The province’s decision to cash in on online gambling has raised concerns for local addictions counselors.
Ember Trochimchuk, an addictions counselor at the Sister Margaret Smith Centre, said she shares similar concerns raised by the Centre for Addiction and Mental health raised earlier this week. After the province announced it will wade in to the lucrative online gambling market starting in 2012, Trochimchuk said he main concern is the ease of access people will have to gambling sites. People will be able to stay in their home and gamble online as opposed to heading out to casinos or corner stores to play lottery tickets.
"When it’s going to be easily accessible of course we have a main concern that it’s gong to be very risky for a lot of individuals," she said.
Another concern is easy access for underage gamblers. Trochimchuk said it would be as easy as taking a parent’s credit card for an underage gambler to play online.
"We hope that these sites will put measures in place to protect underage gamblers as well as adults," she said. "We hope the sites have things like responsible gambling tips and If people are looking for support there are things like responsible gambling tips."
While the CAMH has predicted the move will increase the number of addicted gamblers in the province, Trochimchuk said that’s an unfortunate possibility but is waiting until the sites are in place before making a similar prediction.
"It’s going to be one of those things we just have to wait and see in the next couple of years to see if we do see an increase in the number of people who come through our doors," she said.
The province has stated that Ontario gamblers spend $400 million a year on online gambling and the move could put $100 million a year back into the cash-strapped province. Trochimchuk said she understands why the province wants to get into the online gambling market. People often think that problem gambling addiction services are anti-gambling. She said they’re more "gambling-neutral". OLG programs such as the lottery support a number of great programs she added.
"We’re gambling neutral," she said. "Gambling is neither good or bad it just is."
