The Nova Scotia government has taken some drastic measures to address the regions gambling industry. Starting in April of 2012, all video-lottery players in Nova Scotia will have to use a MyPlay card to gamble.
According to new strategy, the “voluntary” system involves gamblers using cards that are inserted into the VLTs, giving the player the ability to set a spending limit, to stop play immediately and to set a time limit. I’m not sure why it’s called a voluntary system when it’s actually mandatory.
The Nova Scotia government has said it wasn’t interested in allowing racinos, and unlike other Canadian provinces, Nova Scotia has no interest in pursuing development of its own internet gambling site.
Additionally, the Nova Scotia government announced that it will be folding the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation into the Department of Heritage and the Gaming Foundation into a new research body.
In a CBC news article, David Wilson, the minister responsible, said the strategy is a “socially responsible, sustainable and accountable approach to gaming.”
Basically, the Nova Scotia government has decided to go against the grain and police gambling with an iron fist in the name of public safety. Nova Scotia residents will now have more government control over their gaming entertainment in this new regime. The folding of the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp into the Department of Heritage is a rather strange and drastic move by the government.
It’s Big Brother method of policing the gaming industry and it will be interesting to see the reactions residents in the area have towards this new strategy.
Essentially, the Nova Scotia government is saying the people aren’t responsible enough to manage their own gaming affairs, so they’ll just do it for them.
In a time where gambling regulation is becoming increasingly more liberal, particularly in US and Canada, this move by the Nova Scotia government goes completely against the grain.
