27-May-06. Windsor seeks gov’t help with smoking ban. Edmonton Journal, A6.

A province-wide smoking ban takes effect in Ontario next week which will prohibit the activity at restaurants, bars and casinos. Critics fear the restriction will take a heavy toll on cities dependent on cross-border gambling revenues, such as Windsor and Niagara Falls.

19-May-06. Casino gets final OK. Red Deer Advocate, A1.

The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission has approved the $1.5-million expansion of the Jackpot Casino in downtown Red Deer after the casino promised to add 101 more parking spaces. Jackpot Casino agreed to lease additional spaces from a company that owns an area parking lot. Residents of the downtown Parkvale neighborhood fear the expansion will create more noise, traffic, parking hassles and litter.

19-May-06. Researcher refutes results of gaming association poll. Lethbridge Herald, A3.

University of Lethbridge health sciences professor Robert Williams says that a Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) study of the gambling industry paints an overly optimistic picture of gambling. The CGA study says a recent poll of Canadian attitudes toward gambling indicates an overwhelming majority view gambling as a fun, responsible and acceptable form of entertainment.

18-May-06. Edmonton an odds-on favourite for casino expansion. Edmonton Journal, G5.

The owners of an Edmonton casino are considering adding to their chain of casinos in Alberta and B.C. Gateway Casino Income Fund operates six casinos in Western Canada, including Edmonton’s Palace Casino and five locations in British Columbia. The City of Edmonton is high on the company’s list of expansion locations according to the fund’s chief executive.

18-May-06. Online operations must tackle cheaters, expert says. Edmonton Journal, G5.

A spokesperson for e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulatory Assurance (eCOGRA) says that online casinos must unite to ban cheaters, restrict underage gamblers and ensure fair gaming if they want to lose their dubious reputation. Andrew Beveridge, chief executive of eCOGRA, spoke at the online gambling convention at Montreal’s Palais des congress on Wednesday.

18-May-06. Defibrillators a good gamble for casinos. Edmonton Journal, A19.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina and the Ottawa Health Research Institute have found that casinos are one of the three most cost-effective places to locate public access defibrillators. Their analysis was based on the cost of setting up the devices in different settings and training people to use them, hospitals’ cost of treating people and how many years of life they estimate the units saved.

17-May-06. Tough rules seen for Net gambling. Globe and Mail, B6.

In the keynote speech at the Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Expo, Stanford University law professor and author Lawrence Lessig said that it is a mistake to bet that the Internet gambling industry will escape the government’s ability to regulate. New technologies being developed by Microsoft and other software firms will soon make it possible to authenticate the identity of a computer user anywhere in the world. The ID technology will, in turn, allow governments to cooperate on a global approach to cyberspace regulation.

14-May-06. Kid poker crosses the line. Lethbridge Herald, A6.

This editorial describes a poker event in Vancouver that is being marketed directly to youth. The author cites a study from the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors that indicates the average problem gamblers starts at age 10. Also cited is the Alberta Youth Experience Survey 2002 that found the best protection for youth against problem gambling and substance abuse is monitoring by their parents. The article concludes by stating that there is also an onus on parents to address the role gambling plays in their own lives.

17-May-06. Don't bet on Internet gambling. Edmonton Sun, 92.

Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig told gambling proponents yesterday that government regulation is coming to the Internet, and the $12-billion industry shouldn't bet on continued unfettered into the future. Lessig told the approximately 1,600 delegates attending an online gambling industry summit that Internet gambling is effective unregulable at present. The U.S. government is, however, mulling an Internet gambling prohibition law aimed at cutting off Americans from most forms of gaming.

13-May-06. Casino plans evaluated. Red Deer Advocate, B1.

Jackpot Casino will find out next week if its parking plans meet conditions set out by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission. The downtown Red Deer casino was told last month that a controversial $1.5-million expansion could go ahead if the casino can find more parking spaces nearby.

15-May-06. New casino down on its luck. National Post, A3.

This article describes the plight of the Edgewater Casino in downtown Vancouver which opened in February, 2005. Earlier this month the casino’s owners filed for court protection from creditors barely one year after the casino first opened its doors. It is thought that restrictions on smoking, drinking, and signage have contributed to this poor start. Some gambling analysts also suggest that the casino has struggled because the local market is saturated.

