Talk Back With Riback

Gambling and Co.

2009-11-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - November 21, 2009

Don’t think that for one second that when you’re in a different zone and all you’re thinking about is gambling, that you are not affecting your day to day job and how people see you.
I will always go back to the basic premise that the vast majority of gamblers lose money and that the vast majority of those people are not happy people when they lose money.
Be it tens of dollars, hundreds, or thousands, it is all relative.
Dr Pavlov once said that within 10 to 12 minutes of a person waking in the morning, their mood is pretty much set for the day. That was said many years ago and it still holds true today.
Simply speaking, when your coworker in the cubicle next to you had a bad night the night before at the local Brasserie playing VLT machines, it is clearly written all over their face when they show up to work the next morning. Sadness, grief, remorse, irritability, anger, guilt all exude as they try to work the day as best they can.
Companies have seen theft at the workplace, lying, cheating, forged checks, company credit cards have been known to be used for online gambling by people in the finance department (who have access to these cards), employees calling in sick the morning after or the night before a losing spree.
A gambler’s judgement becomes awfully clouded when all they have on their mind is ‘When to gamble?’ ‘Where to gamble?’ ‘With whom should they go gambling?’ and ‘Where is the money going to come from?’ What scheme does a gambler come up with when they are preparing for their next devastating bout with Lady Luck?
Companies should try their damndest to spot employees who may be in trouble. Realizing, of course, that not every company is large enough to have its own Human Resources Department, small-time owners and/or managers can learn, and should learn, how to spot problems at the office and be able to refer these people for help.
The loss of productivity at the workplace as a result of gambling and gambling problems is massive (as is any addiction that spills over to the workplace). This is why education is so very important.

Gambling Destroys Families...and Don’t Think Otherwise

2009-11-18T06:26:00.000-08:00

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - November 14, 2009

Fires destroy homes.
Gambling destroys families.
I have had the horrific task of watching, on a weekly, if not semi-weekly basis, families torn apart because of gambling; ripped apart because of gambling; destroyed because of gambling.
I suppose it is because of what it is that I do for a living that I see this happen so often, and with every family crisis I work with, a part of me is destroyed as well.
Mothers not talking to children.
Wives not talking to husbands.
Siblings not talking to each other.
All because of money, greed, grandiosity, and forgive me, dear gambler, stupidity.
I cannot tell you how often how often I become nauseous listening to families telling their gambling stories to friends, employees, employers, neighbours etc.
What starts out as an innocent card game or a pull of a slot machine turns into life-altering unhappiness.
The sadness in people’s eyes.
The greed in people’s voices.
The lying and cheating in people’s daily lives.
It is enough to make you sick.
Ripping the government apart is the easy part.
But the sad part...the very sad part...at the same time, is that I look into people’s eyes daily and see the sadness ooze from their facial expressions.
It is pathetic.
It is horrible.
It shouldn’t happen.
It is pitiful to the nth degree.
How can something that began so innocently ruin and sometimes end people’s lives?
I read stories from around the world and the story is always the same.
People, I beg of you, to take a step or 2 back and think ‘What are you doing?’ What the hell are you doing?
Is your marriage worth it?
Is your friendship with your buddy, worth it?
Is the relationship with your boss or coworkers, worth it?
Is the momentary high you get, worth it?
It is gambling. It is dice. It is machines. It is cards. It is paper. It’s a bloody lottery ticket.
It’s not worth it.
It is absolutely and categorically, not at all, worth it.
We spend our entire childhood, adolescence, and for some of us fortunate ones, our late teenage years and 20s in schools, high schools, colleges and universities.
We spend years and years learning and studying right from wrong.
Our parents or guardians spend so many waking hours working to give us the best, their best, and what do many of us do?
We screw it up.
I ask again, from my heart of hearts, what are we doing?
Families; your family; you; deserve far better than what any lottery ticket or casino could possibly give you.
At the risk of sounding like former vice president Al Gore, we live on a beautiful planet with so much to offer.
Allow ourselves, our children, and our families, to enjoy what life has to offer in one of the planet’s finest countries.
Gambling and family go together like Canada and separatism.

