The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) has been handed the task of reviewing an MLA advisory committee report released last week that looked at how profits earned at casino events are distributed among eligible charities across the province.
The report, which looked at charitable gaming policies for wait times, distribution of proceeds and volunteer requirements, was prepared by an MLA advisory committee struck last year. That committee included Doug Griffiths (Battle River-Wainright) as chair, Dave Rodney (Calgary-Lougheed) and Doug Elniski (Edmonton-Calder).
“It’s clear the issues raised in this report need more analysis and research,” said Frank Oberle, Solicitor General and Minister of Public Safety, in a statement issued last week.
Oberle did not say specifically what aspects of the report needed more analysis but he did say the government wanted to “take the extra time to get it right.”
“When he [Oberle] looked at the report, the impression that he was left with is that you’re going to pit one community against another, one charity against another and he was not satisfied with that,” explained Christine Wronko, a communications person with the AGLC.
Currently, the province is split into eight regions with eligible organizations assigned to casinos within their area. Money is pooled and split quarterly.
Organizations based in St. Albert are only eligible to hold casino events at the Gold Dust Casino and not the more lucrative casinos in Edmonton. As of Feb. 1, 2010, there were 420 eligible charities waiting to hold a casino event in St. Albert.
Not surprisingly, the report highlighted a huge disparity in casino earnings between urban and rural charities. It found that proceeds range from a high of $77,486 in Edmonton to a low of $18,011 in the St. Albert/Camrose region.
That’s roughly the amount the St. Albert Host Lions Club earned at their last casino event, according to president Dave Hiatt. He said the amount has been decreasing over the years and he said he would like to see a more equalized funding model.
“We depend on it a lot for our funding,” said Hiatt, adding that increasingly rural charities have the same needs and expenses as those located in cities.
“A lot have the same needs or more because of the way things are changing in the world and in their communities. They have more needs and some of the needs are the same as in the cities,” he said. The average waiting time to hold a casino event in St. Albert is 27.7 months, according to the report.
The report also found a large gap in the amount of time organizations must wait to work a casino event from 16 months in Fort McMurray, a city with 244 charities, to 34.5 months in Lethbridge, which has 524 charities.
Short of recommending province-wide pooling and equal distribution of casino funds, the report recommended the creation of a greater Edmonton casino region, similar to one that currently exists in Calgary.
Under this distribution model, electronic gaming proceeds would be distributed equally among casino events located within that region.
The report also recommended electronic gaming proceeds should be shared equally among charities assigned to casino regions outside of Calgary and Edmonton.
While the report did not make any recommendations regarding the number of volunteers within the charitable casino model, the advisory committee recommended that the AGLC board minimize the time and effort required by volunteers in the conduct and management of casino events and provide for flexibility for volunteers.
Wronko said it is unclear how the AGLC will proceed. She said it will likely be at least a year before any new information is brought forward.
