Loto-Québec Presents Responsible Gaming Summary
MONTREAL – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Mr. Alain Cousineau, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Loto-Québec, presented a summary today of the principal actions undertaken by the Corporation to promote responsible gaming since releasing its 2004-2007 Development Plan. The Corporation's chief executive also took advantage of the opportunity to outline various new initiatives aimed at advancing healthy gaming behaviour. "The prevention of excessive gambling is of concern to our fellow citizens, and we share that preoccupation on a daily basis," underlined Mr. Cousineau. "At the same time, we would like to foster greater awareness of the measures we are taking and of our contributions in this regard. That is why we have decided to launch a new sensitization campaign through the Fondation Mise sur toi."
Reconfiguration of the Video Lottery Network
Loto-Québec has achieved 41% of its objective to reduce the number of sites offering video lottery terminals. More specifically, that means there are currently 468 fewer sites in operation, with 544 units having been withdrawn. In accordance with the initiatives outlined in its Development Plan, the Corporation has committed to diminishing accessibility to video lottery terminals by cutting the number of sites operating such units down by 31%. Thus, by the end of 2007, Loto-Québec will have cut 1,142 sites. Offered since this past October to establishments equipped with five terminals in 271 targeted zones and 10 units throughout the rest of the province, the voluntary withdrawal program alone has allowed for the elimination of 129 units to date.
Operating Code
Over 85% of video lottery site operators have agreed to adhere to an operating code proposed last autumn by Loto-Québec, and the Corporation is continuing to target other retailers. Representing a first within the industry, this code includes some 20 different commitments that proprietors must honour in order to ensure responsible management throughout the network. The code must also henceforth be clearly displayed in all establishments.
In a related initiative, the Taking Risks Is No Game training program, already in place in 2001 and 2002, was updated and will again be offered. As such, more than 10,000 people working at licensed establishments equipped with video lottery terminals will be receiving training that will enable them to better understand the problems associated with excessive gaming. The new operating code also stipulates that these establishments must have at least one person working at all times who has completed this specialized training.
Furthermore, the Fondation Mise sur toi has been entrusted on a trial basis with a mandate to work with the appropriate parties to look at the implementation of additional programs and preventive measures in sectors where the ratio of video lottery terminals is higher that the provincial average. Discussions are currently underway in James Bay, Cap-aux-Meules, Maniwaki, Magog, Parent, Schefferville and Val-d'Or.
It's Only a Game / It's Nothing More Than Chance Awareness Campaign
The Fondation Mise sur toi will be running a far-reaching awareness campaign from February 16 through May 6 to be disseminated over Québec's major television networks, as well as on several of the province's community TV stations. The campaign will focus on the indicators of excessive gaming behaviour and on the 1 866 SOS-JEUX help hotline available to players experiencing a problem. The media personalities to be used to convey these messages are Ellen David and Harry Standjofski (for the English TV spots) and Macha Limonchik and Denis Bouchard (for the French TV spots). In addition, the campaign will make extensive use of the print media.
As a complement to this campaign, in which the Fondation Mise sur toi has invested over $2 million, a pamphlet entitled, Your Player Profile in 8 Questions, will be inserted in all Québec dailies on February 18. Moreover, the publication will be available to the public at all lottery retailer locations, participating bingo halls, and over the course of the coming weeks, at sites equipped with video lottery terminals. At Québec's three casinos, it will be offered alongside the 8/8 console. Some three million copies of the pamphlet will thus be distributed.
Two Pilot Projects at the Casino de Montréal
- Enhanced Self-Exclusion Program
Among the initiatives implemented at the casinos, the self-exclusion program which some 1,500 players take advantage of each year has been enhanced at the Casino de Montréal to now include psychological support for the duration of any given self-exclusion period. As part of the arrangement, individuals involved must meet with a psychologist at the end of their self- exclusion period. If this initiative shows conclusive results, it will be extended to the province's other two gaming houses.
- Au Centre du hasard: Aimed at Maintaining Positive Gaming Habits
The Casino de Montréal has dedicated a space within the establishment to information and the prevention of excessive gambling. Known as Au Centre du hasard, this initiative will be led by qualified professionals who will demystify the notions of chance and luck by using such devices as tumblers and wheels of fortune. This positive and instructional approach focusing on maintaining healthy gaming behaviour will eventually be implemented as well at the Lac-Leamy and Charlevoix casinos.
A New Generation of Self-Assessment Consoles
Another of the Fondation Mise sur toi's initiatives is a brand new generation of self-assessment consoles known as, 8/8 - The Winning Combination, which allow players to determine their gaming profile by answering eight simple questions. In place at the Casino de Montréal as of mid-February, the console offers users the opportunity to reflect upon their gaming behaviour. More than 260,000 individuals consulted the previous generation of interactive terminals since they were installed at the three casinos in 1999. The 8/8 console will also eventually be installed at the Lac-Leamy and Charlevoix casinos.
Responsible Gaming Week
The awareness media campaign marks the continuation of a week dedicated to responsible gaming targeting the 7,000 employees of Loto-Québec. Scheduled for February 20-26, this special week is aimed at providing a complete picture of the many activities and measures in place promoting responsible gaming at Loto-Québec and within all of its subsidiaries. The Corporation's management is hoping that this weeklong event will serve as a unifying initiative in which other organizations of all kinds will wish to join in the future so as to create an annual activity for the benefit of the general public at large.
Facts and Figures That Complete the Picture
According to Mr. Cousineau, "the public remains inadequately informed when it comes to objective data about gaming, spending on gambling, and the investments allocated toward prevention." In fact, Québecers spend less than other Canadians on gambling, with the province ranking seventh in the country. Moreover, the actual number of probable compulsive gamblers within the province's adult population dropped from 1% in 1996 to 0.8% in 2002, while the number of players at risk declined from 1.4% in 1996 to 0.9% in 2002. As such, the compulsive gambling phenomenon has remained stable in Québec since 1996.
Loto-Québec has been investing in numerous ways in the prevention of excessive gaming and the promotion of responsible gaming behaviour for several years now. Since 2001, the Corporation has been concentrating on measures related to its activities, as the Québec Government has transferred the management of funds to finance assistance programs, research activities, and the various promotion initiatives to the Ministry of Health and Social Services. Loto-Québec's annual contribution to this Ministry is in the order of $17 million. In addition, the Corporation contributes $3 million each year to the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux.
Finally, Loto-Québec injected $6.1 million into the Fondation Mise sur toi's various programs, which brings the Corporation's global contribution to $26.1 million for fiscal 2004-2005.