The team at Online-Casinos.com recently reported about a developing story in the Nanaimo Daily news which seemed to depict opposition to online gambling.
The province of British Columbia located on the Pacific coast of Canada was one of the first to introduce online gambling to its residents. Provincial health officer, Dr. Perry Kendall, says that along with the surge of online gambling come more people who fit the description of “problem gamblers.”
Dr. Kendall estimates that problem gambling has more than doubled from 13,000 to 31,000 people over the last decade.
Dr. Paul Hasselback, the Island Health’s medical health officer for the Central Island region, asserts that it’s safe to assume there is a cost attributed to problem gambling. Hasselback says that the typical individual costs the health-care system $2,000 per year while the average problem gambler costs $9,000.
British Columbia spends the lowest amount per capita on problem gambling in Canada. Only a fraction of the people needing help are actually seeking it. In a report pertaining to issues with gambling, Dr. Kendall made 17 recommendations which include better training, prevention, screen, and assessment of gambling addicts.
Troublesome gamblers find electronic gaming the most difficult to resist, especially with its accessibility on mobile devices.
Despite costs associated with problem gamblers, the British Columbian government maintains that gambling revenue helps pay for health-care services and education. In the last fiscal year alone, $135 million went to grants for charities and non-profit organizations. Additionally, the government has budgeted $11 million for programs that promote responsible gambling.
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