Depression and Suicide...No Laughing Matter...

2009-11-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - November 7, 2009

Your faithful weekly gambling columnist, Howard Riback, must put down the joke book and the constant government-isms today, in lieu of a topic that is as horrible to write about as it is to hear about; depression and suicide.
I am not for one minute insinuating or pointing fingers, that depression and suicide ONLY stem from gambling losses, but let us not live in a fool’s paradise and admit that pathological and compulsive gambling have certainly helped drive the numbers of the depressed and suicide victims upwards. Depression and suicide are results of constant financial losses, family breakups, bankruptcies, overextended credit, and complete loss of logical human thought processes.
I will always go back to the simplest and easiest gambling-related comment ever made. The vast majority of players, be them of lotteries or casino games, lose. Of those people, again, the vast majority lose money they cannot afford to lose. Taking this statement further, all forms and all levels of depression kick in once gambling begins and losing money begins to mount.
There is a huge level of pressure in a person’s mind when the 250 dollars tucked away in their wallet whose original purpose was for grocery shopping now must be replaced.
Canadians have been losing their jobs by the tens of thousands for the last year or so, and his has never been so important to put away a few extra dollars here and there, if possible, for a rainy day or emergency. To have this money sucked out of the pants, wants and purses of Mr. And Mrs. Canadian, is itself a heinous crime that all of Canada’s lottery commissions should be terribly ashamed of.
There have been so many statistics given out by both the provincial and federal governments, who knows what to believe?
The casinos themselves put out statistics that are illogical and completely non-believable. People are killing themselves in Canada at a rate of approximately 1 every day and a half according to a Globe and Mail article published a few weeks ago.
The Canadian Safety Council estimates 200 problem gamblers kill themselves each year. An Ontario professor has said, ‘the less people know about gambling-related suicides- at least as far as provincial governments are concerned- the better for them, politically speaking. However, governments know their fingerprints are all over these needless deaths.’
Research has shown that there are no actual country-wide statistics by any of the provinces Lotto Commissions with regard to gambling and suicide, yet we hear of stories in every community that someone has jumped from a building after accruing massive gambling debt.
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.
The time has come, albeit way too late, that gambling should just be a game.

Governments Spend Millions to Make Losers Feel Like Winners

2009-11-18T06:21:00.000-08:00

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - October 31, 2009

Coupons belong in supermarkets...not in casinos.
Rolls of quarters belong in your glove compartment for parking meters...not for casinos.
Free t-shirts belong at concerts...not at casinos.
Shuttle-buses belong at the airport...not shuttling between the casinos and Old Age Homes.
Altogether now, let’s have an Oprah ‘Aha’ moment; what are these government-run marcasinos doing to us seemingly bright people?
Oprah moment #2, ‘They’re taking us for dummies!’
It has been said time and time again that all casinos make 2/3 of their revenues from 1/3 of the pathological gamblers. Why then, would any casino not want to have their regulars remain regulars? It is not in their best interest to help or deny the compulsive gambler from walking through the casino doors. Wouldn’t restaurant buffet owners prefer skinny people with small appetites to frequent their buffet? Would Second Cup embark on an ad campaign to those that love tea?
Marketing, people, Marketing!
There are reasons, and good ones at that, that casinos offer all kinds of incentives to frequent their building.
Ignite the gambler’s soul....from smoked meat to limos, from t-shirts to losing your shirts...
The casinos spend millions in trying to strike the right chord to catch and reel in their next vulnerable customer.
Does Provigo need such marketing ....no, because you have to go anyway...we all need food.
Marketing used to mean ‘Things go better with Coke’.
Marketing used to mean ‘Panasonic, ideas for life’.
Marketing used to mean ‘G.E., We Bring Good Things To Life’.
Nowadays, marketing has hit new and ugly heights which prey on the educated, uneducated, the old, the young, the wealthy, the poor, men and women, and people of all races.
It is a race and a life-threatening contest, to see who will get your hard earned money quicker and consistently. And the casino business...God love the casino business...has given the marketing industry a whole new meaning.
If America’s 3 big car companies had the marketing ingenuity of the casino world, Obama wouldn’t have had to bail the car industry out.
Casinos and the gambling world itself, sells dreams...dreams of money, of wealth, of homes, boats and cars.
Marketing and gambling go hand in hand like Bonnie and Clyde (but look what happened to them.)

