Dan Mason Discusses Gaming Revenues & Sport Associations [Audio]

A recent Innovation Alberta radio program which aired on September 26, 2006 profiled the gambling-related work of Dr. Dan Mason at the U. of Alberta.

SYNOPSIS: The next time you toss a baseball or watch some kids play soccer, ask yourself where the money comes from to support these team sports. Dr. Dan Mason is looking at the impact gaming revenues have on the survival of sports associations in Alberta.

The program was one of several Innovation Alberta interviews featuring interviews with Institute-supported researchers.

Saskatchewan's Net Gaming Revenues [Annual Report]

The 2005-2006 Annual Report of the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) is interesting in that it reports back some information about the impact of the provincial smoking ban in public places on on gaming revenues. The province-wide ban (excluding First Nation casinos) began on January 1, 2005 but several municipalities began earlier.

Interestingly, the impact on net gaming revenues was less than the SLGA anticipated... other details are reported on pages 8, 15, 16, and 17.

The Canadian Racino [transcript of presentation]

The full transcript of the presentation "The Canadian Racino" (2005, December) is available from last year's Symposium on Gaming and Racing which was hosted by University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program. Speakers were:

Jerry Bouma, Senior Partner; Toma & Bouma Management Consultants
Karl Gagesch, Vice President, Development; Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
Chuck Keeling, Vice President, Racing Operations; Great Canadian Gaming Corporation

Dueling Rhode Island Fiscal Impact Studies [reports]

A Boston Globe newspaper article (September 25th) entitled "Competing studies buttress, attack promised casino tax relief" mentions that two separate studies on a proposed casino have come up with very different conclusions as to the net fiscal impact on the State of Rhode Island.

The studies are:
1) Fiscal Impact Analysis of a West Warwick Casino (2006, May), and;
2) Impact of the Harrah’s Casino on State Finances in Rhode Island (2006, September)

GREGRI Conference [Presentations]

Presentations from the 1st Global Remote and E-Gambling Research Institute (GREGRI) Conference (2006, August 31st & September 1st) are accessible online. The conference took place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Study to Explore Gamling in Jamaica [news article]

The September 22nd issue of the Jamaica Gleaner nespaper contains the article "Study to decide if Jamaicans are addicted to gambling."

"A comprehensive study to determine whether Jamaicans are addicted to gambling, an almost $40 billion industry that has more than doubled in sales over the past three years, is slated to be conducted by the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) this year."

Casino Support in Newcastle upon Tyne [survey report]

The survey report "Establishing the Degree of Support for a Regional Convention Centre, Casino and Associated Development in Newcastle upon Tyne" (2006, August) was produced by the Newcastle City Council [England].

Australian Gambling Statistics [government report]

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has made available the statistical publication Gambling Services, Australia, 2004-05.

The publication presents a range of statistics in respect of businesses engaged in the provision of gambling services for the 2004–05 financial year. For instance, there are 76,000 people employed in gambling services... and gambling businesses in Australia took in almost $15.5 billion that year.

Ontario Gambling Prevalence Study [report]

The Responsible Gambling Council Ontario has produced the report "Gambling and Problem Gambling in Ontario 2005" (2006, September). It contains a huge amount of statistical data obtained from a survey of 3,604 people which took place between February and July, 2005.

A few highlights:

• 63.3% of adults 18 years and older reported participating in at least one gambling activity in the year prior to the survey (down from 63.3% in 2005).
  
• 1.7% of participants reported gambling on the Internet. Of those who gambled on the Internet, about 25% gambled on a weekly basis, and almost one in two of those individuals gambled daily.
  
• The most common form of Internet gambling engaged in was poker.
  
• In the year prior to the survey, 2.6% of Ontarians experienced moderate gambling problems and 0.8% experienced severe gambling problems (assessed using the CPGI instrument).
  
• There were no significant changes in the prevalence of moderate and severe gambling problems from 2001 to 2005.

Poverty and Casino Gaming Development [PhD thesis]

The thesis "The Tunica Miracle, Sin and Savior in America’s Ethiopia: A Poverty and Social Impact Analysis of Casino Gaming in Tunica, MS" (2005, May) was completed by Tracey Farrigan as part of her PhD from Pennsylvania State University.


"Specifically, the Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) framework developed by the World Bank as a means of assessing the distributional impacts of policy reform on vulnerable populations in developing nations is applied to a critical case in the United States––Tunica County, Mississippi, one of the nation’s historically most impoverished counties, previously known as America’s Ethiopia. This comprehensive impact assessment of casino gaming as an economic development strategy in the Tunica area details the questionable politics of class,
congruent with the region’s history of race relations, as the primary causal factor in
determining the poverty outcome. This is accomplished by using a realist methodology
to amass conclusive evidence to argue that despite the success of the casino industry in
Tunica County, where much has changed; much has tragically remained the same for the
majority of the poor in this region." (from abstract)

Potential Impact of a Scottish Casino [reports]

The Scottish Executive & Scottish Centre for Social Research have made available several publications related to the potential economic and social impacts of a casino in Scotland. They include:

1) Research on the Social Impacts of Gambling: Final Report (2006, September) by Gerda Reith

2) Research Findings No.44/2006: Research on the Social Impacts of Gambling [Summary] (2006, September)... this item highlights the findings of Reith's full social impact report.

