Addicted to gambling revenue

Of all the pathetic government statistics that promote predatory gambling as fiscal policy, this is pretty gruesome --

...Statistics Canada studies over the last few years found the average adult Albertan spent $890 annually on gambling, far more than any other province and the national average of $524.

Albertans are gambling less, drinking more: Stats Can

EDMONTON — The economic slump saw people gamble substantially less in Alberta last fiscal year — still spending a mind-boggling $25 billion on VLTs, slots, and the like — although booze sales were "recession proof" and actually increased during the downturn to about $2 billion.


The eye-popping numbers from the 2008-09 fiscal year have opposition members of the legislature arguing the provincial government is addicted to gambling revenue, and has sparked more questions about the number of gaming machines in Alberta and a proliferation of casinos.


On the booze front, wine and spirits continued to increase in popularity compared to beer, although suds sales in draught and bottle still dwarf all other kinds of alcohol. Wine sales, though, have increased more than one-third in the last four years.


While Albertans certainly like their liquor, they also enjoy rolling the dice.


But total gambling revenues in Alberta dropped about five per cent last year to $25 billion, down from $26.3 billion the previous year, according to an Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission report released Tuesday.


"It's a reflection of the downturn and also the age of our VLTs," explained provincial Solicitor General Fred Lindsay, noting many video lottery terminals are getting old and have outdated technology that's no longer appealing to regular gamblers.


Of the $25 billion in total gaming revenues collected last fiscal year, about $15.5 billion came from slot machines, $8.9 billion from VLTs and the rest from electronic bingo and lottery ticket sales. About $22.8 billion was paid back out in prizes.


The largest drop in gambling revenue came from the aging VLTs, which saw a 16 per cent drop in 2008-09 compared to the roughly $10.5 billion the previous year.


Government policy dictates Alberta can have no more than 6,000 VLTs in the province. Last year, there were 5,964, a slight drop from previous years.


The popularity of one-armed bandits — slot machines — gained at VLTs' expense. The number of slot machines grew about seven per cent to 12,680, while revenue increased by more than $360 million.


The number of casinos in the province grew to 24 last year — a 50 per cent increase from just four years earlier.


All told, gambling revenues in Alberta have soared nearly 70 per cent over the past eight years (up from nearly $15 billion in 2001).


Indeed, Statistics Canada studies over the last few years found the average adult Albertan spent $890 annually on gambling, far more than any other province and the national average of $524.


Liquor popularity, meanwhile, increased both in volume and sales. More than $2 billion was spent on booze last fiscal year, up more than $50 million from the previous year. More than 343 million litres of booze was consumed in total, including about 271 million litres of beer, 31 million litres of wine and 25 million litres of spirits.


"It seems like liquor is recession-proof. Whether the economy is good or the economy is bad, it didn't seem to affect it," Lindsay said.


Gambling, however, seems to be a different story, although the numbers are still hard to fathom.


While the minister recognizes Albertans enjoy trying lady luck, he said the total dollars spent on gaming are "not something to be worried about." Gambling revenues have traditionally reflected a young population and high wages in the province, he said.


The sliding revenue is impacting Alberta community groups and charitable organizations. The government's share of the gambling dollars — which is transferred to the Alberta Lottery Fund and disbursed to groups — sank more than $100 million last year to about $1.5 billion.