Wellesley Institute: Casinos and Your Health

• Professor Jim Cosgrave

• Department of Sociology

• Trent University (Oshawa)

• jimcosgrave@trentu.ca

• Co-editor/contributor:

• Casino State: Legalized Gambling in Canada

State-owned gambling

• Alibi model• Organized crime• Not private profit• Public benefit

• Canadian approach• >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

• Risk model• Gambling as

legitimate business• Entertainment framing• Revenue

maximization• Risk management• From gambling to

“gaming”

Issues and tensions

• State as regulator and promoter/beneficiary• Finance vs. public health• 4.8% of gamblers generate 36% of revenue: $4B• (Williams and Wood 2004, 2007) • Canada Safety Council: 360 gambling-related

suicides/year• Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs): slot

machines and VLTs: highest rates of addiction (casino’s bread and butter)

• Least risk gambling>>>greatest risk

Issues and tensions

• Casinos 24/7 vs. restrictions on alcohol

• “voluntary” taxation (stealth)

• “Responsible gambling”

• State/government>>>market/corporation

• No more alibis (e.g. online gambling)

I’m Losing Money. So Why Do I Feel So Good?By RANDALL STROSS

Published: January 12, 2013

• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/business/how-slot-machines-raise-our-hopes-even-when-were-losing.html?_r=0