CALGARY -- For 11 years, Bill Denney would head to British Columbia for an occasional boys' weekend of high-stakes poker.
He would sit with friends around a table and play cards until three or four in the morning. Denney won some and lost some, usually coming out just ahead or just behind.
And each week, Denney and his wife also spend about $10 on Lotto 6/49 and Super 7 tickets, something they budget for each month, taking the money from their "home entertainment" fund.
The 61-year-old retiree doesn't consider himself a gambler. But according to researchers conducting a five-year, Alberta-wide study into the habits of gamblers, Denney is exactly that.
"No, I wouldn't classify myself as a gambler, but you add up those lottery tickets, the 6/49 and Super 7, at the end of the day I'm probably a $500- or $600-a-year gambler," he said. "A lot of people would classify that as a lot of money. So maybe I am."
Denney is one of 2,000 people who will be monitored by a group of Alberta researchers including a team from the University of Calgary in what they say is a worldwide first.
The long-term, followup study will focus on both social and problem gambling, looking at why people gamble, how much they gamble and what problems their gambling may cause.
The group considers anyone who spends at least $10 a month on gambling to be a gambler. The research findings will be used to formulate a better understanding of gambling, and could be used to find solutions to gambling problems and perhaps help develop gambling policy.
"There's a lot of interest in gambling worldwide, from it being something bad to it being something that governments and businesses promote," said project co-ordinator David Hodgins, a University of Calgary clinical psychology professor.
"We hope to be in a position to prevent the onset of gambling problems, and promote its benefits."
Alberta has more gamblers per capita than almost anywhere else in Canada. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission estimates 82 per cent of adult Albertans gamble, losing on average about $800 a year.
Calgary has six casinos, the highest number per capita of any metropolitan area in the country other than Edmonton. The city also boasts 230 places where people can play VLT machines, a horse-racing track and has numerous high-profile lotteries.
"In Calgary, probably within four minutes of leaving your house you can sit in front of a VLT machine," said Hodgins.
With accessibility comes problems. About one per cent of Albertans are pathological gamblers, unable to control their habit, forgetting their losses. Three per cent are classified as problem gamblers.
Last year, several people went to jail across Alberta for stealing money to feed their addictions.
The five-year study will focus on all forms of gambling lottery tickets, casinos, horse racing, sports betting, VLTs, bingo halls and raffles as well as all levels of gambling, from serious to social.
"There is a lot of interest in gaining a better understanding of both social and problem gambling," said Hodgins. "There are a lot of strong opinions on gambling, but very little data."
Albertans wanting to participate in the study should call 1-888-897-0810.
kwilliamson@theherald.canwest.com
source : CanWest News Service 2006
