The Green Party calls for a ban on video lottery terminals in Nova Scotia. We are deeply concerned by the provincial government’s role in facilitating and profiting from gambling addiction, particularly VLTs.

The government’s stated revenues from gambling totally ignore the huge social and economic costs of problem gambling including crime, suicide, job loss, family break-up, bankruptcy and a range of other social ills.

• Gambling in Nova Scotia is associated with 5% of all financial problems in the province, between 5-10% of all personal bankruptcy cases, 6.3% of suicides, and 6% of all relationship problems, many of which lead to family break-down.
• Problem gamblers experience higher rates of job loss, divorce, suicide, bankruptcy, poor physical and mental health, arrest and incarceration – these carry high costs to the victims, their families, government, and society at large.
• Studies have shown that each problem gambler negatively affects between 10-17 other people.
• Crimes most often associated with problem gambling are theft and fraud.
• Problem gamblers and those at risk contribute 40% of the Nova Scotia government’s gambling revenue.
• There has been a 50% increase in the number of Nova Scotians at risk for gambling problems over the last 10 years. 50,000 Nova Scotians are currently identified as being problem gamblers or at risk for problem gambling.

VLT use is the type of gambling most associated with gambling problems, and the type that most quickly turns “normal” gamblers into problem gamblers. Nearly half of Nova Scotia’s regular VLT gamblers – those gambling at least once a month – are at risk for major gambling problems, and 20% are already identified as moderate to severe problem gamblers according to the Canadian Problem Gambling Index.

Banning VLTs will particularly benefit many lower-income Nova Scotians, who have statistically higher rates of gambling-related problems. As a proportion of household income, low-income Nova Scotians spend more than four times as much on gambling as those with higher incomes. Gambling losses therefore compromise the ability of those low-income households to meet their basic needs, and lead to social service costs that all taxpayers must bear.

Government reports of gambling revenues are meaningless when they do not take into account the higher health care, justice, social service, productivity loss, and other costs generated by problem gambling. Deducting these costs would dramatically reduce, and perhaps even eliminate the apparent revenue from gambling.

The Green Party explicitly recognizes these unreported costs. We also recognize the suffering caused by government facilitation of problem gambling. Understanding the full costs to Nova Scotians, we call for a ban on video lottery terminals in our province.