Section 5: Who Benefits, Who Pays? -- How Alberta Amateur Sports Groups Prosper Through Legalized Gambling (From Gambling in Canada: Golden Goose or Trojan Horse?, P 323-333, 1989, Colin S. Campbell and John Lowman, eds. -- See NCJ-126295)

• NCJ Number: 126316
• Author(s): G J Smith; B Williams; R Pitter
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: Simon Fraser University
• Publication Type: Program Description (Demonstrative)
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

Based on interviews with provincial sports organization directors and law enforcement personnel, this paper examines the relationship between amateur sports groups and legalized gambling in Alberta. The approach in Alberta to making gambling publicly acceptable has been to let the proceeds to go charities and other good causes; funds raised through lotteries and games have thus been available to sports clubs and recreational activities, which fall under the rubric of "charities" because they benefit the general community.

Abstract

All the sports groups interviewed for this paper conducted some sort of gambling events in order to raise funds. While casinos are preferred by most charitable organizations, bingos can also provide steady income for these groups. Lotteries and raffles, while generating substantial funds, require a diligent effort over a long time period. On the plus side, legalized gambling in Alberta has allowed sports groups to maintain their activities, build new facilities, and fund their travels to provincial, and even international, sporting events. However, legalized gambling opportunities lead to more gambling participants and eventually, to the numerous social problems that can accompany gambling. This article argues that, while the Alberta government is a strict regulator of the gambling industry, it has yet to realize the negative effects on society. 5 references