Chips are for dips...Not for casinos!

Rant 3: October 21, 2009

We walk into casinos and we exchange paper for plastic (money for chips). When is enough enough? When does the brain convince the rest of your body that it's time to go home?
Like the stock market, if people actually saw real dollar bills being lost, not paper, it would hit them on the head quicker about what they were doing. When casinos first opened, paper money was used to gamble and people went absolutely ballistic when they would lose the money they just took out of their pocket. Using chips to gamble at a casino or holding lottery tickets instead of money, takes away from what gamblers are really doing; LOSING THEIR MONEY!
One of the simplest and most effective ways of not going into gambling debt is oh so simple; like your speed on a highway, set limits. If you stick to the aforementioned theory, you can't get into trouble. When we start coming up with excuses such as 'a few more minutes', 'a few more dollars', 'a few more spins', 'a few more shoes'...the trouble is on its way. Make a limit, and stay within it. As an idea, as we have designated drivers, we should somehow appoint somebody to enforce the limiting rules you and your gambling colleagues have set forth.

Gambling...it's a killer...

Rant 2: October 21, 2009

Unbelievable! Only in Quebec can you lose thousands of dollars at the casino, take a bus to a subway station, then jump in front of the oncoming subway, and our dear friends at Lotto Quebec don't consider that a gambling-related suicide. But if you hang yourself on the coat hook on the inside of the bathroom casino door, they do consider that a gambling-related suicide, hence the government numbers issued on gambling-related suicide are not remotely close to the truth. Far too many Quebecers take their own life as the ultimate loss. Far too many Quebecers take their own life as a result of gambling. Gambling causes suicide at unacceptable rates! It is killing people daily, weekly, monthly...young people, old people, everybody! Everyone must be educated before they spend money on gambling. Like a drug, gambling brings out the worst in people, and sometimes, the ultimate...suicide.

Con artists find a new home!

Rant 1: October 21, 2009

Gambling brings out the worst in people! It brings con artists to the forefront! September 2009, there was an online classified ad claimant who swears he has a system to beat the casino at a few of its own games...and he’s only asking for 20 thousand in cash and a partner! (I thought Madoff was already behind bars having dinner with Earl Jones!) If you want to beat the casino at its own game...go for dinner and a movie instead.

Denial - It's not just a river in Egypt!

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - October 17, 2009

No American citizen ever admits to having voted for Richard M. Nixon as Prez in the 70's. But he won!

No Canadian citizen ever admits to having voted for Brian Mulroney as our P.M. in the Mid 80's. But he won!

No Québécois ever admits (rarely) to buying lottery tickets or going to 1 of our 4 provincially run casinos. But they do!

Can someone, anyone, please explain, though, why Lotto Quebec does such a bang up business, and that the Powers That Be at the head office on Sherbrooke Street, here in Montreal, feel the market is almost saturated with ‘players’, A.K.A. "losers"...YES...LOSERS...that they (us) now have a vested interest in the lottery business in France?

Yup, Mais Oui...We now have a stake in the French country as operators of their country’s casino business, because we are so good at emptying peoples’ pockets...better than Oliver, of movie fame with the same name. We are better marketers of the casino trade than snow removal experts with 100's of years of experience, and better hucksters plying the trade of ALL casino and lottery games, than we are at pothole fixing.

Give me a break!

756,983,000 gazillion dollars...it’s not enough?

756,984,000 gazillion dollars...now THAT'S A BUSINESS!?

Give me another break!

Imagine our province being the innovators and leaders in the scientific world or the pharmaceutical world? A province for making a world class car beyond efficient on gas. Quebec, known for building indoor covered stadiums that cost a reasonable amount (you know, something under a billion or so...) is a land rich in resources, and poor in savings; a land proud of poutine, but poor in social services; a land that has its language police in order, but its police department, out of order; a city where a sign for selling coffee must have French words EXACTLY double-double the size of the same words in English...but has casinos well signed in both languages... BECAUSE IT’S BUSINESS. The English have money, so let them lose it in either language...MON DIEU...!

This place we call Quebec is full of overzealous people who will rip, rape, zip, take and pull out as much CA$H from its citizens’ pockets, as humanly (inhumanly) possible.

Gamble. But gamble less. Slowly. Use your head. We give these thieves in Quebec, Quebec enough of our money. Don't hand it to them on a silver platter, for God’s sake!

And please stop denying you go to the casino or buy Lotto tickets...because SOMEONE is...almost 6 billion dollars a year worth!

Man, that's 24 billion quarters...almost enough quarters to park downtown for a couple of hours!
De-nile...And so the river flows...with our money...

