Nobody develops a gambling problem playing the lottery, right?

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

Those of us working in the responsible gambling field often focus our efforts on casino patrons, or in jurisdictions that have them, on VLT players.  More recently increasing attention is also being paid to online efforts as more and more jurisdictions consider providing internet gambling options.  Yet large portions of our revenue are still derived from lottery.  The interesting thing is that many people, lottery players included, don’t even consider this a form of gambling.  After all, nobody develops a gambling problem playing lottery.  Or do they? Continue reading →

Posted in Problem Gambling, The Nature of Responsible Gambling, Youth Gambling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Not-so-responsible Responsible Gambling Council? Part 2

Posted on May 4, 2012 by

Is it possible to become a better gambler?  Or more to the point, can someone improve their chance of winning?

Last week I used a commentary written by Joe Wood on his blog TimelessFinance to offer some support for the Responsible Gambling Council’s (RGC) decision to use what some might consider an “edgy” approach in a new social marketing campaign.  Joe called the RGC’s website “gross” and suggested it was inappropriate for both his Mom and 6-year-old daughter. Continue reading →

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Not-so-responsible Responsible Gambling Council?

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

The Responsible Gambling Council's new Safe or Sorry campaign: too shocking for some?

This morning I came across a recent blog posting by Joe Wood on TimelessFinance who was decrying a new social marketing campaign called Safe or Sorry undertaken by the Responsible Gambling Council.  Upon reading his critique I wasn’t sure whether he was offended by the condoms appearing on their web site, critical of their message, or worried that this was a case of government funding gone astray.

Continue reading →

Posted in Around the World of Gambling, From the Experts, Gambling and the Media, The Nature of Responsible Gambling, Youth Gambling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Manitoba partners with BCLC to bring responsible play online

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

A couple of weeks ago the Manitoba government announced plans to partner with BCLC to introduce the PlayNow.com online gambling experience in that jurisdiction.

“Manitoba will work to provide a safe, reputable, secure alternative to grey market sites while ensuring revenue stays in Manitoba to support priorities like health and education,” said Steve Ashton, the Minister responsible for Manitoba Lotteries Corporation (MLC).

So what exactly is meant by a “safe” online gambling site?

Continue reading →

Posted in Around the World of Gambling, New at BCLC, Online Gambling, The Nature of Responsible Gambling, Youth Gambling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Review: New MYGU iPhone app offers support for gamblers concerned about their gambling

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

Last week the Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario (PGIO), a division of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) introduced a new free app through Apple’s iTunes Store available for Wi-Fi enabled devices like iPhone, iPad and iTouch.  The app, named MYGU (Monitor Your Gambling Urges), is a mobile version of what’s also available online at PGIO’s website.  It is based around research that indicates problem gamblers who record both incidents of gambling and their urge to do so will ultimately have better success at managing problematic gambling behaviors.

I’m not a problem gambler, and in fact aside from the occasional lottery ticket I wouldn’t even qualify as a social gambler.  But I was curious about the technology, so I signed up to try it out. Continue reading →

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