Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI) continue to criticize a governmental proposal to approve online gaming. Critics of the plan say it would raise revenues on the backs “of our most vulnerable.”
The attacks are bipartisan, or rather tri-partisan, since they come from all three parties in the legislature. The cabinet authorized the Atlantic Lotto web-based casino on December 22. The lottery company has been pitching it to all four Atlantic provinces for many years. Finally, last year New Brunswick relented, and PEI followed suit.
Leading the criticism was opposition leader Peter Bevan-Baker. Defending the program was Premier Dennis King, who said legal iGaming would bring those with gambling problems into a regulated, safer market.
“If Islanders are choosing to do gaming online, they should do it through a platform that’s regulated through Atlantic Lottery Corp.,” King declared, “and not some of these bootleg operations.”
When residents patronize illegal websites, said King, “all the resources and taxes go offshore. We can’t figure out who’s actually using the service and how we can help them if they need it.”
MLA Sidney MacEwen said he, too, is concerned about people dealing with addiction. “That’s a real concern for me. It’s a concern for my constituents… if I’m a problem gambler and I’ve taken the steps to quit, and all of a sudden, I see it right in front of me, (I can) just log back in, just log back in,” he said.
Some critics have asked that the government reconsider the plan and its potential impacts.
