Terminal Damage

Terminal Damage

The Politics of VLTs in Atlantic Canada

by Peter McKenna  

Book Slams Provinces on VLTs Fredericton - A damning new book on video lottery terminals says provincial governments in Atlantic Canada are complicit in the social havoc of the gambling machines are causing in the region. Peter McKenna, a political studies professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, said Monday his newly released book Terminal Damages show that provincial governments in Atlantic Canada are fostering a culture of secrecy around the use and abuse of the gambling terminals. He said in an interview he was astonished by the fear shown by most government officials when asked to comment on VLT gaming and its importance to the public purse. McKenna said bureaucrats were “terrified” to speak to him and warned they would lose their jobs if they were quoted in his book, which went on sale Monday. “There is tremendous amount of unease, fear and anxiety on the record about VLTs,” he said. It is incredibly politically sensitive. Governments are trying to downplay, avoid, divert attention from and disarm the critics. Most disturbingly, they are trying to create the impression they are doing something about VLTs when, in fact, they are doing very little because they want to maintain the revenue stream.” McKenna said VLTs should be banned. He said that Atlantic Canada, with is ingrained problems of low pay and job insecurity, VLTs are simply too attractive and too addictive. He described the machines as the “crack cocaine of the gambling world.” He said all four Atlantic governments are turning a blind eye to the domestic violence, personal bankruptcies and suicides directly attributable to the machines. ” Is it appropriate for governments to be in the business of inflicting harm of their citizens while profiting from the harm? No, I don’t think so,” McKenna said. “Governments should be in the business of trying to advance the public interest and trying to make appositive difference in peoples’ lived and give them a hand up. Instead, we have governments that are actually complicit in suicides. It’s not right” Among the people applaud the new book is Don Bishop of New Brunswick, whose 32-year-old son Eric killed himself several years ago because of his addiction to VLTs. Bishop said there have been numerous studies over the years that clearly demonstrate the high social cost of the machines. “There’s no question they’ve got to go,: Bishop said in an interview from his home in Darlings Island. “They’re killing people and they’re ruining tens of thousands of lives every year.” The Atlantic Lottery Corp. says video lottery sales last year were $425 million, a decrease of about $35 millions from the previous year. Conscious of the addiction problems, the four Atlantic governments have taken measures in recent years to make the gambling machine less accessible to people, including reducing the number of terminals and restricting their hours of operation. Chris Morris The Canadian Press

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