3) Potential Economic Impact of Regional Casino in Scotland – Overview/Summary (2006, September)... this is a summary of a study carried out by Scottish Executive economists that outlined the potential economic impact of a Scottish regional casino.

Online Gambling Service for Teens [Internet helpline]

The International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems & High-Risk Behaviors at McGill University has launched a new service for adolescents and young adults experiencing gambling problems. It's called Talk it Out and is accessible from <http://www.gamtalk4teens.org>.

According to Dr. Jeff Derevensky, it's, "an Internet-based interactive (in real time) helpline dedicated to offering confidential and anonymous information and support to youth across Canada from 8 p.m. to midnight, Eastern Time, seven days a week. This online chat service is provided by graduate trained psychology students and is supervised by Centre staff. This 1-year pilot project is available in English starting September 5th, 2006. Please keep in mind that this service should not be considered as individual therapy, however it is intended to be a readily available support service and resource for youth."

Fixed Odds Betting Terminals [report]

Europe Economics produced the report "Fixed Odds Betting Terminals , the Code of Practice, and problem gambling" (2006, June) for the Association of British Bookmakers Limited. It is an update of an initial report published in 2005.

Quasi-Sports Books [newspaper article]

The Associated Press article "Sports fans go up north to wager" which appeared in the September 8th issue of the Reno Gazette-Journal provides a brief but interesting examination of the sports book-like gambling available at Legends Sports Lounge at Casino Windsor in Windsor, Ontario and Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Edmonton Bingo Halls - Smoking Impact

"No Smoking in the Edmonton Area The Impact on Charitable Bingo The First 12 Months" (2006, August) is a recently released report produced by Ian Taylor for Alberta Satellite Bingo.

"The smoking ban in the Edmonton area has greatly reduced the ability of non-profit groups to raise funds from charitable bingo operations. Profits have declined by $6.8 million in the first 12 months of the smoking ban. Attendance has declined by up to 25% and shows no sign of returning to pre-smoking ban levels. Further declines are expected when the River Cree Resort and Casino, on the western edge of the City of Edmonton, opens in late 2006, as they will allow smoking in their facility. They will likely attract players who still wish to smoke. "

Illegal VLTS in Pennsylvania [journal article]

The current issue of the Journal of Economic Crime Management, Summer 2006, Volume 4, Issue 1 contains the freely accessible article "The Illegal Use of Video Poker Machines by Public Bars and Private Social Clubs in Pennsylvania: It’s a Rational Choice."

"This case study endeavors to determine the extent to which illegal video poker machines are utilized in the 257 public bars and 87 private social clubs in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Additionally, this study examines Pennsylvania’s law enforcement efforts to prevent these illegal gambling activities."

Weather Conditions and Lottery Play [working paper]

The working paper "Why Consumers Buy Lottery Tickets When the Sun Goes Down on Them: The Depleting Nature of Weather-Induced Bad Moods" (2006, September) examines the link between negative mood and lottery play.

A longitudinal study on the extent of lottery play in Belgium shows that lottery expenditures are indeed higher after reduced exposure to sunshine, even after controlling for people’s inertia, time-varying characteristics of the game, and deterministic seasonal components. The results of a first laboratory study are consistent with these findings, and establish a link between lottery play and negative mood. Subsequent experiments provide evidence that depletion due to active mood regulation attempts, rather than mood repair, is the underlying process for the link between bad weather and lottery play.

NCRG Press Release [research grants]

$1 Million in Research Grants Awarded to Study Gambling Disorders is a newsrelease from the National Center for Responsible Gaming that describes various projects that have been recently approved.

Great Nordic Gambling War [seminar]

An upcoming seminar entitled "The Great Nordic Gambling War" will take place on October 3rd in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Nordic countries find themselves at war about a billion-Euro market. Corporate international gaming and betting companies have started a tough competition with the public gaming monopolies which generate fortunes to sport and other good causes.

The Nordic model is also under attack from various other fronts: EU legislation might put an end to monopolies. Leading national media defy the advertising ban imposed on foreign betting companies. Match fixing threatens the credibility of sport and betting alike.

Nordic Journalist Centre, The Danish Institute for Sports Studies and Play the Game now invites you to an open and comprehensive conference rich on information about the legal, political and historical background for the Great Nordic Gambling War.

Legalized Gambling Formats in Canada [Reference Source]

Over the summer a brief survey was developed and sent to government officials throughout Canada involved in the regulation of legalized gambling. Results of the survey are available in the document "Availability of Legal Gaming in Canada - As of July 2006"... posted on the web site of the Alberta Gaming Research Institute in September, 2006.

British Horseracing Economic Impact [report]

Consultants Deloitte & Touche LLP produced the report "Economic Impact of British Racing" (2006, June) for the British Horseracing Board.

"The proportion of total betting turnover and gross profit accounted for by horseracing has fallen in recent years as bookmakers have diversified their product offering, particularly with the expansion of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs). However, the gross win on British horseracing totalled over £1.1 billion in 2004/05 (up 30% from 2002/03)." (p.6)