July 23, 2010

NDP PUTS ATMS IN CLUB REGENT CASINO

NDP PUTS ATMS IN CLUB REGENT CASINO

Easy access to cash will facilitate problem gambling: Pedersen

Dependence on gaming revenue has forced the NDP to abandon responsible government policy and place two new automated teller machines inside Club Regent Casino, says Manitoba Progressive Conservatives.

“This will wreak havoc on the finances of problem gamblers and is nothing short of a slap in the face by this NDP government,” says PC Critic Blaine Pedersen. “Experts in addictions treatment have been pleading with the NDP for years to hold off from installing ATMS inside government-owned casinos because of the potential devastation it could create in the lives of problem gamblers.”

Under the guise of safety concerns, the NDP installed ATMS at the McPhillips Street Station Casino in April 2009. At that time, the government said ATMS would not be installed at the Club Regent Casino.

“These new ATMS are counter-intuitive to any measures taken to help problem gamblers,” said Pedersen.