N.S. can explore online gambling without other Atlantic provinces: minister
Posted Aug 20, 2010 05:38:27 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Nova Scotia’s finance minister says the province can get into online gambling with or without the other Atlantic provinces.
Newfoundland and Labrador premier Danny Williams announced earlier this week he’s against net betting and when the issue comes before his cabinet, he plans to vote against it.
But Graham Steele says Nova Scotia could go ahead with online gambling even without the support of its Atlantic Lottery partners.
“The Atlantic Lottery Corporation is a venture of the four Atlantic provinces, but they don’t need unanimity on any particular item to move forward,” he said. “A perfect example of that would be the electronic Keno, where only two provinces went ahead – namely Nova Scotia and P.E.I.
Steele says he doesn’t favour a ban on online gambling, saying there are other ways to help problem gamblers.
But he says he’s aware of the social implications of allowing online gambling in Nova Scotia.
“Gambling has a social cost, but so does alcohol,” he said. “In fact, if you look at the number of people who are addicted to alcohol and seeking treatment, the numbers are far larger than the number of people seeking treatment for gambling.”
A decision is expected when the province releases its overall gaming strategy in the fall.
