Fears VLTs could create 'pathological gamblers'
Montreal's director of public health says plans to install more than a thousand new video lottery terminals at the Montreal Hippodrome will only exacerbate an already acute gambling problem among many Montrealers.
Dr. Richard Lessard, director of Public Health for Central Montreal, says a recent public-health study shows that one-third of people who play the video lottery machines become what he calls "pathological gamblers."
He says it's premature to install more terminals when "we don't know enough about the effect of the video lottery terminals that already exist across the city."
Gambling costs
Lessard says gambling problems can plunge families into crisis or worse: "They can also include depression, maybe suicide," he says. "We're very much concerned about the increased accessibility of those machines in Montreal."
There are 1,500 machines at the Montreal casino and plans are to install 1,250 new terminals at the old Blue Bonnets racetrack.
"It's like adding another casino on the island," Lessard said.
The public health department is calling for a moratorium on the installation of any new machines until an indepth study can be conducted to make sure the machines won't do more harm than good.
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