EASY
      MONEY
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      LANCER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      placement
      of
      video
      gambling
      machines
      on
      P.E.I.
     
     
      last
      August
      raises
      questions
      about
      the
      ethical
      propri-
     
     
      ety
      of
      the
      machines,
      and
      the
      moral
      prudence
      of
      pro-
     
     
      vincial
      governments
      in
      promoting
      gambling.
      Although
     
     
      the
      installation
      of
      the
      machines
      on
      P.E.I.
      went
      unop-
     
     
      posed,
      anti-poverty
      groups
      elsewhere
      in
      the
      country
     
     
      have
      expressed
      their
      concern
      over
      the
      decision
      of
     
     
      other
      provinces
      to
      install
      the
      machines,
      denouncing
     
     
      the
      devices
      as
      acrass
      method
      of
      taxation.
      Their
     
     
      assertion
      that
      the
      machines
      are
      a
      ‘‘tax
      on
      the
      poor’’
     
     
      has
      been
      rebuked
      by
      the
      government,
      citing
      statistics
     
     
      which
      indicate
      most
      money
      made
      from
      the
      machines
     
     
      would
      be
      from
      middle-income
      players.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      machines
      are
      indeed
      a
      temptation
      --
      especially
      for
     
     
      cash-strapped
      provincial
      governments
      who
      have
     
     
      witnessed
      a
      recent
      decline
      in
      provincial
      lottery
      rev-
     
     
      enues,
      due
      in
      large
      part
      to
      the
      recession.
      Govern-
     
     
      ments
      are
      banking
      on
      the
      popularity
      of
      the
      new
      ma-
     
     
      chines
      to
      help
      alleviate
      the
      losses
      incurred
      by
      declin-
     
     
      ing
      lottery
      ticket
      sales.
      Profits
      from
      the
      lotteries
     
     
      generally
      account
      for
      about
      1-2%
      of
      provincial
      rev-
     
     
      enue.
      Video
      gambling
      units
      have
      on
      P.E.I.have
     
     
      turned
      over
      about
      $50,000
      a
      day
      since
      last
      August.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Under
      the
      terms
      of
      the
      installation
      contract,
      the
     
     
      government
      gets
      1/3
      of
      the
      profits
      from
      the
      gambling
     
     
      units,
      with
      the
      other
      2/3
      going
      to
      the
      small
      business
     
     
      which
      houses
      the
      unit
      and
      the
      vending
      company
      which
     
    
   
   
    
     
      an
      a
      ee
      a
      ee
      i
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sui
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      maintains
      the
      machines.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      an
      economically
      depressed
      area
      such
      as
      the
     
     
      Maritimes,
      the
      installment
      of
      video
      gambling
      ma-
     
     
      chines
      does
      appear
      to
      be
      a
      opportunistic
      attempt
      to
     
     
      prey
      on
      the
      financial
      frustration
      ofa
      populace.
      By
     
     
      appealing
      to
      the
      ‘‘easy
      money’’
      animus
      found
      in
      an
     
     
      economically
      depressed
      region,
      the
      government
      is
     
     
      setting
      itself
      up
      for
      criticism;
      not
      to
      mention
      the
     
     
      incongruity
      of
      government
      promoting
      what
      is
      tradi-
     
     
      tionally
      regarded
      as
      a
      societal
      vice.
      On
      the
      latter
     
     
      point,
      however,
      one
      can
      argue
      that
      the
      regulation
      of
     
     
      such
      ‘‘deviant’’
      aspects
      of
      society
      can
      reduce
      the
     
     
      allure
      of
      underground
      enterprises.
      Legitimizing
      the
     
     
      activity
      makes
      the
      attraction
      of
      illegitimate
      operations
     
     
      less
      tempting.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Unlike
      a
      lottery,
      video
      gambling
      holds
      a
      more
      person-
     
     
      alized
      appeal.
      The
      games
      provide
      an
      illusory
      feeling
     
     
      of
      control
      that
      is
      lost
      in
      the
      collective
      character
      of
     
     
      lotteries.
      The
      interaction
      between
      the
      individual
      and
     
     
      the
      machine
      creates
      a
      different
      psychological
      effect
      on
     
     
      the
      player,
      making
      the
      gambling
      process
      more
      absorb-
     
     
      ing
      than
      the
      random
      selection
      of
      numbers
      ona
      ticket.
     
     
      It
      is
      this
      appeal
      which
      singles
      the
      machines
      out
      for
     
     
      criticism
      over
      the
      more
      mundane
      government-
     
     
      franchised
      lotteries.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Perhaps
      the
      final
      irony
      in
      the
      video
      gambling
      issue
      is
     
     
      the
      fact
      that
      the
      ones
      who
      have
      truly
      succumbed
      to
      the
     
     
      allure
      of
      video
      gambling
      are
      the
      governments
      who
     
     
      install
      the
      machines.
      So
      far,
      they
      are
      the
      only
      ones
     
     
      getting
      rich
      quick.
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      AA
     
    
   
   
    
     
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