29-Jan-06. $400 bonus is ‘play money’. Calgary Herald, A1.

Thousands of Albertans received their $400 prosperity cheques from the provincial government this week. Casinos, bars and businesses in Calgary are expected to be among the biggest beneficiaries of new consumer expenditures. Silver Dollar Casino owner Frank Sisson says that his casino has been busy but no more than usual.

29-Jan-06. Dice rolled on casino. Calgary Sun, 3.

A spokesperson said yesterday that the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede is preparing to build a new multimillion-dollar gaming facility on the northwest corner of its site. The intention for the new casino is to make it an international destination. Barring any approval hurdles, construction of the casino will begin in April with hopes of opening in 2008.

28-Jan-06. Poker has holy spirit. Calgary Sun, 2.

Pastor John Van Sloten intends to preach to his congregation about the positives of poker during his sermon tomorrow at Calgary’s New Hope Christian Reformed Church. Van Sloten will also talk about gambling’s potential for creating addictions and other difficulties in people’s lives.

28-Jan-06. Atlantic City’s youth movement. Globe and Mail, T11.

This article describes how the Atlantic City nightlife is evolving to attract visitors in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who once saw it primarily as a city primarily frequented by senior citizens. Casinos such as The Borgata have gradually been replacing slot machines with table games aimed at both a poker boom and on younger gamblers’ tendencies to favour games with human interaction.

27-Jan-06. Casino bets on full house. Edmonton Journal, E1.

Century Casinos Inc. intends to attract high-end gamblers and entertainment audiences to a casino it is building in northeast Edmonton according to the company’s chief operating officer. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission company recently granted approval to the company to acquire sole ownership of the Celebrations casino, dinner theatre, and 28-room complex now being built at 13103 Fort Rd. Celebrations will open late in 2006 with 600 slot machines and 31 table games.

17-Jan-06. School casino ban up in the air. Calgary Sun, 10.

The word of Bishop Fred Henry commanding an end to the use of casinos as fundraisers would traditionally be final, but it’s not clear if Calgary Catholic schools will abandon the practice according to the district’s chairman. In a January 4th letter from Henry to the board, the bishop stated his impatience with the board’s plan to consult school councils.

15-Jan-06. Forgo gambling profits. Calgary Herald, A12.

In this editorial, the author suggest that the Calgary Catholic School Board is facing a moral dilemma with respect to holding charity casinos to raise funds for school extras while professing to follow church teachings that say gambling is problematic.

14-Jan-06. New VLTs may not reduce problem gambling. Edmonton Journal, F12.

New video lottery terminals (VLTs) with responsible gaming features have been well accepted into bars but may not reduce problem gambling. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission recently released the first report of a five-year study on the effect of those features. The machines, introduced in 2003, show the time of day, player credits in dollars and cents, and pop-up reminders of time played.

14-Jan-06. Worries raised on VLT alarm. Calgary Sun, 18.

A scientific study on electronic warnings built into video lottery terminals (VLTs) to help people control their gambling indicates the features are only having limited success. Harold Wynne, one of the report’s co-authors, says that there is little evidence that the responsible gaming features are decreasing the time and amount of money spent on VLTs. Researchers interviewed 165 VLT users both before and after the introduction of the machines, between May 2003 and January 2004.

12-Jan-06. Ontario lottery to help fund high-level athletes. Globe and Mail, S5.

A new Ontario government lottery promises millions of dollars in direct financial aid to 1,300 high-performance athletes. The Quest for Gold scratch-and-win tickets will provide $2.5-million for Ontario athletes by the end of March according to Ontario Minister of Health Promotion Jim Watson.

12-Jan-06. Trustee outraged by casino decision. Calgary Sun, 10.

Trustee Michael O’Malley said the Catholic school board committed a moral failure last night when it refused to forbid schools from using casinos as fundraisers. The motion put before the board was to prevent any Catholic school in Calgary from using casinos and for trustees to forego public consultation on the issue. The motion was deferred by the board to an unspecified time after consultation takes place in the spring.

12-Jan-06. Catholic board delays decision on casinos. Calgary Herald, B3.

The Calgary Catholic school board voted 6-1 Wednesday to defer a motion by trustee Michael O’Malley to ask parents to forsake casino participation in favour of other forms of school fundraising. O’Malley said that Calgary Bishop Fred Henry has been clear in his opposition to school communities using revenues from gambling sources such as casinos.

11-Jan-06. Government can’t scratch addicts’ itch. Calgary Sun, 10.

Garry Smith, an Albertan expert on gambling, said compulsive scratch-and-win players exist in the province but their problems are minor in comparison to those who are addicted to electronic gambling machines. Smith says that machines account for 80 per cent of gambling problems. Both Smith and Robyn Cochrane of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission said it was probably unrealistic to expect ticket vendors to screen out customers with gambling addictions.

7-Jan-06. Holy Spirit school division not gambling on casino revenue. Lethbridge Herald, A4.

Catholic school officials in Lethbridge won’t need to wade into the debate over casino fundraising as the school division does not use this form of fundraising according to the chairman of the board of the Holy Spirit School Division. Bishop Fred Henry of the Calgary Catholic Diocese – to which Lethbridge belongs – has said using casinos to raise money for schools is a detriment to family values, because of the negative effects of gambling on many Albertans.

10-Jan-06. Lotto ticket sellers urged to bar problem gamblers. Edmonton Journal, A1.

