Canadian Gaming News May 3rd, 2008

Coast to Coast Poker Championships

MAY 5-13

River Rock Casino Resort, Richmond.

Inaugural tournament brings players from the East and the West together for a poker showdown. Seven events with an estimated 2,650 players and $2.4 million prize pool. Players, aged 19 or older, can register by phone at 1-604-247-8983 or in person at River Rock Casino Resort, 8811 River Rd., Richmond, British Columbia. More information is available at www.bclc.com.

Canadian Online Gambling: Youths Prefer Web Betting

Young adults - a key growth sector for Canada’s gambling industry - are very interested in such “technology driven” options as online gambling, which is not yet legal in Canada, an industry conference heard yesterday.

Citing a national survey, pollster Allan Gregg told the 2008 Canadian Gaming Summit under way in Montreal that one- third of Canadians say they are gambling less than they did three years ago, while those under 35 years of age are more likely to be gambling more.

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N.L. gambling suicides not that common, med examiner says

Newfoundland and Labrador’s medical examiner, Simon Avis, is disputing a claim that 10 to 15 people in the province commit suicide every year for reasons related to gambling.

Author and University of P.E.I. professor Peter McKenna made that claim. His book Terminal Damage: The Politics of VLTs in Atlantic Canada, published this month, examines gambling and video lottery terminal (VLT) use in the region.

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‘Mini-casinos’ bringing more slots

Critics are warning a fresh wave of gambling expansion is underway as area cities agree to put slot machines into revamped bingo halls.

The conversion of the halls into so-called community gaming centres with slots is a key strategy of the B.C. Lotteries Corporation (BCLC) to replace declining bingo revenue and ring up higher gambling profits for the province.

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Canada’s missed opportunity

As part of the Canadian Gaming Summit, representatives of the Kahnawake reserve finally showed up to discuss issues surrounding aboriginal gaming in Canada and North America - and that’s when things at the summit finally got interesting.

The Montreal Gazette, which appears to be the only major Canadian paper regularly following the summit, reported today that former Kahnawake Grand Chief Joe Norton told the summit audience that, in 1999, both Canada and the province of Quebec were offered an “opportunity to be a partner with us (in the venture) but they wouldn’t.”

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Casino workers offered buyouts; Uncertain economy brings cutbacks

Full-time employees at Niagara’s two casinos have less than two weeks to decide whether to take a buyout package or hold onto their jobs.

“We’re offering our permanent full-time employees a financial compensation package,” said Greg Medulun, a spokesman for Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.

The casinos told employees last week of a “voluntary resignation package” and a program to shift workers’ status to part time from full time. The changes were partly in response to requests from some employees and partly to be “realistic” about the upcoming season, Medulun said Friday.

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Will N.B. be taking a gamble with casino bids?

Welcome to May, Sleuth followers, a month with two juicy events that should provide plenty of fodder for watercooler gossip.

A week from Monday, we all go to the polls and use one of those fancy new vote counting machines to decide who we want to run our municipalities over the next four years. Let’s hope those machines actually work!

By the end of the month, the provincial government promises to announce which one of the four bidders for New Brunswick’s casino project has hit the jackpot.

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