Thank you for this Kim. I love the infographic and was enticed to read the report.
It was interesting to note:
“Casinos have been shown to use marketing and services targeted specifically at older adults. These services include free transportation from older adult living facilities, low cost food and alcohol, needle disposals for diabetes sufferers and defibrillators, and entertainment options directed towards older adults, including recording artists from the 1960s and 1970s (Bjelde, Chromy, & Pankow, 2008). These inducements are generally focused on reducing barriers to attending the casino and on offering secondary benefits that appeal to older adults.”
I was really caught be the conclusion “This finding supported a recent gambling venue intercept study of older adults (55+) that found past-year bus tour patronage was associated with higher odds of severe problem gambling after controlling for demographics factors and gambling behaviours (van der Maas et al., 2017)”.
So I wondered about the prevalence of bus tours and quickly found a number of locally operated tours offering free or low cost transportation to local and distant Casinos some of which include meals. Digging a little further I noted that these tours were offered courtesy of OLG.
Then I looked at OLG’s Annual Report:
In 2018, OLG’s total revenue was $7,577,716,000.00 (yes, 7.5 billion!). After expenses that include $2,115,607,000.00 in prizes, OLG’s net profit to the province was $2,486,803,000.00. In that year they spent $281,774,000.00 on marketing and promotion.
In 2017, OLG’s net profit to the province was $ 2,360,910,000.00. In that year they spent $286,778, 000.00 on marketing and promotion.
While a large portion of lottery and gaming proceeds are used to fund the hospital sector, it is unfortunate to see the marketing budget and learn that seniors and other people who are in financially precarious situations, who can least afford to lose money because they are on a fixed or low income, are targeted with incentives like cheap travel to casinos/slots.
What could public health do with $200 million dollars to prevent problem gambling/gaming?
Great stuff to think about. Thanks Kim for sharing the info graphic.
Brenda