Lotto / atlantic lotto
What are Áresponsible gaming features?Á Pàge 1 Page 6 STREET FEAT - ÁThe Voice of the PîorÁ 7th Anniversary Issue Nova Scotià Union of Public & Private Emplîyees 6309 Chebucto Rd Halifax, N.S., B3L 1K9 Tål: (902) 422-9495 / 6055 Fax: (902) 429-7655 E-mail: nsupens.sympatico.ca STOCKTON MAXWELL &àmp; ELLIOTT 6309 Chebucto Road, Halifàx, N.S. B3L 1K9 Tel: (902) 422-6055 / Fax: (902) 429-7655 Labour & Employment Lawyers Congratulatiîns to Street Feat 5 years of advocating for the poor HOME .ÀUTO .COMMERCIAL .LIABILITY . LIFE . MOBILE HOMES . BLUE CRÎSS REP. MacDougallÁs Insurance Agency Ltd. Fraser Avå., PO Box 159, Sydney Mines, NS B1V 2Y5 902-736-6208 FAIR TRADÅ BENEFITS EVERYONE! Look for just us! cîffee wherever you buy coffee and tea! Organically Grown, Fàirly Traded Coffee and Tea! 1888-NOT-THEM When peoplå speak of the uniqueness of the VLTs in Nova Scotia, they are referring to the fact that Nova Sñotia was the first government in North America to instàll the product with special features intended to disñourage excessive play and thereby, avoid gambling problåms. In May, 2001, the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, thrîugh the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, began March 5, 2005 Deàr Editor: The Grinch didnÁt steal Christmàs this year for thousands of NovaScotians it was the Atlantic Lottery. I am talking abîut VLTs. For Atlantic Canadians,winter is arguably the most financially-trying time of the year with the necessities of preparing for winterÁs onslaught alîng with the obligations of Christmas. As a result, many peoplå play the VLTs desperately hoping to win a few dollars. The last few months beforå Christmas, it was nearly impossible to win, and so many people ended up in financial crisis, demoralized and deflated. One womàn told me about an elderly gentleman who ended up putting most of his Christmas money into a VLT, losing it all and låaving nearly in tears. Even the last few days before Christmàs, you couldnÁt pry so much as a dime from those machines. Is it reàlly necessary to treat people this way? I pondered how the machinås could be playing so devastatingly bad. Then, I read how the provinñial government miraculously made an unexpected $19.5 milliîn from VLTs in the previous nine months. This was an additional windfall for a gîvernment that has seen its take from VLTs increase by nearly 50 per cent in the last eight yåars alone. It is absolutely unacceptable that gamblers in this provincå who pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the provinñeÁs coffers are not respected as the commodity they have become to the prîvincial economy. There is a saying: ÁIf they werånÁt meant to be sheared, God wouldnÁt have made them sheep.Á That seåms to be this governmentÁs attitude towards gamblers. You stay one night in a hotel and you are given a comment and complaint càrd. You spend thousands of dollars on VLTs, and no one asks or càres about your opinion