Gambling addiction support promised by Canadian reward programme

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by Change | 16 Jun 2010

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Reward cards tracking the amount spent by gamblers could be used as an early-warning system of addiction.

A player rewards programme used to track how much gamblers spend in casinos across a large geographic area could double up as an effective early-warning sign of gambling addiction.

That is according to an addiction expert, who believes that such schemes have proved to be successful in the Netherlands and called for British Columbia (BC) to follow suit.

Speaking to CCTV News, Dr Robert Williams of the University of Lethbridge, such a system would help the BC Lottery Corporation to quickly identify problem gamblers who may need to be referred to a gambling clinic before they develop a full-blown addiction.

"We have lots of problem gamblers and we do virtually nothing to deter that," he told the publication. "These player cards have a lot of potential that's being underutilized."

"This information is some of the best information that could be used to intervene early because once people develop an addiction it's hard to treat. Nip it in the bud," he said.

Earlier this month, addiction experts moved to dispel some of the common myths surrounding gambling addiction.

Rose Gruber, of the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling, told the Greenbay Press Gazette that despite misconceptions, most who need support will not feel compelled to gamble every day or bet on anything.

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