gambling in alberta - Research Services - University of Lethbridge

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HISTORY OF GAMBLING IN ALBERTA CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS The following chart chronicles the changes that have occurred in the legal/regulatory organization, availability, and participation in gambling in Alberta. This information was derived from examination of the original Statutes, Acts, and reports referenced; a comprehensive online search of digitized Alberta newspaper and legislative records; and multiple secondary sources. The shaded areas summarize the changes that have occurred across longer time frames. The first introduction of a particular form of gambling is noted by red font. First Nations gambling prior to European contact Traditional First Nations gambling games (i.e., contests of physical skill, guessing games, and ‘dice’ games 13 ) were commonly engaged in among indigenous people of Western North America. First Nations people believed that supernatural forces influenced the outcomes of unpredictable events. Consequently, gambling games were sometimes used to divine the future or to ascertain the appropriate course of action. It was also a common practice to do things to try to cultivate favour with these supernatural forces, and for gambling success to be interpreted as evidence of having this spiritual support (Binde, 2007; Culin, 1907). Gambling was also believed to activate and promote the gathering of these supernatural spirits. Consequently, gambling was a frequent part of ceremonies associated with ensuring a good harvest or hunt, producing rain, or marking the changing of the seasons. For similar reasons, gambling games were engaged in to help cure sickness, expel demons, aid in fertility, and to facilitate passage to the afterlife after death (Culin, 1907; Salter, 1974, 1980). Gambling games were also an important element of inter-tribal interaction as it provided a forum for nonviolent competition (although injuries were not uncommon in some of the physical competitions), as well as an opportunity for socializing and trade. It also promoted tribal interaction, as it was common practice for one tribe to challenge another to a contest and for the loser to rechallenge to regain their honour (Belanger, 2011a). Finally, gambling was also a popular recreational pastime. However, Aboriginal oral tradition contains the message that gambling outside of its appropriate ritualistic/ceremonial context was frowned upon and could lead to excess (something often remarked upon by early European observers) (Williams, Stevens, & Nixon, 2011). 13 Contests of physical skill involved things such as archery, spearing moving objects, foot races, wrestling, sliding sticks on snow/ ice for distance, and several different types of ball games including lacrosse. Guessing games involved guessing which person, or container, or hand was concealing the hidden object (bone, stone, stick), or whether the person was holding an even or odd number of sticks, or which hand held the ‘marked’ object, or the relative position of the hidden objects. Dice games were played with several 2 sided dice made of shells, pits, bone, stone, or wood that were either tossed or contained in a bowl/basket that was struck with scores kept by means of counters that were exchanged (Williams, Stevens, & Nixon, 2011). 30
Mid 1700s to late 1800s 1869 - 1892 1869 - 1870 Gambling was also common among the relatively small number of Europeans (explorers, fur traders, soldiers, ranchers) in Western Canada. However, these games were engaged in purely for recreational purposes. Primary forms of gambling among European-Canadians were: card games (poker, blackjack, faro); dice games; betting on horse racing, cock fights, prize fights; and lotteries/raffles. First Nations people began engaging in some of these recreational forms of gambling as well. In order to bring law and order to the West, the federal government created the North-West Mounted Police in 1873. The peace and stability this helped to achieve in the region set the stage for the introduction of cattle ranches, expansion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and a significant influx of settlers. Although gambling was generally frowned upon by many elements of this new society, it was still commonly engaged in by certain segments of the male population. There were very few active efforts to curb gambling, as there were more pressing ‘law and order’ concerns. More concerted efforts to curb gambling occurred later. The foundational federal laws concerning gambling are established, culminating in the 1892 Criminal Code. These laws essentially prohibit all forms of gambling with minor exceptions for social gambling between individuals, small raffles for charitable purposes, and on-site horse race betting. Newly formed Canadian Parliament begins enacting various laws, some of which existed in preconfederation provinces and most of which ultimately derived from British common law. Laws are passed to prohibit and penalize: Cheating at gambling (Chapter (c) 21 Larceny and other Similar Offences, Section (s) 97) Professional gamblers (c.28 Vagrants, s.1). Anyone who encourages/facilitates the fighting of animals (c.29 Cruelty to Animals, s.1). Acts of the Parliament of the Dominion of Canada Relating to Criminal Law Passed in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Parliament of Canada 1867 - 1874 1868 Rupert’s Land and Northwest Territories (includes modern-day Alberta) transferred from Hudson’s Bay Company to the government of Canada. 