It's a Crime-ing Shame

2009-11-18T06:18:00.000-08:00

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - October 24, 2009

Fact: Until mid-year 1993, gambling in any public forum was illegal and punishable with jail time under The Quebec Criminal Code.
Miraculously, in September 1993, when the Casino De Montréal opened its doors, not only was gambling suddenly legal, it was glorified, sexified and was touted as sheer entertainment.
How can gambling have gone from a criminal offense to a legalized pastime?
Simple; the government, our elected officials, found a way to make money off its already overtaxed population.
Since Bugsy Siegel got Las Vegas going in the 40’s and 50’s, it became no secret that gamblers ‘lose’. Now, if gamblers lose, one must deduce that casino operators (government) ‘win’.
One cannot possibly think or believe that our government has its citizen’s best interests at heart. Let’s face it, we all know that, sooner or later, prostitution and/or legalizing drugs is not too far away once the same government figures out a way to make money.
The mere fact that since the first Loto Québec prize was handed out in March 1970, until today, lotteries and the casinos have blossomed into a 6 billion dollar industry in our province alone.
According to Quebec statistics, there are almost 60 000 compulsive gamblers. Of that number, the vast majority of pathological gamblers lie, cheat, steal and commit crimes to feed their habit.
Crime itself has been on the rise in this province with much of its growth due to loan-sharking for the purposes of gambling and gambling debts. These crimes can include passing bad checks, embezzlement, forgery, insurance fraud, robbery or assault, office theft, credit card theft, Ponzi schemes and credit card debt (people borrowing money with no intention of ever paying it back).
Gambling often leads to destroying families, which, of course, is the biggest crime possible.
To gamble, one needs money. And when a pathological gambler finds himself without funds, he’ll resort to anything, including crime.
Prosecutors and the judicial system in general, are getting tougher and tougher on white collar crimes committed for gambling reasons, which is somewhat hypocritical seeing as how it is the same provincial government that allows the lotteries and casinos to have it in the first place.
Here’s a crazy thought: Loto Québec loves taking pictures of its winners and use them for advertising promotions. Why don’t they take pictures of all the losers and hang them up and see how business will flourish. Does Kodak make enough film?
Gambling; the art of losing money legally.
I rest my case.

Chips are for dips...Not for casinos!

2009-10-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-10-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

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???

2009-10-01T14:57:00.001-07:00

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!`

2009-10-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

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.

Quebec Government Running our Casinos akin to Pedophiles Running a Babysitting Service

2009-10-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - August 29, 2009

What’s next Virginia? Santa Clause really does exist?

Wake up, people, wake up!

Our government...your government...the people’s government, care about gambling addiction as much as the SAQ cares about how much you drink. (Another government-run department)

Our kids don’t have the right books in school. Our kids don’t have enough books in school. School room ceilings have paint falling on the floor. There are potholes in Montreal the size of Rhode Island. There are pieces of bridges that fall more often than leaves in September.

Come on people...wake up...

We are a province of 6 million people with only 1.3 million of us working and paying taxes; the same province that does just over 4 billion at the Loto Quebec level.

Where is the money, people? Where is the money?

And we, as a society, keep on going to one of Quebec’s 4 casinos? We keep buying Loto tickets week after week after week.

We play Mise-O-Jeux with the hopes of winning a whopping 32 dollars.

Wake up, people, wake up...

I have dreams (perhaps nightmares) that the billions of dollars being taken in by our government must be in a massive war chest tucked away somewhere in Quebec City.

Truth be told, chances are, I bet it’s being wasted on bureaucratic nonsense.

