Quebec Justifies Online Gambling Decision - 02-20-10 |
February 20 - The Quebec government has responded to critics who have
objected to a decision to legalize online gambling in the province.
Finance Minster Raymond Bachand, who okayed a proposal put forward by Loto
Quebec to enter the online gambling realm by launching an online poker and
gaming site, said that it was not only for the revenue that the province was
making the move.
"It's not for monetary reasons that Sweden and Great Britain and the northern
European countries have gone into internet gambling," said Bachand. "The role of
the state is to channel gambling in a responsible manner."
Bachand emphasized that gambling is already part of the local landscape. "The
phenomenon of gambling is here," he said. "The internet is here."
He said that there will always be objections to change and recalled how many
people were up in arms when Loto Quebec was founded 41 years ago.
"We respect their opinion," he said. "They are saying there is a risk there.
Our role in government is to take into account all points of view."
Bachand admitted that there are people who have pathological problems with
gambling but he said that "it's less than one percent and we have to take care
of these people."
The Finance Minister also told the Montreal Gazette that if it wasn't for
Loto Quebec, the problem of organized crime money would be much greater.
"Loto Quebec displaced $600 million of organized crime money," he added.
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