VLTs continue to have a huge impact on lives
Pat Carlson
Consider this
Published Thursday February 8th, 2007
Appeared on page C8
Webster defines an addict as one who gives oneself habitually up to some thing or substance.
Cheque day - the day in which those who are on income assistance receive money is also rent day at the shelter.
Ironically, it is also the time the province, via the VLTs, gets a great deal of its money back.
One person's ordeal with his addiction to VLTs is yet another accounting of this powerful habit.
This is his story.
Once, he tells me: "I had a wife and a child. I even worked. One day when I was leaving work, I stopped for a beer.
"Usually, I had just one and then went home. The lounge had VLTs and I didn't even know how they were played.
"I had a beer and from the change, from the $5, I asked the man next to the machine, 'How do I play this thing?'
"He showed me how to put the loony in and I won right away. I laughed. I won $60 my first time on the machines. I took the money and went home
.
"Two hours later, I went back. I lost the $60, then I put in $100 from my paycheque and lost that too!
"Ashamed, I went home. That was 10 years ago."
Now living full-time at the shelter, his addiction is causing another problem.
He can't always make it back from the bank to pay his rent here, nor does he have money to move out.
His addiction started the moment he sat in front of the machine.
He never knew he could become addicted.
Continuing his story, he says: "In the first seven months I lost $1,500."
Each time, he was trying to regain what he had just lost, and this month was no different.
He explained, to me, with head bent and shoulders deeply rounded from many burdens that, today, he had planned on moving out of the shelter.
He had looked for a room and, although two landlords wanted the cost of the room plus another months rent, he was just shy of $60.
He continues: "I get just over $500. I only took out $240 to get some things and a bit to play to see if I could get enough to move out.
"It was 10:50 a.m. At 11:44 a.m., I took out another $200 and then at 1:10 p.m.
I took out the last $60.
(He shows me his banking papers.)
"I have only $5 left and I didn't even buy cigarettes."
It was very cold that day, minus 25 degrees.
What would you do?
Would you say to this person, "You had a choice; you made a decision, so go sleep outside?"
I wonder, if you had to hear this story, see this man's face, feel his
disappointment with himself, and see that he is genuinely saddened by his inability to handle this, could you ask him to go?
I suggest it is a lot easier to talk tough, when you are not the one to look into their eyes.
We ask if he will consider counselling and go to GA meetings to help him deal with his addiction.
Then we ask - what do you think you could do about your relationship with the VLTs?
His answers are filled with pain, his voice rises with an anger showing from deep within.
Adamantly, he offers: "There should be no gambling allowed on the days cheques come out."
Then he offered: "Everyone on (income) assistance should have an ID card and, in order to open the machines, this card would be have to be put into it."
Also, he said: "Machines should record your ID and cut you off at a certain point."
Voice of the addict - the one, from whom we are always saying we need to hear.
My question is this. Is anyone listening?
Many other addicts have suggested removing the machines altogether.
Over the past two years we shared the government's profit figures, with you, from VLTs and have asked past governments why this money does not go into treatment or help with housing or shelters for those addicted.
In 2005, the profit was $129 million up considerably from 2004 at $110 million.
As the New Brunswick Task Force on Non Profits tour the province, will anyone be talking about the need to remove VLTs from our province, or will profits continue to represent the blood of many more ruined lives?
Pat Carlson is an advocate for the homeless and Executive Director of the Fredericton Shelters. She writes every second Thursday and can be reached at
shelter@nb.aibn.ca
2 comments:
I like his suggestion: "Everyone on (income) assistance should have an ID card and, in order to open the machines, this card would be have to be put into it."
You know very well that the Provincial will not get rid of the Video Lottary Terminals (VLTs), because it is an ensured source of continual revenue that or, blood money that the system continually circulates. It seems that there is a lot of talk and chatter about the awful harm and destruction that is caused by this kind of thing but no one seems to have an answer or a real solution People on the system should not even be allowed to play the machines at all especially if they're addicted to this kind of gambling. it is a terrible thing to say but they need to understand that there are choices, both good and not so good choices so choose well. if you gambles his or, her rent money away any landlord in an apartment or Rooming House would have that person removed and rightly so. what society is telling them is it is ok to squander your money on anything you wish and if you lose your financial ability to keep a roof over your head then no problem just go to the shelter or any other place they will put you up on the tax dollars of the society. my question is how many times does this have to hppen over and over again before we finally realize that this road that is being travelled on is not working.
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