I have travelled the world, and there is no greater place to live and raise a family than right here in Montreal. However, if our politicians weren’t as useless and crooked as they are, Montreal could be the best city on planet earth, and Quebec could be the greatest province.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on a department they call L’Office Québécois de la Langue Française is acceptable, but a 4 billion dollar lottery intake can’t open beds in hospitals or man the operating rooms without having patients wait months and months.

If somebody, if anybody, could tell us where every dollar goes from Loto-Québec, and explained to Mr. And Mrs. Taxpayer what the real story is, I would love to listen.

Here is my idea to gamble for free: Drive along The Boulevard and try not to hit a pothole. Drive under bridges for hours at a time and hope that nothing falls on your car. Take yourself to the Emergency Room at any of the Montreal area hospitals and see if you can get in and out under a couple of hours.

C-difficile really stands for ‘Casino-Difficile’. And we, as an educated city and province, day after day, give them more business? After-taxed dollars? Nacht

Look, we have to buy gasoline. We know we’re getting screwed. We know there’s collusion between oil companies. But we have no choice. We know how much money per gallon (litres to you young folk) is taxes. But to spend after-tax dollars at the casino is utterly and completely ridiculous.

Let’s use Loto-Québec (casinos, 6-49 etc.) for the real purpose for which it exists: simple fun. A few dollars here and there, to the average Canadian who can afford it, is fine.

Compulsive gambling isn’t. Addictive gambling isn’t. Pathological gambling isn’t.

We need programs to help these people.

We need money to help these people.

We need people to help these people.

The lottery business in Quebec, or anywhere in the world, for that matter, should be privately run, and pay its share of taxes based on profit, with the understanding that ‘X’ percent of revenues goes toward helping the addicts of their industry.

We have heard for years and years how much smoking has cost the province in lost productivity and what it has cost our healthcare system. Do we ever hear that about Loto-Québec or the SAQ?

If the government has the right to meddle into the tobacco industry, then why doesn’t private industry have the right to meddle into the gambling industry?

(Pretty good point, huh?)

Certainly, with a 4 billion dollar intake, there must be money, more money, available to help those that can’t help themselves. The SPCA does it...

Youth Gambling

2009-10-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - August 22, 2009

Youth gambling. Young smokers. Teen pregnancy. Underage drinking.

Houston, we have a problem. Houston, we have many problems.

What more has to happen?
How many more kids have to get into trouble?
How many more of our world’s "future” have to become school dropouts, before we figure it out?

Thank G-D this is only an article, and I cannot scream, because, if I could, these words and the font they are written in, would be as big as the King Of Clubs himself! We were taught as kids to take the Jokers out of a deck of cards. Now I know where they all are...WORKING IN THE GOVERNMENT dressed as bureaucrats, and disguised as taxpayer paid employees. UUGGHH!!

A kid goes into a convenience store to buy a quart of milk (showing my age, huh?) and is asked if he would like a 6/49 ticket with that.

Then the kid gets into his little Honda and listens to the radio, and he hears the Loto results.

When he gets home, and opens the daily newspaper and reads about his fave sports team, he sees the spread on the night’s game, and who the favourite teams are. 9 to 5...2 to 1...6 to 5...Man, in my day, those were the hours a part-time job was offering.

Today, a kid has to be good in math to figure out if the Jets are SUPPOSED to beat the Pats, or if they don’t, and just cover the spread, can he still make money? Huh?

Youth gambling. It must be Latin for "gambling is everywhere", and not “wait till your folks take you to Atlantic City for your 18^th birthday”; another brilliant move parents do, and offer their kids as an entitlement when of legal age, which is just ANOTHER way of saying “now you are old enough to lose money on your own, and develop an addiction. Bonne chance and good luck!”

Do you , dear reader, detect a hint of sarcasm?

Youth gambling is just another way of turning more blind eyes the other way, as we the adults still like to think of the world of gaming as a sexy, glamorous and enticing, mindless sport, but forget that OUR YOUTH, OUR KID, .OUR LITTLE JOHNNY'S AND SALLY'S, are watching with bulging eyes!

Gaming has been portrayed as a somewhat healthy pastime that can possibly change your life with its chances of winning; Sort of like buying flood insurance or hurricane insurance, and having the salesman tell you, "you gotta have it..."

