Media should lead the fight to reduce gambling in Quebec
The Gazette and other outlets should refuse to accept advertising that promotes betting
WILLIAM STEINBERG and SOL BOXENBAUM - Freelance - Monday, September 15, 2003
Only Australians, Japanese and Norwegians gamble more than Canadians, and the problem is getting worse rapidly. According to the latest Statistics Canada figures, the per-capita amount spent by Canadians has more than tripled in the last decade and the rate of growth in Quebec has been even higher.
When the Quebec government first got involved in gambling, proponents argued that it was better the government rather than criminals made money from gambling. In fact, criminals still profit from gambling by loan sharking and by luring people, desperate to recover from gambling losses, into crime.
When the government took over the job of putting VLTs in bars, it just yanked out the the illegal gambling machines and stuck in its own - much as Al Capone's mobsters did in the 1920s. Before this cleansing, most people didn't even know these machines existed unless they were bar patrons. After the government got involved, bar owners were able to advertise the machines in neon lights.
The problem is not that the government controls gambling but rather that it spends millions on ads that encourages more gambling. The government argued that it didn't want to increase the gambling problem in Quebec and promised to target tourists in its advertising. We all know this is an outrageous lie. The government spends enormous sums in all the local media promoting the numerous lotteries and casinos. In addition, it holds press conferences to publicize big lottery winners and some media play along and provide free publicity.
Furthermore, most gambling revenues come from Quebecers, not tourists. Either the government is totally incompetent at getting out-of-province tourists to gamble in Quebec, or it isn't really trying. This isn't surprising since it's cheaper to entice Quebecers than it is to snare tourists and all that the government seems to care about is maximizing gambling revenues.
The government refuses to do a study of the social and economic costs of gambling. Like any addict, it appears to be more interested in the instant gratification of easy revenues than the consequences of its gaming business. Nevertheless, many gambling experts believe that for every dollar raised the cost is $3.
The taxpayers are the biggest losers. They'd be better off if fewer people gambled since the welfare rolls would decrease, students would be better nourished and would do better in school, prisons would be emptier and fewer people would be in court getting divorces - not to mention the human costs of suicides, spousal abuse, malnourished children and violent crime.
What can be done to reduce gambling in Quebec? One solution that would have a major impact would be to stop the government from advertising gambling. That would mean no more full-page ads in The Gazette for the lotteries, no more ads for casino shows, and no more radio and TV spots.
The government won't voluntarily stop advertising in Quebec, but the media could refuse its ads. The Gazette could make a new policy not to accept any gambling-related ads. It could choose not to publish the winning numbers of the lottery and it could stop writing stories about lottery winners.
All this would be consistent with the The Gazette's editorials on the subject, the in-depth exposés of the VLTs and other forms of gambling as well as the commentaries by such columnists as Henry Aubin. This would cost The Gazette money but it would be a principled stand and it might shame other media into following suit. It might even get responsible businesses to remove ads from media that advertise gambling and take it to media that refuse such advertising.
Under the leadership of publisher Clark Davey, The Gazette became one of the first newspapers in Canada to refuse tobacco ads. Eventually, the government followed the lead of the media and passed legislation banning the ads. Editorials, columns and in-depth series are all great, but a principled stand by the media would be much more effective.
William Steinberg is a Montreal businessman. Sol Boxenbaum is a gambling critic and consumer advocate.
© Copyright 2003 Montreal Gazette
Copyright © 2003 canada.com, a division of CanWest Interactive Inc., a CanWest company.
All rights reserved. Copyright terms & conditions
The Gazette and other outlets should refuse to accept advertising that promotes betting
WILLIAM STEINBERG and SOL BOXENBAUM - Freelance - Monday, September 15, 2003
Only Australians, Japanese and Norwegians gamble more than Canadians, and the problem is getting worse rapidly. According to the latest Statistics Canada figures, the per-capita amount spent by Canadians has more than tripled in the last decade and the rate of growth in Quebec has been even higher.
When the Quebec government first got involved in gambling, proponents argued that it was better the government rather than criminals made money from gambling. In fact, criminals still profit from gambling by loan sharking and by luring people, desperate to recover from gambling losses, into crime.
When the government took over the job of putting VLTs in bars, it just yanked out the the illegal gambling machines and stuck in its own - much as Al Capone's mobsters did in the 1920s. Before this cleansing, most people didn't even know these machines existed unless they were bar patrons. After the government got involved, bar owners were able to advertise the machines in neon lights.
The problem is not that the government controls gambling but rather that it spends millions on ads that encourages more gambling. The government argued that it didn't want to increase the gambling problem in Quebec and promised to target tourists in its advertising. We all know this is an outrageous lie. The government spends enormous sums in all the local media promoting the numerous lotteries and casinos. In addition, it holds press conferences to publicize big lottery winners and some media play along and provide free publicity.
Furthermore, most gambling revenues come from Quebecers, not tourists. Either the government is totally incompetent at getting out-of-province tourists to gamble in Quebec, or it isn't really trying. This isn't surprising since it's cheaper to entice Quebecers than it is to snare tourists and all that the government seems to care about is maximizing gambling revenues.
The government refuses to do a study of the social and economic costs of gambling. Like any addict, it appears to be more interested in the instant gratification of easy revenues than the consequences of its gaming business. Nevertheless, many gambling experts believe that for every dollar raised the cost is $3.
The taxpayers are the biggest losers. They'd be better off if fewer people gambled since the welfare rolls would decrease, students would be better nourished and would do better in school, prisons would be emptier and fewer people would be in court getting divorces - not to mention the human costs of suicides, spousal abuse, malnourished children and violent crime.
What can be done to reduce gambling in Quebec? One solution that would have a major impact would be to stop the government from advertising gambling. That would mean no more full-page ads in The Gazette for the lotteries, no more ads for casino shows, and no more radio and TV spots.
The government won't voluntarily stop advertising in Quebec, but the media could refuse its ads. The Gazette could make a new policy not to accept any gambling-related ads. It could choose not to publish the winning numbers of the lottery and it could stop writing stories about lottery winners.
All this would be consistent with the The Gazette's editorials on the subject, the in-depth exposés of the VLTs and other forms of gambling as well as the commentaries by such columnists as Henry Aubin. This would cost The Gazette money but it would be a principled stand and it might shame other media into following suit. It might even get responsible businesses to remove ads from media that advertise gambling and take it to media that refuse such advertising.
Under the leadership of publisher Clark Davey, The Gazette became one of the first newspapers in Canada to refuse tobacco ads. Eventually, the government followed the lead of the media and passed legislation banning the ads. Editorials, columns and in-depth series are all great, but a principled stand by the media would be much more effective.
William Steinberg is a Montreal businessman. Sol Boxenbaum is a gambling critic and consumer advocate.
© Copyright 2003 Montreal Gazette
Copyright © 2003 canada.com, a division of CanWest Interactive Inc., a CanWest company.
All rights reserved. Copyright terms & conditions