1875 - 1877 Canadian Parliament passes laws to prohibit and penalize: Operation or being found in a ‘common gaming house’ (c.41 Suppression of Gaming Houses, s.1-6) Registering or taking bets (‘bookmaking’) on elections, races, or any contest of skill or endurance (c.31 Repression of Betting and Pool-Selling 14 , s.1-3). o Note: betting between individuals is still permitted. Gambling aboard a railway car or steamboat used as a public conveyance (c.32 Prevention of Gambling Practices in Public Conveyances, s.1-5) Acts of the Parliament of the Dominion of Canada relating to Criminal Law Passed in the 3rd Parliament of Canada 1874 - 1878 1879 Edmonton Agricultural Society (precursor to Northlands Park) holds first exhibition in Fort Edmonton. Annual exhibitions are held in most subsequent years and horse racing begins to be included as an event. Permanent site for the exhibition obtained in 1900. Exhibition relocated to its current site in 1910. 14 Pool selling is a form of pari-mutuel wagering whereby the person’s return on a winning bet is determined by the amount that is wagered on the other horses/candidates/etc. after a commission for taking these wagers is taken. 31
Page 1 and 2: Plant fertilizer 2011 GAMBLING IN A
Page 3 and 4: Citation Williams, R.J., Belanger,
Page 5 and 6: AMOUNTS, ORIGINS, AND RECIPIENTS OF
Page 7 and 8: ABSTRACT At a provincial level, the
Page 9 and 10: Alberta is estimated to have 3,755,
Page 11 and 12: than empirical in nature. Thus, the
Page 13 and 14: While the above described approach
Page 15 and 16: census. A supplemental Online Gener
Page 17 and 18: THEORETICAL APPROACH PROBLEMS WITH
Page 19 and 20: Aside from these practical issues,
Page 21 and 22: SOUND PRINCIPLES FOR CONDUCTING SOC
Page 23 and 24: Again, other ways of organizing and
Page 25 and 26: 4. The transfer of wealth and chang
Page 27 and 28: Compare Changes to those Observed i
Page 29: to document prior gambling opportun
Page 33 and 34: Cheating at gambling (Part XXVIII F
Page 35 and 36: 1924 Criminal Code amendment to s.9
Page 37 and 38: 1957 Western Canadian Racing Associ
Page 39 and 40: 1980s There is a major expansion of
Page 41 and 42: 1989 In June the Criminal Code of C
Page 43 and 44: 1997 AGLC allows the number of slot
Page 45 and 46: 2003 Federal agriculture minister m
Page 47 and 48: HISTORY OF EACH TYPE OF GAMBLING Th
Page 49 and 50: Number of Live Race Days per Year I
Page 51 and 52: Table 1: Total Raffle Licences per
Page 53 and 54: Table 2: Total Pull-Ticket Licences
Page 55 and 56: Table 3: Total Bingo Licences per Y
Page 57 and 58: Table 5: Total Bingo Events per Yea
Page 59 and 60: Table 6: Total Lottery Ticket Retai
Page 61 and 62: Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) In A
Page 63 and 64: Table 8: Total Video Lottery Locati
Page 65 and 66: 1996 Slot machines and electronic h
Page 67 and 68: The main indices that speak to chan
Page 69 and 70: Table 12: Total Charitable Casino L
Page 71 and 72: REGULATORY AND ORGANIZATIONAL HISTO
Page 73 and 74: HISTORY OF FIRST NATIONS COMMERCIAL
Page 75 and 76: CURRENT REGULATION, AVAILABILITY, A
Page 77 and 78: aggregate value of all tickets sold
Page 79 and 80: ALBERTA GOVERNMENT GAMBLING The Cri
Page 81 and 82:
CASINOS Traditional Casinos Casinos
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percentage of table game revenue re
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Figure 15. Location of Current and
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HORSE RACING Horse racing is the on
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Bingo Lotteries and Instant Win (Sc
Page 91 and 92:
AMOUNTS, ORIGINS, AND RECIPIENTS OF
Page 93 and 94:
Another way of looking at the overa
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increase has occurred since the ear
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WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM? As
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Figure 20: Proportion of Alberta Ne
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Origin of Net Gambling Revenue by D
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Table 18: Past Year Gambling Partic
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EGM Players Table 20 shows reasonab
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Table 21: Percentage of Each Type o
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winsorized then 75% of reported exp
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Table 22a: Demographic Profile of t
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patronage and revenue. Attendance f
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However, less important than the ac
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Because of the paramount importance
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Actual Revenue Another source of da
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Figure 25: Average Ticket Lottery R
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WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING? The final
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industry. The proportion of gamblin
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Table 27: Grants Awarded by Alberta
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since 1999; 47% of all revenue in 2
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IMPACTS OF LEGAL GAMBLING IMPACTS O
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‘addicted to gambling revenue’.