14-May-06. Poker tour targets kids. Edmonton Sun, 22.

Organizers of a two-day poker workshop for young people planned for June in Vancouver claim that the event will develop math and communications skills. It is being planned by Nevada North’s Kids Poker Tour which is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The province’s Solicitor General John Les says the Kids Poker Tour is unconscionable.

14-May-06. Poker tour aimed at youngsters. Edmonton Journal, A3.

A Vancouver-based company wants to teach Texas Hold ’Em poker to children from 10 to 18 years of age. The youth will be taught by professional poker players from Las Vegas and participants will learn the intricacies of the game and also play a half-day tournament. Clarence Chan of Richmond Addiction Services said children must recognize gambling can become addictive, similar to cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.

6-May-06. Province opens ‘responsible gambling’ centre in Calgary casino. Edmonton Journal, B4.

On Friday, Alberta’s second on-site responsible gambling information centre opened at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, in partnership with the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, is behind the two year $300,000 pilot projects. The centres are based on similar programs in other provinces and provide information about gambling responsibly, costs involved, and the voluntary self-exclusion program.

6-May-06. Counsellors set up shop in quiet corner of casino. Calgary Herald, B3.

On Friday, Alberta’s second on-site responsible gambling information centre opened at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, in partnership with the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, is behind the two year $300,000 pilot projects. The centres are based on similar programs in other provinces and provide information about gambling responsibly, costs involved, and the voluntary self-exclusion program.

6-May-06. City casino betting gamblers get help. Calgary Sun, 10.

Provincial officials launched the province’s second Responsible Gambling Information Centre yesterday at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary. Gaming Minister Gordon Graydon and AADAC chairman Dave Rodney lauded the two-year pilot project as a good step in helping promote responsible gambling.

2-May-06. Hard to hit jackpot with community bingos. Edmonton Journal, B1.

This articled discusses the plight of traditional community bingo events in the City of Edmonton. Only seven Edmonton organizations are still licensed to offer the small-stakes social game and two community leagues are questioning whether to continue. This form of bingo has been a victim of declining interest, shrinking revenues, competition from multi-charity associations that run in facilities with big prizes, and other forms of wagering such as casinos and VLTs.

2-May-06. Daly gambles away millions. Globe and Mail, S2.

Professional golfer John Daly discusses his addiction to gambling in the final chapter of his autobiography titled John Daly: My Life In and Out of the Rough which is to be released next Monday. Daly says that he has lost between $50-million and $60-million during 12 years of heavy gambling.

28-Apr-06. Gambling business struggles to improve image. Edmonton Journal, B14.

The heads of several provincial lottery corporations told a gambling in industry conference in Vancouver that Canada’s $14-billion gambling industry does not yet get the same level of acceptance as the alcohol industry. Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. president Marie Mullally said the industry has to promote more responsible gambling in Canada to minimize social costs and become more readily accepted by the public. Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission chief executive Norman Peterson said that he isn’t sure the industry has done a great job dealing with the issue of problem gambling and it risks a public backlash if it isn’t properly addressed.

28-Apr-06. Gambling industry eager to improve image. Calgary Herald, A9.

The heads of several provincial lottery corporations told a gambling in industry conference in Vancouver that Canada’s $14-billion gambling industry does not yet get the same level of acceptance as the alcohol industry. Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. president Marie Mullally said the industry has to promote more responsible gambling in Canada to minimize social costs and become more readily accepted by the public. Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission chief executive Norman Peterson said that he isn’t sure the industry has done a great job dealing with the issue of problem gambling and it risks a public backlash if it isn’t properly addressed.

25-Apr-06. MLA opposes downtown casino location. Red Deer Advocate, B1.

Red Deer South MLA Victor Doerksen said he’s disappointed by a government decision to approval a $1.5-million expansion request from the Jackpot Casino. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission agreed last week the expansion can go ahead provided the casino makes more parking spaces available. Local Parkvale-area residents opposed to the casino expansion have complained that casino casino patrons park on neighborhood streets.