From the Chronicle Herald on Monday, July 26, 2010:
N.S. Urged to make existing My-Play data card mandatory
HALIFAX -- The Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation wants a system that records gambling activity to be mandatory for all VLT players.
The data collected on the My Play card could make the difference between a player ignoring an addiction and making the decision to seek treatment, said foundation chairman Jim MacCormack.
"It records so much information," MacCormack said in an interview Monday. "When you started to play, how long, how much you’ve bet, what you’ve won, what your losses are."
A gambler’s memory often only extends to the latest win, and not what they’ve pumped into the machines throughout the year, he said.
The player can also use the card to ban themselves from playing for a period of time, instead of leaving that decision to the VLT operator or casino.
Besides its value to the individual, the information can also be used to track the overall gambling activity in the province, MacCormack said.
That information could be used to improve gaming policy and gambling treatment programs.
VLT operators now have the choice to implement the system but the gaming foundation wants the province to make the system mandatory, MacCormack said.
That recommendation is one of 14 the foundation has made in a submission to consultant Ron L’Esperance. A former provincial deputy minister, L’Esperance is expected to complete work on the province’s new five-year gaming strategy by the fall.
Graham Steele, the minister responsible for the Gaming Control Act, hasn’t said whether he favours a mandatory My Play system. The issue will be addressed as the responsible gaming strategy is developed, a spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. said Monday.
The system has been put in place at 359 VLT sites, Robyn McIsaac said in an email.
"There’s less than a dozen to go, and that should be done by the end of next week," she said.
The Atlantic Lottery Corp. will handle the installation of the My Play system, which is a product of the Sydney company Techlink.
It will cost between $4 million and $5 million each year to operate the system, McIsaac said.
Players can get their cards at any of the retail locations where the system is installed, she said.
The gaming foundation — a not-for-profit, arm’s-length government organization — wants a new approach when it comes to creating responsible gaming policies and programs.
For example, another of the foundation’s recommendations would see the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. taken out of play when it comes to addressing gambling addictions. An independent body should be created to take on this role, upon the advice of the various organizations involved in gambling addiction in the province, MacCormack said.
Instead of a government-driven strategy, the problem of gambling addiction must be addressed through a more collaborative, community-based approach, he said.
Only about 10 per cent of the approximately 19,000 people at risk for gambling addiction seek help, MacCormack said.
"This says to us there’s a need to re-evaluate where the resources are being put (and that) we need to find new ways to reach out to make the services more available."
By John McPhee and David Jackson