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Several factors influence the perce
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There are also some important lesso
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Figure 30: Proportion of Total Net
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Figure 31: Number of Charities per
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IMPACTS ON SOCIETY The citizens of
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Number of Alberta Gambling Employee
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Table 34: North American Industry C
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Table 35: Importance of Gambling as
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percentage of the population (i.e.,
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Table 37: Household Past Year Repor
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40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% F
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Although Albertans are satisfied wi
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A final attitude question asked in
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Figure 41: What sort of overall imp
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Prevalence Problem Gambling and Rel
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Williams & Volberg (2010) also calc
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Features of Problem Gamblers The ty
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significant change in reported casi
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Table 43: Gambling and Problem Gamb
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their shared variance is taken into
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Treatment Numbers and Costs Treatme
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The only readily available figures
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OSB reports there were a total of 7
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Table 49: Consumer Insolvency Rates
Page 183 and 184:
Another approach is to establish th
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that gambling had resulted in separ
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Applying these prevalence rates to
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gambling-related illegal acts and 8
Page 191 and 192:
It is important to remember that th
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Table 52: Criminal Charges Laid by
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early 1990s, that was followed by a
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Table 54: Correlation between Crime
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Infrastructure Value The private se
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With respect to this first possibil
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increase in the comparison periods;
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Census Division Table 57: Business
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versus 2.2%). Commercial insolvency
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thinking in an interpretative act;
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The Edmonton mayor indicated he bel
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Several community representatives a
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daytime usage ... if it’s shoppin
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Increased crime was a related issue
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IMPACT ON FIRST NATIONS The impact
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Table 59: Use of First Nations Char
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Table 60: Distributions to Differen
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Table 60 illustrates that the large
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McKay, Heart Lake and the Athabasca
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Geographical Distribution As seen i
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Figure 51: Average Per Community FN
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Employment and Income Impacts of Fi
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etter skilled individuals in the co
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Problem Gambling A recent review of
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Table 65: Prevalence of Problem Gam
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$500 chip. One municipal official c
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Both the increased affluence and th
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The Enoch Cree Nation has to pay ba
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The fire department also represents
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chances. One official stated that t
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With the exception of 2006-2007, th
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Post-Script: Barriers to Participat
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(Indian Act, 1985). The latter coul
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SUMMARY Research Approach The prese
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1% (or less) of Alberta GDP since t
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can be said of charitable gambling
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Because revenue from charity casino
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Socioeconomic Inequality Alberta ga
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Despite the relatively low rates of
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supplies/equipment or to reinvest i
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Some of these sentiments tend to su
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communities highlight the casinos a
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ASSESSMENT OF THE OVERALL IMPACTS O
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2. The economic activity increases
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OVERALL SOCIAL IMPACTS Legalized ga
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OVERALL IMPACTS At a provincial lev
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however, that the potential for bri
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REFERENCES Abbott, M.W., Williams,
Page 287 and 288:
Centre for Social and Health Outcom
Page 289 and 290:
Jackson, D. (2010). VLT critic call
Page 291 and 292:
Purdy, C. (2004). Band stakes its f
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Walker, D.M. (2008a). Challenges th
Page 295 and 296:
2008 Survey APPENDICES Appendix A:
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General Population Targeted INELIGI
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are interested in the opinions of b
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PAST YEAR GAMBLING BEHAVIOUR GY1a.
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GY6a. In the past 12 months, how of
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Cash Casino - Red Deer (15) Jackpot
Page 307 and 308:
GY10a. In the past 12 months, how o
Page 309 and 310:
GY14a. In the past 12 months, what
Page 311 and 312:
GP4. CPGI4/PPGM8b. In the past 12 m
Page 313 and 314:
GP11b. In the past 12 months has ga
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GP16a. PPGM8c. In the past 12 month
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The following question only asked o
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TRIANGULATION (ONLINE PANEL ONLY) T
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Exact amount________________ (17) U
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2009 Survey The 2009 survey was als
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C11. Do you have pleasant memories
Page 327 and 328:
SURVEY YEAR 1992 1993 1995 1996 199
Page 329 and 330:
2008 2008 2009 2009 Williams, Belan
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1 Medicine Hat 2 Lethbridge 3 Fort
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8. In the past 12 months, have you
Page 335 and 336:
Appendix F: Alberta’s Economic Re
Page 337:
7. A thorough due diligence investi
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