Extended Table Gaming Hours in Alberta
Earlier this week, the new extended table gaming hours were introduced in Alberta. While this move is supported by many, there are some that do object to the additional hours. Up until now, Alberta casinos were allowed to offer table games for a 14 hour stretch, although slots were available for longer. There has been a three hour extension that has been approved, allowing casinos to offer a 17 hour stretch of table games if they wish to do so. Interestingly, the objections to this move have not come from anti-gambling advocates, but rather from charities that are associated with the casinos.
Charities Object to Extended Casino Hours
The extended casino hours were approved by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission. The additional hours had already been requested by the casinos for some time, and some of the charities had hoped that the change would help to increase their revenues. While some charities supported the change, others did not.
Charities in Alberta have agreements with the casinos that they supply volunteers to help in the casinos, and in return the charity receives a percentage of the revenues. For each organisation that sends volunteers, the cut that they receive from the casinos can add up to around $63,000 up to about $67,000 for each quarter. In order for the charities to earn this income, the charity needs to send 39 volunteers to the casino over two days.
The Executive Director of the Federation of Calgary Communities, Leslie Evans, said: "Adding three hours to a day could make it more and more difficult to fill those shifts, especially on a weeknight."
Evans further noted: "It's tough when you have to get up and go to work after getting out of the casino at three. I think the perception will be that they might as well not go to sleep for an hour or two, that they might as well go straight to work. I think that will deter some people."
The income that the charities receive from this fundraising agreement with the casinos cannot be equaled by their other fundraising events. The funds are used to help the charities run various programmes and maintain the facilities that they have in order to aid those living in Alberta and Calgary.
The Albert Gaming and Liquor Commission Comments
Dan Huang from the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission noted that there are hopes that there will be increased revenues for the charities from this change. It seems that those who are in support of the extended hours are in support of it because of increased revenues, and those that are against the extended hours area against them because of the potential difficulty for the charity organisations to get enough volunteers. It still remains to be seen how this change will affect the current situation.