Gambling in your PJ's...’cause you're gonna lose your pants anyway!

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - October 10, 2009

It’s another blustery, wintery, Canadian January, early in the morning. 3:00 AM early! You just can’t sleep, especially after the guy on the radio says "to expect a HIGH of -23°C later in the day. AAAHHH!
What would Air Transit charge to land a plane on my street, pick me up, and take me off to Cuba? Alright, a guy’s allowed to dream, huh?

How about this one; Grabbing your wallet, running downstairs to the basement, closing the door behind you and booting up the ol’ family computer.

Why such excitement? Why the sudden rush??

Because in seconds you’ll be in a virtual casino...while still wearing your PJ’s!

Welcome to INTERNET GAMBLING!

No I.D. is required. There are no line-ups or smelly guys sitting near you. Having a credit card is mandatory and having a secret password is too, which will open the door to one of 1000's of online casinos; a process which only takes a minute or 2 to set up and become a member, if you aren’t already a member of 1, 2 or 10.

The terms internet gambling and online gaming are one and the same.

It is just another avenue to gamble and LOSE hard earned money.

As online shopping was to the retail business, online gambling is to the casino business.
It is just another way to suck your money out of your pockets; another way to make it easier NOT to stay away from gambling. Again, another brilliant idea from the boys over in the marketing department.

The American and Canadian governments have tried their damndest to put stopgaps and laws in place to have online gaming tagged as illegal, but even if so, the majority of online gaming houses reroute their sites offshore (which now makes it legal) and then directs right back to both Canada and The States. Talk about a loophole, huh?

As recent as early September of this year, A U.S. Court Appeals court upheld a federal ban on Internet gambling, but the ruling has allowed each state to at least, for now, have more say on the matter. The bottom-line is that another form of gambling is here to stay.

The United Kingdom has recently claimed their gambling addiction cases have approximately doubled the last year, citing online gambling as the main culprit. Australian authorities have claimed similar numbers. South Africa claims to have a massive increase in their compulsive/pathological gambling cases as well, directly as a result of the online gaming industry.

One of the worries that gambling counsellors, therapists or other professionals in the gaming world have about Internet gambling is that you CANNOT use cold hard cash when betting, thus forcing the player to use credit cards that may often be ‘maxed out’, or to use the account (should there be plus balances) in the said Internet casino, and always knowing that you can play and bet and play and bet...’til your card is dry, and your back is wet!

At least, if you’re trying to quit smoking or drinking and you have no cigarettes or booze at home, you cannot smoke or drink virtual drugs.

Internet gambling...what’s next?

Gambling...It’s Not Always Fun

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - October 10, 2009

Picture the setting: It’s Friday mid-morning, you just hung up with your sweetie from work, and you’re planning the beginning of your weekend. You’ll be meeting another couple for dinner, and then, with or without your better half, you’re planning a 10:00 PM arrival at the Casino de Montréal. You were in a great mood all day...it’s Friday! All the troubles of the week will soon be gone, and the anxiety, or rather, the anticipation, of an evening at the casino warms the cockles of your heart.

Fast forward 10 hours as you slowly pull up to the Castle of Greed; The Building of Bouillon; The Mecca of Money; or, as realists like to call it, a Place to Piss Away Your Money, A.K.A. The Montreal Casino. There are more smiley faces in the valet area than at the Woodstock concert; More happy faces than at a Wal-Mart head office meeting. Soon, the miles and miles of smiles begin to sour.

Eventually, an hour or 2 into your evening, your hopes, dreams and wishes of a lovely weekend have already turned to dust as you somehow have managed to again prepay your provincial tax by losing at the casino. The first chapter of your weekend has already put you in a bad mood and we haven’t even hit Saturday! Look at the body language and smiles of those getting out of their cars about to walk in for the evening, and then look at those in line waiting for their cars to be brought back to them by the car jockeys. It is simple: Smiles get out of the car, whilst frowns and crappy moods are going home.

Do you ever wonder why there are 3000 slot machines that take your money? Do you ever wonder why there are 90 Black Jack dealers, Baccarat dealers, PaiGow Poker dealers and Roulette Spinners, but only 5 cashiers? Do you think something is lopsided? It is obvious that Lotto Quebec takes in far more money than it gives out. It is such an easy premise to understand and such a hard premise to figure out why we don’t understand it. The worst that could happen at a movie is that you’ve wasted 30 bucks on 2 tickets and popcorn. The worst that could happen at a restaurant is that you’ve wasted 100 dollars and you won’t be recommending it to your neighbours. Numbers show (Quebec government statistics) that 80% of those that go to the casino or who are lottery ticket buyers are the same people. They go day after day, week after week and month after month. Why then, do people partake in something that is so self destructive?

