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Local advocate slams new AGLC gambling site

The website offers over 40 different casino-style games, but critics are worried gambling will be more accessible to those who already have addiction issues.
AGLC logo
The AGLC logo.

A St. Albert woman says the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission's (AGLC) decision to launch an online gambling website is "predatory" and "mind-boggling", given how addictive gambling can be.

Last Thursday, the AGLC launched PlayAlberta.ca, the first regulated gambling website in the province. The website offers players access to more than 40 casino-style games, including slots, instant or scratch tickets and virtual table games.

"The province's regulated online gambling website will offer players expanded entertainment options with integrated responsible gambling features and generate revenue to support valuable programs and services Albertans rely on every day," said AGLC president and CEO Alain Maisonneuve in a press statement.

The website, which is run by NeoPollard Interactive, will be accessible after players provide basic personal information that will be checked against Equifax. This will ensure only adults are using the site to play.

The AGLC's profits from gambling took a hit when casinos were shut down in March.

In a news conference, Niaz Nejad, chief operating officer of AGLC, said surveys conducted by the AGLC showed Albertans spent $378 million in 2020 on unregulated offshore gambling websites.

The AGLC is predicting PlayAlberta will bring in $3.74 million in profits for the 2021 fiscal year and $150 million within five years.

Gisele Jubinville, a St. Albert artist and author, had a severe gambling addiction for ten years that cost her over $400,000. Her experiences led her to research gambling and addiction.

She spent nine years on her research and wrote Dismissed, a book based on her findings and her experiences with gambling.

“What is mind-boggling here for me, and for a lot of other people, is the government has been warned. The AGLC and the government has been warned by their own research team, for decades, that their machines and the games that they offer to make money are highly addictive and highly destructive,” she said.

The study Jubinville refers to was conducted by Robert T. Wood and Robert J. Williams from the University of Lethbridge in 2011. The study showed problem gambling was three to four times higher with online gamblers.

The study cited many reasons for this increase in problem gambling, including the interface, the ability to play multiple games simultaneously, ‘electronic’ cash and at-home comfort.

The study found one main characteristic of online gamblers is they generally have problems with gambling to begin with.

“My own government – our own government makes money, you know what, I’m sorry, they’re predators. In my opinion, they’re being predatory.”

Jubinville was eventually able to conquer her gambling addiction and she wants people who have gambling problems of their own to have hope.

“The only thing that saved me, that ended my addiction, was to find out the truth about the games that I was playing. It was not me that was sick, it was the machines that were making me sick,” Jubinville continues. “So, I’m going to do what I can to help others save their lives.”

Maisonneuve said during a press conference that as a regulated site, PlayAlberta is able to offer players social responsibility features.

“When you look at the unregulated sites that are offshored right now, many of them do not have any social responsibility or responsible gambling features,” said Maisonneuve in a press conference.

“We want to have tools that will provide the education for players to understand what their behaviours are online and keep it as entertainment only."

Deposit limits, custom time limits and pop-up reminders are some of the responsible gambling features that are offered on the website.

GameSense is a staffed program in casinos and racing centres across Alberta. The program is available to players who would like more information on gambling, the games themselves or if they would like resources for problem gambling issues.

Players will also have the ability to exclude themselves from online and land-based racing and gaming centres for their choice of six months and up to three years.

 “When gambling no longer feels like a game, the self-exclusion program is available for anyone who feels they need to take a break,” said Maisonneuve.

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