Quebec’s coroner wants retailers of lottery tickets in the province to be made aware of compulsive gamblers in their neighbourhoods so that they could refuse to sell tickets to at-risk customers. Ticket sellers and Loto-Quebec officials say the suggestion is both impractical and impossible to implement. Coroner Jean Francois Dorval made the recommendation after an inquest into the suicide of a 62-year-old Quebec man who killed himself after spending about $400 to $500 a week on lottery tickets.

6-Jan-06. Banff’s best bet a casino: councillor. Calgary Herald, B6.

Banff councillor Ossi Treutler Jr. is putting forward an idea that the town to develop a casino as a way of generating alternative revenue and easing the tax burden on residents and businesses. Town administrators say a casino goes against the Canada National Parks Act, the Banff National Park Management Plan and the Banff Community Plan.

5-Jan-06. Radio bingo fills up quiet, rural nights. Edmonton Journal, B3.

This article discusses the popularity of radio bingo in Northern Alberta for those living in small, isolated communities. Edmonton-based radio station CFWE started the game about nine years ago and it brings in about $1-million a year for the station – of which 65 per cent is paid out in prize money and 35 per cent is put back into infrastructure. Players say that the game is more relaxing, more convenient, and cheaper than conventional bingo.

5-Jan-06. Catholic gambling on board agenda. Calgary Sun, 7.

Calgary’s Catholic School Board will discuss banning casino fundraisers at their next meeting thanks to a motion filed by trustee Michael O’Malley. Any potential moratorium on games of chance likely won’t happen until at least the spring when parent groups are to be consulted according to board chairwoman Cathie Williams.

5-Jan-06. Trustee wants casino funds banned. Calgary Herald, B2.

Catholic School Board Trustee Michael O’Malley said Tuesday that he will bring a motion to the January 11th board meeting to ban school groups from fundraising through casinos. Board chairwoman Cathie Williams said a roundtable forum with school council officials and the public regarding casinos and school fundraising is planned for late April or early May.

4-Jan-06. Bishop wants fundraising casinos shut. Calgary Sun, 10.

Bishop Fred Henry, the City of Calgary’s top Catholic is demanding separate schools stop using casinos as fundraisers. Henry said yesterday that drives to collect cash for school projects only contributes to a culture of greed and gambling that is a detriment to family values.

1-Jan-06. Big Plume makes sure reserve comes first. Calgary Herald, B5.

Sandford Big Plume, Chief of the Tsuu T’ina Nation has been instrumental in accelerating the progress of two controversial developments in 2005 which affect all reserve residents and all Calgarians: a ring road and a new casino. Big Plume wants to finish a casino proposal by June 2006 so reserve members can vote on a decision.

31-Dec-05. N.S. adjusts VLTs. Edmonton Sun, 7.

This newsbrief reports that changes meant to reduce the potential harms of video lottery terminals (VLTs) are coming next month as part of Nova Scotia’s gaming strategy. Technicians will adjust every VLT in the province to slow down the machines by 30 per cent and the “stop buttons” will be removed.

29-Dec-05. Merriment enriches Alberta. Calgary Sun, 10.

As of Alberta’s second quarter fiscal update last month, revenues from gambling were up $34-million from budget estimates and returns from alcohol are $4-million ahead. Alberta Liberal gaming critic Maurice Tougas says the government’s policy is to grow the industry without talking about growing it. Finance Minister Shirley McClellan said part of the increase in gaming revenues comes from people gambling in Alberta, rather than heading to places like Las Vegas.

28-Dec-05. Kerry Packer, media baron and gambler 1937-2005. Globe and Mail, S7.

Australia’s richest man and celebrated gambler Kerry Packer has died. Mr. Packer was an avid baccarat player and his love of gambling inspired him to buy the Crown Casino complex in Melbourne, Australia.

24-Dec-05. There’s help for problem gamblers. Lethbridge Herald, A4.

A gambler support program has recently started in Lethbridge as a way to help those who are struggling with a gambling addiction. Alberta Gaming figures suggest while 82 per cent of adult Albertans take part in gambling activities, just over five per cent are considered to be problem gamblers. Don Ziefflie, an addictions counsellor with South Country Treatment Centre, says the big factor is that gamblers become so islated when they’re in their addiction.

24-Dec-05. Homeless lottery cancelled. Calgary Herald, B2.

The Hope Thru Homes Lottery 2005 was cancelled on Friday because of poor ticket sales. Proceeds were to have gone to the Calgary Homeless Foundation and Calgary Homebuilders Foundation.

21-Dec-05. There are few real Moneymakers. Calgary Herald, A20.

This article by University of Calgary clinical psychology doctoral student Will Shead discusses the popularity of poker-related gift items available in stores this holiday season. The emergence of online poker and televised poker championships is credited for this surge in the game’s popularity. Responsible shoppers are warned to be wary of the potential dangers associated with poker before purchasing poker gifts for their loved ones.

20-Dec-05. Residents to be consulted. Red Deer Advocate, A1.

The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission will delay ruling on a controversial expansion of downtown Red Deer’s Jackpot Casino until it hears directly from residents. The commission will meet with both sides of the expansion debate in Red Deer sometime in the coming weeks according to a government spokesperson. The Parkvale community association is opposed to the expansion because of the casino’s close proximity to the historic neighborhood.