The activity of gambling be it in lottery form or going to the casino is considered by the government to be entertainment. This is a misnomer. If the above statement is true, here are some questions: If you go see a movie that you don’t like, was it entertainment? If you go to a new restaurant and you didn’t necessarily enjoy the food, did you still have a nice evening? And more specifically, if you have gone to the casino and lost money, did you have a nice night? Now, seeing as how far more people lose than win, does that mean far more people leave the building unhappy versus happy? And if so, why is gambling entertainment?

Gambling, it’s not always fun.

Responsible Gambling; Can it be done

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - September 26, 2009

Peanut butter spreads.

The HIV virus spreads.

A bed spreads.

The swine flu epidemic spreads.

Gambling problems and all that comes with it is spreading too, at an alarming rate.

Weeks and weeks of cynical articles, this columnist has written, but this week we have something different.

I read the numbers. I read the stories. I hear the torture gamblers and their families are living and I am sick to my stomach and beyond upset. There are people out there that are living double-lives, horrible lives, and in some instances, lives that people are thinking about ending.

Though gambling IS SUPPOSED to be a fun-filled activity, often, too often, it gets out of hand, and disaster takes over; thoughts of suicide, heavy financial burdens to many (banks, lines of credits, credit cards, family and friends, loan sharks, etc.) It all becomes completely and utterly overwhelming. The gambler is swimming with worries that are spiralling out of control with no game plan to get back on course.

The word pathological simply means the act of doing something knowing full well it has its consequences and is not good for you, but you cannot stop. You just cannot stop.

Education. Education. Education.

It’s more than arithmetic, English and history.

As I have stated many a time before, the world of gambling and casinos are not going anywhere soon, so, we, as a society and a community, must learn to deal with all that comes with gambling; the good, the bad and the ugly. And so much UGLY there is.

This is where my frustration comes in. This is when I start wondering who is in denial? Who really are the bad folks? Who is really behind this big machine here in Quebec at Loto Québec?

Why don't our schools teach kids about THE REAL world they are living in?

Teach them about manners, about how to live on your own, about how to properly take care of finances for a teenager or young adolescent, to learn how to pay bills, about how gambling can get you into a pile of trouble, about what owing money on credit cards means. These topics ARE important. Yes, it’s great to learn about Montcalm and Wolfe. It is wonderful to know who won The Battle of Hastings. It is delightful to know what year Beethoven wrote his 5th symphony. But really, what about learning how and when and why to open the car door for someone or give up your seat on a bus for the elderly. How to spend your $900 a month you take home as a student and spend the money wisely, learning that rent and money for food comes first, not money for the "Texas Hold `em" game at a friends house Friday night.

Planet earth in the year 2009 IS a wonderful place to live, but we have much to learn. We haven't kept up with the rules, as the game of life is forever changing.

Let`s teach Quebecers HOW to gamble, WHY to gamble, WHEN to gamble and all that comes with it. Putting a 2 inch by 2 inch sticker on a machine with a phone number to call if you are feeling bad just doesn't cut it. Good for the sticker manufacturer, but useless in the real world. That's like calling Air Canada to complain about the flight as the plane is going down!

Gambling. The random act of doing something without any control of the outcome. Sort of like getting married, predicting the weather or guessing what comes out of George W. Bushes mouth. It`s gambling, no matter how you look at it.

Where Has All The $$$$$$$$$$$$ Gone???

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - September 19, 2009

I know certain washing machines eat socks.

I know some couches and sofas eat coins.

I know some people gain weight and they swear they are eating less.

MMMMmmmmm...I have a new one...

Where is all the money? Billions, actually, that Loto Québec NETS???

Please check your pockets, I`ve checked mine, and all I`ve found is lint, a TicTac and a 5 dollar bill.

Loto Québec`s mission statement as to where the money is going is the following: to better the healthcare system, to improve the province`s infrastructure, and to help the public schools systems that are in dire need of a boost.

Regarding the healthcare system, has anybody seen more medical equipment on the floors? Waiting-times for patients (it should be spelled ‘patience’) are longer, not shorter. Inaccessibility to medical specialists is on the rise. Closed beds in hospitals remain closed and doctors and nurses are fleeing the province faster than Noah, his arc, and the animals from the floods. I thought that the only things that fell from the sky were snow, rain and bird droppings. I didn’t realize that the weather forecast should include a chance of falling cement late in the day.

