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Study: British Columbians Buying Less Lottery Tickets

“In fact, the findings of the British Columbia Problem Gambling Prevalence Study -- quietly released two weeks ago on the last day of the legislative session -- are nowhere near as comforting as that.

“The study did indeed find that people aren't buying as many lottery tickets as they used to, but they're gambling at casinos considerably more often.

“And while the rate of problem gamblers is holding steady at 4.6 per cent, B.C. has the highest rate in the country of people showing early signs of a gambling problem.

“Of the 2,500 people surveyed for the study, 11.1 per cent fell into that category, well above the national average of 6.8 per cent. Add in the full-fledged problem gamblers, and more than half a million British Columbians are having issues with gambling.

“This is not good news in a province that's busy adding another 2,400 slot machines to the 3,000 already in play at government-sanctioned casinos.

“…More worrying still -- but hardly surprising -- are the kind of British Columbians having problems. The highest incidence was among those with the lowest household incomes, and the lowest levels of education. Students and the unemployed were more than twice as likely to be problem gamblers, and those aged 18 to 24 were twice as likely to be at risk.

“…Unfortunately, casino gambling has never been more popular: More than half of those surveyed reported gambling at a casino in the past year, up 12 per cent since 1996.

“…At $319 per capita, B.C.'s gambling expenditures may be below the Canadian average, but they're still double what they were three years ago…”

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