A poll that was conducted through Angus Reid found that only about 1 out of every 10 Canadians is in support of the expansion of the gambling industry within their own province.
However, just over 60% of poll takers cited that they were happy with their province’s current involvement with the gambling industry, with only 40% that would prefer to have some sort of reduction in gambling. This report comes from the executive director of Angus Reid Shachi Kuri.
Even though a large portion of the population thinks that gambling is being done currently by their government within their province, almost half – 47% of poll takers – would prefer if their regulators would take a more proactive approach towards addressing the issue of gambling addiction. Gambling addiction is also the most cited reason for the people that aren’t happy with current gambling operations in their province and for those against further expansion.
An alarming number that showed why so many people feel this way was that about 1 in 4 Canadians have had a friend or family member suffer from the consequences of a gambling addiction. This statistic shows that there is a reasonable amount of need to further address gambling addiction issues in the industry, which should take precedence over further expansion.
Out of the $2.9 billion of revenue that was earned by the gambling industry in 2014 and 2015, only a small chunk of $5.9 million went towards dealing with gambling addiction issues and educating people on responsible gambling. From the poll, it’s quite likely that most people would be in support of the gambling industry distributing more of their profits towards addressing problem gambling, and only then would more support be gained for the expansion of the gambling market.
Programs that are currently used to address problem gambling includes education organizations that put out efforts to inform the general public about the potential pitfalls of gambling, rehab programs to help those that fall into a gambling addiction that seek help in getting relief from this prominent issue, and regulations and reviews that ensure that gambling venues operate with responsible gambling in mind.
Another interesting point to note from these polls was that 62% of poll takers felt that video lottery terminals should only be allowed in special places such as casinos or race tracks. These machines are commonly found in bars across the nation, which is a good spot to pick up on people that might have trouble with addiction or depression.
For the majority of the population gambling is done in stride. 84% of people that have gambled in the past 30 days cited spending at least $1, but only 67% cited spending at least $10. This number drops down to less than half at 42% when asked if they spent more than $25 on gambling in the last 30 days. Only a very small number of gamblers of about 2% have reported that they have spent over $500 on gambling in the last month.
