N.B. government tips its hand on new gambling policy

A new responsible gaming policy will be released in New Brunswick on Thursday but the government is already releasing some details of its plan.

Finance Minister Victor Boudreau hinted at some of the pending changes in an opinion article published in the province's three daily English newspapers on Tuesday and followed it up with a press conference in the afternoon.

The province will be cutting the number of video lottery terminals in New Brunswick by 25 per cent, Boudreau told reporters.

It will mean 2,000 VLTs in the province instead of the current 2,600. But the machines are still projected to generate $135 million in revenue per year, Boudreau said.

"We also know that the video lottery machines are probably the most addictive ones, and that's been subject of many discussions over the past years."

Gamblers and the people working in VLT locations don't know how to recognize an addiction and that needs to change,Boudreau wrote in his opinion article.

"Do we have adequate programs and funding in place for those individuals who have developed an addiction to gambling or are at risk of developing an addiction?"

He said the government would increase the $757,000 already put into funding addiction services, but didn't give a figure for the increase.

But theterminals won't be pulled out of bars altogether andBoudreau hinted that the new policy will allow some form of casino to operate in the province as part of an effort to promote "destination gaming" to attract visitors.

Gambling is one of the industries that can help the province's struggling tourism sector grow, Boudreau said.

The Liberal government's new responsible gaming policy "will bring transformational changes to the current gaming model," Boudreau wrote.

The policy was due out in the spring but despite many questions about it, the government had refused to show its hand until now.

New Brunswick's current gaming policies are outdated, Boudreau wrote. He said the new policy would focus on "responsible management, and responsible play in a responsible environment."

Liberals want to woo tourists with casinos, racinos

At the same time, Boudreau said the government wants a gambling policy that will attract more tourists to the province.

"We need ways to make New Brunswick a destination of choice for visitors by offering more services, attractions, and entertainment choices," Boudreau wrote.

He suggests the new policy will present the possibility of introducing one or more casinos or racinos (racetracks with casinos).

Let private sector fund casinos: Conservatives

Conservative Leader Jeannot Volp told CBC News that reducing the number of VLT sites in the province sounded like a good idea but the government shouldn't be investing in racinos.

The private sector, and not taxpayers,should pay to establishgambling facilities, Volpe said.

Government should instead focus on creating the rules around the gambling facilities and monitoring their activities, he said.

"When our new responsible gaming policy is announced, we are confident that New Brunswickers will appreciate the new level of integrity, balance, transparency, and heightened standards and principles that will be brought to this sector and this will be beneficial to the entire province," Boudreau wrote in the opinion piece.

Several groups are already poised to put forward proposals for gambling venues.

The Saint John Exhibition Association unveiled a plan last week to build a $20-million complex that would include hockey rinks and soccer fields in a racino.

New Brunswick First Nations have also proposed building a casino in Saint John and a racino near Moncton.