Harry Black, left, collects his 6-49 Lottery winnings from Kevin Gass, vice-president of Lottery Gaming at the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, on May 28, 2013. Such appearances are mandatory for prize winners.Ric Ernst/Postmedia Network
Why Canadian governments are spending millions to have you gamble more – National Post
Ric Ernst/Postmedia Network
BY TRISTIN HOPPER
… Based on the ratios in B.C. and Ontario, however, McMaster University marketing expert Marvin Ryder estimated for the National Post that Canadian governments may cumulatively be spending more than $450 million every year on lottery advertising.
All of this is in sharp contrast to how government treats the two other legal Canadian “sins”: smoking and drinking. Not only do governments restrict advertising of these two activities; they buy public service ads telling Canadians to stop doing them. …
… A troubling 2005 U.S. study found that household lottery spending was financed primarily with money that would normally have been needed for food or rent. Just this year, another U.S. study found that lottery ticket spending was coming largely from “disadvantaged neighbourhoods.”
And unlike the idyllic futures depicted in lottery ads, even when players win, the reality is all too often a nightmare of broken relationships and financial mismanagement. …
—
In at least Manitoba Casinios target teens and the elderly. They offering free credits on ones 18th birthday and other perks for seniors.
—
Ontarios’s take from gambling hits record $2.5 billion
