Published by Programme B
Questions have been raised concerning the amount of money that Canadians spend on Gambling. Gambling is permitted by law and is done in different parts of the country.
Introduction
Gambling is not a new thing in Canada. Gambling, as an industry, has faced challenges. Some of the most reputable casino sites were banned in 2009. However, the ban was resolved, and the operations continued as usual. Many slot games were offered since then making Canada the most popular gambling country.
Statistics from the nation’s data center
Gambling generates about $13 billion in revenue a year in Canada. About 87,000 electronic gaming machines operate in Canada. These include 33,000 lottery vendors, 250 race tracks, 60 land-based casinos, and 25,000 more operators are licensed to sun bingos, raffles, and temporary casinos as outlined at canadian-free-slots.com. On average, every Canadian household spends about $1,000 of their annual income on casinos.
From the statistics obtained from the national statistics, 60% of Canadians are gamblers while just 40% are not involved in gambling or any other related activities. About 45% spend about $1-20 of their monthly income on gambling. 14% spend between %20.01 and $100, while 3% spend lightly over $100 per month on gambling. Those who are gambling can be further categorized according to age, income level, region, and gender for analysis.
According to the regional analysis, the amount spent on gambling is fairly constant across the country. The rate of gambling is high in Quebec while Manitoba recorded the lowest rate of gamblers. The two extremes have 69% and 50% respectively. Quebeckers have gamers and gamblers across all income levels. Manitoba, on the other hand, has a smaller group of people who comprises 33% spending between $1-20 per month on gambling. This is 10% below the national rate.
Age-wise, gamblers in Canada are majorly senior adults of the age between 35-54. This is so because many gamblers within this age bracket spend between $1-20 monthly on gambling. They constitute 45% of the entire population. Those who spend over $100 on gaming and gambling remains the same across the different age groups.
More men are participating in gambling than women. Women who spend between $1-20 on gambling are about 44% as opposed to their male counterparts who are trailing at 41%. However, 18% of males spend between $20-100 while women trail behind by just 10%. Both men and women who spend over $100 on gambling tie at 3% a month.
The more you earn, the more you spend on gambling. The national data reveals this as households with a net income of $25,000 spend almost nothing on gambling. 39% of those earning between $25,000 and $55,000 partake in gambling.
As a result of this participation, the net revenue from gambling has been on the rise since 1992. In just 10 years, the government-run gambling activities recorded an increase in revenue collection from $2.7 billion in 1992 to about $13.3 billion in 2006.
Negative effects of gambling
The increase in gambling activities across Canada has led to challenges that are yet to be addressed. Many gamblers have become addicted to the game and spend a larger part of their income on gambling. Despite all the efforts put in place to curb this vice, the government still seem to be taking advantage of the addicts to collect more revenues.
Solutions effected
The addicts have come forth to have their names in what is termed as a self-exclusion list. Anyone whose name appears on this list should never be allowed into any of the government-run casinos. To implement this, many techniques have been adopted across the country.
Facial recognition technology is the most effective means used by government agencies to deny addicts access to casinos and other gambling sites. The technology was already in place by 2015 across all the 24 slots and casinos under the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). Although costly, has been very effective in encouraging responsible gambling.
The cheaper option
Some people argued that showing a national ID card can be a cheaper option compared to facial recognition technology. However, this has been hit by storms as many gamblers were unwilling to show their IDs at the casino entrance. Some addicts have also expressed their grievances citing that OLG has been so negligence to allow them to take part in gambling. With a lack of commitment by both the casino operators and gamblers, more irresponsible gambling will still be witnessed in Canada.
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