International Masters of Gaming Law

The Gambling Lawmasters have put together a number of free online bibliographies that include such topics as crime/gambling, alcohol/gambling, exclusionary rights, gaming on water, etc.

AGA Responsible Gaming Quarterly [Fall 2004]

The American Gaming Association's Responsible Gaming Quarterly [Fall 2004] contains a variety of useful articles. One that I'd highlight is on "Problem Gambling Pioneer Fyodor Dostoevsky"... author of The Gambler.

Gamblor -- The God of Gambling

In yesterday's Meliorist (the student newspaper at the U. of Lethbridge), there was a short article titled "Gamblor, not Gambler." For people like myself not familiar with Gamblor, you'll want to quickly review The Simpson's episode guide for $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling).

New Gaming Minister for Province of Alberta

Several cabinet reponsibilities were shuffled around yesterday in the wake of the Monday's election in the Province of Alberta -- See Government of Alberta News Release. Mr. Gordon Graydon is now Minister of Gaming.

Young People & Gambling in Britain -- A Literature Review

The U.K.'s Department for Culture has published the report "Young People and Gambling in Britain: A systematic and critical review of the research literature relating to gaming machine, lottery and pools coupons practice by children and young people under 18" (2004, November). on its web site. It was authored by several people at the Department of Applied Social Science Lancaster University.

The State and Legalized Gambling [Working Paper]

Vincent Della Sala of the University of Trento [Italy] has authored the working paper "Les Jeux Sont Fait? The State and Legalized Gambling" (2004, February). The paper "uses the case of legalized gambling to highlight some of the challenges faced by the state, especially with respect to public finances, regulatory competition and state capacity."

Alberta Views, Nov / Dec 2004 [Magazine]

Alberta Views is a magazine that provides "alternative, independent commentary on social issues, politics and culture." In the Nov / Dec issue there are several articles related to gambling and video lottery terminals in Alberta. To actually read the articles, you'll have to obtain a print copy of the magazine.

Nova Scotia Report on the Evaluation of Responsible Gaming Features

Focal Research have produced the report "2003 NS VL Responsible Gaming Features Evaluation: Final Report" (2004, October) for the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. The study authors make four overall recommendations:

1) Develop an interactive player tracking system for the video lottery network.

2) Focus on assisting players to manage money rather than time.

3) Consider maintaining the Optional Time Limit and 30 Minute Pop-Up if there are no compelling reasons to reject.

4) Consider maintaining the other feature modifications if there is no compelling reason to reject them.

You Bet Your Life Web Page -- CBC Fifth Estate

The CBC's Fifth Estate documentary "You Bet Your Life" (which related primarily to VLT gambling) was shown last night on television... the show's producers have also created a You Bet Your Life web page that includes highlights from the show as well as further details about gambling in Canada.

Canadian guide to Gaming Industry Resources

For anyone doing research on the Canadian gaming industry, you might be interested in the journal article "Canadian guide to Gaming Industry Resources" that U. of A. Business Librarian Maureen Beristain and I published in Vol. 32(3) of Reference Services Review.

At present, this particular issue is available for free from Reference Services Review. To access first click on the table of contents link on the left-hand side menu, then click on Issue 3.

Pacific drugs & alcohol consumption survey 2003 [New Zealand]

The Pacific drugs & alcohol consumption survey 2003 contains a fair bit of information about gambling by various cultural groups in New Zealand (e.g. Samoan, Cook Islands Maori, Tongan, & Niuean).

Canada's National Emblem Hoarding Casino Cash

The recent CNN News story "Beavers weave stolen cash into dam" (Nov. 15, 2004) reports that beavers in Louisiana had been using stolen casino cash to decorate their beaver dams.

WTO Report on Cross-Border Gambling and Betting Services

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has made a ruling in the case between Antigua vs. the United States with respect to the provision of Internet gambling. It was determined that that a ban in the United States on Internet gambling violates global trading rules.

The full 284-page report is titled "United States – Measures Affecting the Cross-Border Supply of Gambling and Betting Services: Report of the Panel".

CBC News The Fifth Estate -- "You Bet Your Life"

Next Wednesday, November 17th, CBC News The Fifth Estate will be airing a documentary on gambling in Canada titled "You Bet Your Life". The program will specifically investigate the link between gambling and suicide and discuss government's increasing reliance on gambling revenues.

Insight Nova Scotia Conference Presentations

The Insight Nova Scotia Conference (2004, October) on gambling took place in Halifax. Virtually all presentations (relating to policy / treatment / prevention) have been posted to the web site.

International Gambling Studies - November 2004 issue

The journal International Gambling Studies has published its November 2004 issue. Interestingly, six out of the seven articles came from researchers working in Canada. NOTE: The online edition doesn't yet have up-to-date listings of articles from this issue.

NAGS Conference Program

The program for the 14th Annual National Association for Gambling Studies (NAGS) Conference [Australia] is now available. There appears to be a variety of interesting sessions taking place.

ATMs in Gaming Venues [Report]

Another excellent study has come out of the ANU Centre for Gambling Research -- "The use of ATMs in ACT gaming venues: An empirical study" (2004, September). Study findings were: 1) there was limited evidence to support the removal of ATMs from gaming venues and; 2) there was not an unequivocally strong relationship between problem gambling and the use of ATMs in ACT gaming venues.

Demographic Source of Ontario Gaming Revenue

Highlights of a research investigation titled "The Demographic Source of Ontario Gaming Revenue [Highlights]" indicate that "approximately 36% of Ontario gaming revenue is derived from people who are negatively impacted by involvement in this activity."

Nov. 3 The full report is now available.

New racino in Calgary?

Horse racing in Calgary, Alberta will be leaving the downtown Calgary Stampede venue after the 2005 season. Horse Racing Alberta has granted a 10-year racing licence to the United Horsemen of Alberta. They plan to build an $80-million racetrack / racino north of the city in Balzac. Interestingly, there are also plans for 500 slot machines at this "racing entertainment centre" although that would ultimately depend on whether the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission grants a gaming licence. See the Calgary Sun article "Racetrack plan earns green light" for more...