owners.

26-Nov-05. Is Calgary hitting casino saturation? Calgary Herald, A1.

The opening of the Deerfoot Inn and Casino makes it the sixth casino in the City of Calgary. With the future opening of the Tsuu T’ina casino on the outskirts of the city, the author wonders whether the casino gambling market has reached its saturation point. Additional casinos would not have been approved if the market couldn’t hand them according to both casino owner Darcy Will and Alberta Gaming Minister Gordon Graydon.

24-Nov-05. Tanenbaum takes stake in Casino and Gaming Television. Globe and Mail, S2.

The leading stakeholder in a new specialty channel called Casino and Gaming Television is Larry Tanenbaum, the chairman and part-owner of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors. Programming will consist of shows that teach viewers how to play games, that provide strategic advice, fantasy league information, and telecasts of competitions.

17-Nov-05. Province cashes in on gaming. Calgary Sun, 5.

According to the provincial government’s second quarter fiscal update, government revenue from gambling is estimated to total $1.24-billion this year, up $34-million from the budget estimate. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission attributes the gaming revenue rise to VLTs and slot machines. It also expects that revenues will continue to rise after Alberta’s 17th casino opens in Calgary next week.

17-Nov-05. Alberta vices soar. Edmonton Sun, 5.

According to the provincial government’s second quarter fiscal update, government revenue from gambling is estimated to total $1.24-billion this year, up $34-million from the budget estimate. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission attributes the gaming revenue rise to VLTs and slot machines. It also expects that revenues will continue to rise after Alberta’s 17th casino opens in Calgary next week. University of Alberta psychologist Dr. Gus Thompson says that gambling and drinking are two social problems that always seem to take off when the economy is booming.

16-Nov-05. Chief to meet casino protesters. Calgary Herald, B2.

This newsbrief reports that three female elders opposed to the construction of a $27-million casino on the Stoney reserve west of Calgary are expected to meet today with Bearspaw Chief Darcy Dixon to discuss their concerns. The woman claim that the tribal council approved the proposed casino without proper consultation.

14-Nov-05. Horse race plan puts local charities on alert. Red Deer Advocate, A1.

Charitable groups fear that their charitable casino revenues will decline if a horse racing track with 99 slot machines is approved in the Red Deer area. Rocky Mountain Turf Club Inc., which runs a track in Lethbridge, has applied for a provincial licence to race horses at an unspecified site near Highway 2. The company plans to include 99 Vegas-style slot machines, a sports bar and simulcast horse racing facilities.

14-Nov-05. Race tracks hurt charities. Red Deer Advocate, A4.

In this editorial, the author discusses a proposal to operate a racino in Red Deer and its likely impact on local charitable organizations. It is noted that provincial law allows race tracks to keep 70 per cent of the profits generated at the facility, as opposed to 15 per cent that charities get from casinos. This has resulted in the horse racing industry seeing $37.5-million in funding per year. The authors suggests that charitable organizations will see a reduction in available funding unless charitable revenues from racinos are pooled with those from casinos.

12-Nov-05. Lottery prizes to be reduced. Calgary Herald, J7.

The increased number of large-scale charitable home lotteries in Calgary that are vying for consumers has led one Calgary builder to re-think its approach. Shane Wenzel of Shane Homes says that increased competition and somewhat disappointing results mean that his company will be building three homes as prizes instead of four for next year’s Kinsmen Children’s Hospital Home Lotto.

12-Nov-05. Bingo hall hits reno jackpot. Edmonton Sun, 12.

The Fort Road Bingo Association in northeast Edmonton is holding a grand opening of its newly renovated hall that will also include a gaming lounge, VLTs and Keno. The association hopes the renovations will reverse a 25% decline in attendance at the hall since a city-wide smoking ban came into effect on July 1, 2005.

12-Nov-05. How bands can gamble risk-free. Lethbridge Herald, A6.

This editorial examines the social and economic implications of the planned opening of several Aboriginal casinos in the Province of Alberta based on the discussion at last week’s forum on Aboriginal casinos at the University of Lethbridge. The author says that the safest strategy for Southern Albertan First Nations bands may well be to stay out of the game altogether. This is because the province’s Aboriginal gaming model will share a percentage of casinos profits for the benefit of all Alberta native peoples.

10-Nov-05. Liberal Party not opposed to horse racing. Lethbridge Herald, B2.

This article reports that Alberta’s Liberal Caucus does not object to the horse racing industry but they do have concerns regarding the generous deal that Horse Racing Alberta got from the provincial government. Specifically, Liberal MLA and gaming critic Maurice Tougas points out that 51 per cent of racino revenue, after operator’s fees, goes to Horse Racing Alberta. Overall, it is reported that gaming has become the second-highest form of revenue in the province, following gas and ahead of oil.

7-Nov-05. U of A holds winning hand in video poker. Edmonton Journal, A1.

This article provides details about the work being undertaken on artificial intelligence at the University of Alberta Computer Poker Research Group. Poker-playing “bots” have been created that are starting to have success playing head-to-head challenge matches against professional poker players. PhD student Darse Billings says that poker is of interest to A.I. scientists as poker is a game of imperfect information.

6-Nov-05. Hits the jackpot. Edmonton Sun, 55.

Edmonton businessman Dwayne Lafleur runs a poker supplies business that caters to Canadians. He owns several retail stores and a web site called thenuts.ca which sells chips, cards, dice, cases, felts, table tops and tables. He estimates his sales are up about 250 per cent this year due to the increasing popularity of the game.

6-Nov-05. Contract vote suspended. Calgary Herald, A8.

A vote to end a six-week Casino Calgary strike has been postponed after employees sought clarification on back-to-work rules. Union officials returned to ABS Casino Calgary on Friday for clarification on back-to-work issues that could involve amnesty for certain actions on the picket line, as well as protocol for dealing with those who had crossed and job terminations.

5-Nov-05. Las Vegas of the North? Lethbridge Herald, A1.

This article provides details of a panel presentation entitled Aboriginal Casinos: Who’s Cashing In? that was sponsored by the Royal Society of Canada in conjunction with the University of Lethbridge. Panel members included Dr. Robert Williams, Dr. Yale Belanger, former Blood Tribe Chief Chris Shade, and coordinator of the Kainaakiiksi women’s group Phyllis Day Chief. The speakers suggested the benefits of added revenue for reserves generated from gaming would not outweigh the potential social costs.

4-Nov-05. Union to vote on Calgary Casino deal. Calgary Herald, B3.

A six-week-old strike at Calgary Casino could be over today after a mediator's recommendation was accepted by the company. Union officials are encouraging members to vote in favour of the deal in today's ratification vote. More than 400 workers at the northeast casino walked off the job September 23 in a dispute over wages.

3-Nov-05. Reject casino: Doerksen. Red Deer Advocate, A4.

Red Deer MLA Victor Doerksen has written a letter to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) advising them to reject a contentious proposal to expand the Jackpot Casino. Doerksen said the Parkvale neighborhood is clearly opposed to the casino’s proposal to add 4,300-square-feet for a poker room and additional slot machines. The AGLC has received 78 letters in favour of the expansion and sixteen from those opposed.

2-Nov-05. Nova Scotia starts pulling plug on VLTs. Edmonton Journal, A14.

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation has turned off 800 video lottery terminals (VLTs) in Nova Scotia as part of Premier John Hamm’s responsible gaming strategy. Getting rid of the machines will result in a $10-million loss of net income for the rest of 2005-06 and a $23-million annual reduction in subsequent years.