Province marks Responsible Gambling Awareness Week
Posted Sep 29, 2014 07:45:29 AM.
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It’s the 13th year for the Nova Scotia Provincial Lotteries and Casino Corporation’s Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, focused on trying to teach people when to draw the line when it comes to gambling.
The corporation’s CEO, Bob MacKinnon, said the campaign will reach what he calls the four corners of the province: Amherst, Halifax, Sydney and Yarmouth.
He said in these towns, they’ll cover over half the province’s population.
MacKinnon said the “vast majority” of Nova Scotians gamble, and most do so responsibly.
“For people who choose to gamble, it’s important that they have information and tools so that they can keep their play fun and enjoyable,” said MacKinnon.
Terry Fulmer with the group Game Over VLTs said the campaign can only do so much.
He agreed many people are able to gamble responsibly, but he added, “There’s a vast number that they never talk about and they never deal with who are not able to gamble responsibly.”
Fulmer said the province spends a lot more money on advertising that convinces people to gamble than they do on getting people to gamble responsibly.
“They don’t even try to get us not to gamble, they try to tell us that we can gamble responsibly,” he said.
Fulmer said the corporation should focus instead on the mental health side of things, offering counselling for those who are addicted to gambling and their families.
MacKinnon urges people to visit for more information on responsible gambling.