I am not going to bore you with stats, numbers of all kinds, scientific data that will put you to sleep faster than Nyquil...but I will tell you that having our youth watch poker on television, buying Mise-O-Jeux at the store or sneaking into the casino when his/her age isn't quite ripe yet, isn't the best example we can show to them.

Youth gambling. It’s wrong and must be stopped. Watchdogs must be put in place. Our government should be ashamed. But then again, these are the same guys that have a department called THE LANGUAGE POLICE. Oy!! or should I say...Mon Dieu!!

You 'Bet' There Is A Problem

2009-10-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Winning Hand: West End Times Article - August 15, 2009

Gambling: An ugly word that conjures up images of smokey underground poker rooms, guys that haven't changed their clothes in days, warm beer and loan sharks abundant.

Gaming: A new, and glamorous word that conjures up images of fine dining, beautifully appointed casinos and a new and acceptable lifestyle of the millennium.

The truth: We as a society continue to chase the elusive dream to make money, and to live a life of fantasy, which, may, in fact, find us in trouble. We are, in fact, too smart o subscribe to those theories. Gambling is, and should be, a harmless pastime strictly for enjoyment.

Gaming/Gambling is a heinous, horrifying and addictive pastime that has ruined peoples’ lives, killed the family unit, helped the rate of suicides climb drastically and have put people’s dreams and hopes on hold, possibly forever.

You CANNOT win at gambling.

When this statement resonates with one’s mind and is clearly understood, we as a society will be in much better shape mentally, physically, morally and certainly, financially.

Sure, playing poker with the guys (and women) and buying the odd 2 dollar 6/49 Loto ticket is fine. It’s like buying and snacking on the odd chocolate bar. But it’s not OK 5 at a time!

Moderation is the answer. Everything in life is about moderation.

Your greatest strength is you. Use it. Don't abuse it! Know what you are doing and the end result of what may happen.

Gambling is as old a pastime as playing cards themselves. When fun turns into destruction, lying, cheating and night-time sweats, there is a problem.

Anxiety and all that comes with it, isn't worth the temporary high that is associated with gambling. It just isn't.

There are no windows in casinos so you don't know what’s doing outside. There is a cooler than average temperature inside the casino to keep players more awake and eager to play. There are garish and plain, old, ugly, and busy carpeting to ensure people don't look down but see the tables and machines continually and make you want to play. There are slot machines (VLTs) that make a sound in the musical key of "C" which is scientifically known as the most pleasing sound to the human ear. There are coupons for dining that cost players 50 bucks to play and lose so they are entitled to a 4 dollar free hamburger. The "high-roller" (definition: those who risk far more than the average and who inevitably lose far more than the average) who is given a "free" weekend valued at anywhere from $1000 to $2000 providing he/she plays a couple of hours a day, and drops $3000 to $5000 or more. Great!

Six hundred dollars for a diet coke. Does this make sense?

Truth is, I am jealous. The marketing and sales team for worldwide casinos do a fantastic job of getting bodies into their buildings. The only problem is, among many, is that families end up losing their homes, children go unfed, marriages breakup and college funds go depleted. But hey, isn't gambling fun?

Gambling isn't going anywhere. It’s an approximate 30 billion dollar industry in Canada alone. Stop pointing fingers. Stop blaming. Stop the bleeding hearts. Start educating, the gambling uneducated population. What we have learned about cigarette smoking the last 25 years, we must learn about the pros and cons of gambling.

Do Canadians like to gamble? You bet.

Howard's Rant

2009-09-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

The addiction to gambling has been slowly gripping society with such velocity and strength, it is

no wonder why divorce, bankruptcies, suicides, white and blue collar crime are all on the rise.

Governments sell Gambling/Gaming as entertainment, whilst a number of people have become

pathological..compulsive players, often not realizing their lives are out of control.

Gambling has caused people's lives to burn in free fall, taking family and friends with

them. Gambling too much is simply a disease. ..a sickness... an illness.

We must re look at the definition of MODERATION.

Your greatest strength is you..USE IT!