This province is falling apart!

Our road system and its problems now make the news daily.

Our public schools are so wonderful that the EMSB and the Lester B Pearson School Boards claim smaller enrolments than years gone by, whilst the waiting time for private schools have increased at alarming rates.

While my family tree doesn’t connect me to Albert Einstein or any brilliant mathematicians of modern times, something, many things, just don’t add up.

With billions in net profits earned from Quebec’s lottery system, I, and so many like me, just want to know ‘where has all the money gone???’

Yes. Where has the money gone??

Citizens, taxpayers, our neighbours and friends, you and I...we all want to know the same thing. There are 16 000, 18 000, 20 000 persons a day playing any one of our provincial lotteries, or walking into 1 of our 4 provincially owned and run casinos. There are people losing their shirt, pants and underwear in the process. Where the heck is the dough?

The Casino de Montréal, 16 years young this September, is by far the number 1 culprit in depleting the pockets and bank accounts from Mr. and Mrs. Joe Blow.

Even the cleaning lady EVENTUALLY finds your missing sock.

Even your kids EVENTUALLY find the loonies and toonies that fell out of your pockets and landed between the sofa pillows.

EVENTUALLY the over eater comes clean and admits to the chocolate donut binge at 2 in the morning.

But what has Loto Québec admitted to?

They hardly admit to, or even come close to, admitting all the suicides that take place as a direct result of that heinous building. Loto Québec never talks about the multi-million dollar art collection they have amassed over the years; artwork that is hanging in all 4 casinos and their head office here on Sherbrooke Street. You don't get a collection like theirs because they are LOSING money. And true to my word, one of my favourites, is how do they explain a car jockey at the casino making 60-90 K a year (if not more)?

C`mon people! I've said it before...WAKE UP PEOPLE! WAKE UP!

The poor goose that spoke on behalf of Loto Québec at the International Symposium a couple of weeks ago, went on bragging that about 30-35 million is spent annually in HELPING the problem gambler. Let’s see; the lotteries rake in about 4 billion annually, they spend about 35 million in projects to help the sick. That`s about 0.75 % .

That tiny number isn't even a number...ITS A FRACTION!

WHERE IS THE MONEY?

Wasn't that the question?

$illy people who play.

$tupid machines that will never make you money.

$avings that took so long for you and your family to put aside, GONE!

$chmucks that we are to play with AFTER TAXED DOLLARS!

$mart are those whom play just for the fun of it, win OR lose, and play with money they can afford never to see again, because THEY WONT!

$neaky is Loto Québec to give rights to The National Bank to setup shop INSIDE the casino. Having cash, ATM cards and Debit cards aren't enough. Withdraw money from your personal bank account on the spot. Hey, that's civic minded, isn't it?

Why aren't there 24/7 National Banks next to Sun Youth, Museums, Synagogues or Churches for those in the mood to make a donation 3:45 in the morning?

This is a sick province that's time has come.

Quebec cannot live on the rich heritage of being known for its POUTINE, BEAVERTAILS and Potholes any longer.

Why not be leaders in the fight for PROBLEM GAMBLING and all that it effects.

Why not have Quebec hold a public forum monthly and explain IN CLEAR ENGLISH what the lottery revenues for the month are, and where the profit is going.

And to please explain it in simpler words than our famous referendum question.

I can see the headlines now...

"The monies taken in but not necessarily received through the casino business or parts thereof the lottery industry in the province of Quebec but not necessarily purchased in the said Province at local or out of town retailers but not restricted to Quebec, for the sole purpose of sales for the said business of lottery sales..." - Loto Québec Spokesperson explaining where the money is.

The Aces, Kings and Queens of the Gambling World Show-Up...and Loto Québec Sends in its Joker!`

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - September 12, 2009

My Mazel!

Two of the nicest days of the summer (what summer?) were spent 2 floors below ground level Thursday and Friday, September 3^rd and 4^th, at the International Gambling and Addictions Symposium, this year held right here in our hometown at the Delta Centre-Ville Hotel. And quite the conference it was! Approximately 250 of the world leaders in the area of gambling, from suicide experts and researchers, to a plethora of clinicians, therapists, counsellors and social workers...and a "Cleaner" like me who helps clean the mess the gambler has left behind, not just financially.

Concordia University, McGill University, Université De Montréal and the Fonds De Recherche Sur la Société et la Culture de Québec (that name is about 275 points in scrabble) and other educational bodies sponsored the event and were well represented. But, for Loto Quebéc, the hometown boys did not show up. Why be surprised?

