Ontario Government Spends $40 Million on Problem Gambling Awareness

Onlinecasino.org News | 11.11.2009 | 15:25:16 | Views: 314 | Casino News

The Ontario government has decided to take a step forward in the fight against problem gambling in the province. Home to two of the country’s biggest casinos, Ontario sees some of the biggest gambling revenues, much of which is derived from individuals with gambling addictions. Nigel Turner, a scientist at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, believes that Ontario has one of the best problem gambling treatment programs in the country, due to its impressive funding.

The government will put forth $38 million to help problem gamblers in the province. $23.6 million will go towards treatment, while $9 million will be allocated for prevention. The remaining $4 million will be put towards research of problem gambling, to identify possible causes and additional treatment methods.

The government believes that the problem lies within awareness, which is what most of the new program is focused on. Frances Gelinas notes the importance of identifying the signs of problem gambling when dealing with the issue.

"At the end of the day, you always have to look at how these people got there", says Gelinas.

With one of the biggest gambling industries in Canada, it is a positive sign that the province is taking such pre-emptive responsibility to ensure the safety of its people. Ontario's leaders are also well aware that the availability of gambling destinations -whether online casinos or land-based - is not the problem; it is a much deeper issue, and they are prepared to deal with it head on.