Government—gambling’s biggest addict

Executive Summary

Provincial governments in Canada are addicted to gambling revenue in the same way that they are addicted to tax revenue. In Canada, the average family pays more in taxes than they do for food, clothing and shelter combined.1

Yet mismanagement of current high tax levels means Canadian provincial governments have become bookies to keep the money flowing in. Gambling takes another $534, on average, from every Canadian adult. While not every Canadian adult gambles, this number is intended to give a clear picture of how much additional money gambling takes from Canadians.

Provincial governments across Canada show all the signs of addiction. They attempt to hide the scope of the problems for individuals, families and communities. They can’t stop gambling as evidenced by expansion into online gambling and the building of new casinos. Furthermore, they jealously protect their territory, shutting down gambling that profits only the owners instead of provincial coffers. Neither does gambling contribute very much to communities when viewed in the context of provincial profits. The money governments give to charities and non-profit organizations amount to a very small sliver of total profits.

In difficult economic times, when 13 percent of federal government revenue goes only to service interest payments on our debt, the provincial push for additional gambling revenue is an attempt to band-aid over profligate spending.2

Recommendations

• Profits from gambling should be put exclusively toward deficit and debt elimination
• Provincial governments and/or private agencies must conduct thorough research into the effects of gambling when considering expansion into a new area (online gambling) or enlarging existing areas (casino, slots and VLT gambling)

Download the full report below