The CEO of Loto Québec and the communications director seemed to have taken the days off. What the heck...Why should they show up to a Symposium on Gambling where 100's of folks from around the world travelled to be here to exchange ideas and work together to better understand the problem gambler. After all, with traffic, it might have taken them well over 15 minutes to go from their downtown offices to a downtown hotel. Guessing they could have sold one of their paintings hanging in their offices (our taxpayer offices, actually) and get 2 taxis, not 1, to take them!

Instead they sent a Loto Québec lawyer (why send a lawyer?) that had the skills of speaking in front of a crowd as well as Joe Pesci spoke to the courtroom in the great film "MY COUSIN VINNY". She gave OY-VAY a new meaning. Speaking for 35 minutes, of which 15 minutes were spent applauding herself and the Loto Québec staff for doing such a great job, another 10 minutes telling the giggling crowd how Loto Québec was a leader in the world of states/provinces that have lotteries, another 5 minutes tripping through her speech with UMM-UMM-A-A-UMM-UMM and the remaining 5 minutes figuring out how to use the clicker to change frames in her power point presentation (French only).

Yup, I wasn`t terribly impressed.

I had a better speech from the lady on how to use the headsets to translate the conference into English.

Oh yeah, my favourite part of the Gambling and Addiction Québec-hosted symposium was that at lunch we were offered white wine or red, but couldn't get a Coke or 7-up. Got to love this province!

Québec...Ya made us proud!

Congrats though, to all the wonderfully talented speakers who showed us that there are some very talented folks taking the world of Problem Gambling quite seriously, and are dedicating their life to doing so.

As someone that lives their life to help others get their lives back, a GIGANTIC THANK YOU, and a job exceedingly well done. Special thanks to some of the leaders in the world of Gambling and Gaming research, such as Robert Ladouceur of the Université De Laval, Dr. Isabelle Martin and her team at Mc Gill, Louise Nadeau the Symposium President and Mr. Jaques Babin, the President of the Fonds Québécois De La Recherche Sur La Société Et La Culture, and lastly the doorman at the Delta that let me park my car in front of the main entrance for 10 bucks for the whole day...2 days in a row!

The Oldest Addiction Grabs The Elderly

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - September 5, 2009

Never mind about the Kings and Queens...what about the Bubbys and Zaides?

Never mind about the Jacks...what about the Yunkles?

Never mind about getting a Straight??...what about standing straight?

And never mind about getting a Pair??...what about eating a pear??

Last week we talked about Youth Gambling.

This week, let’s talk about Senior Gambling.

Seniors are the fasting growing groups of gamblers...even ahead of students and/or teens (according to CNN). Between 1974 and 1994, the percentage of seniors grew from 20% to a whopping 50%. According to the same sources, gambling, all and any forms such as bingo, horse racing, or going to the casino, beats out shopping and golf combined as a preferred social activity.

How could Loto Quebec and its Montreal Casino have the audacity, the shame, the nerve, to actually arrange shuttle buses to pick up senior citizens from Montreal area senior citizen homes and take them to the casino for ‘hours of fun and excitement’. If the senior citizen homes work amicably with Loto Quebec to arrange for these outings, they too, should be embarrassed and in total shame. I can tell you first hand, categorically and without a doubt, from speaking to local bank managers, that seniors on a regular basis, have been cashing out RRSPs, taking out RIF money, and withdrawing cold hard cash so that they are ready when the shuttle bus comes a calling. Once again, Loto Quebec and its casino marketing team are in brilliant high gear. They provide transportation to and fro, free and/or discounted meals, special rewards and assorted prizes that attract the older individual.

The seniors live in a world of isolation, loneliness and boredom. The casino provides a distraction to these said people.

Imagine certain casinos send birthday cards as if Loto Quebec really cares when it’s their birthday.

Seniors, as a whole, do not understand addiction, and more often than not, are shy and/or ignorant to seek help.

Again, as with any gambler, the tell tale signs of seniors with gambling problems may be loss of interest or participation in the homes’ activities, boredom, blocks of time unaccounted for, possessions missing, or a general change in their attitude and personality.

What seniors fail to realize is that when their money is lost through gambling, it is almost impossible to replace, as they are no longer, as a rule, in the active work force.

Our federal and provincial governments have a public responsibility to prevent seniors from losing their life savings, as they have a responsibility to be public watchdogs against adolescent smoking.

Gambling can easily become a problem to some people later in life as a result of losing a loved one or a drastic change in health. The senior relies on gambling as a way of dealing with any and all problems and instant gratification.

All of the above makes for, in my opinion, a horrible cocktail, as a way to pass one’s remaining years.