The McGuinty government is now pursuing online gambling, in an attempt to capture additional revenue for the province.
The question is whether this is really as good a source of revenue as the government thinks.
Of course, the potential for income is immense. Right now, at this moment, there are hundreds of thousands of Ontarians who are lining up to spend their money on online gaming sites. The McGuinty Liberals are estimating a rather low $100 million in annual revenue to start.
That’s a lot of money — a lot of hospital beds, teacher’s aides and university classrooms, to be sure.
Yet, the question that always must be asked is this — at what cost?
Our governments have become increasingly dependent on gambling revenues over the years. You can’t really go anywhere without seeing the ads for the chance to gamble at casinos, area racetracks, or your local convenience store.
Just think, you could be a winner.
But what about the problem gamblers that are in this province?
There are many stories of those who have lost virtually everything through their addiction to government-sponsored gambling — homes, cars, jobs, and families.
Statistics show that about one-third of all gambling revenue in the province comes from only five per cent of the gamblers.
Gambling addictions can be quite severe — problem gamblers believe that they have systems that work, that the “big win” is just around the corner, and that conventional odds don’t apply to them.
And while there are many who say we shouldn’t concern ourselves with those who “can’t control themselves,” those who work with addicts know it’s just not that simple.
In reality, it is really a morally questionable practice for a government to be taking money from those who likely cannot afford to pay.
While we all gripe about income taxes, the one leveler about them is this — you are charged based on your ability to pay, on your income.
Gambling, on the other hand, often takes money from those who can least afford it.
If the McGuinty government is going to go ahead with this questionable source of income, it must do all it can to ensure that problem gamblers are protected from themselves.
If not, the provincial government might as well admit that they are no better than the criminals that break into homes and steal our valuables — in fact, they are even worse.
At least they are much more honest about what they are doing.