Letter
      to
      the
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Editor,
     
     
      Is
      UPEI
      phasing
      out
      the
      Centennial
      Scholars
      pro-
     
     
      gram?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      is
      a
      proud
      program
      established
      in
      the
      fall
      of
      1972
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      ani
      .
      It
      has
      contin-
     
     
      to
      mark
      the
      province's
      centennial
      year.
      I
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ued
      for
      over
      thirty
      years.
      Basically,
      it
      is
      a
      program
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
      f
      age
      to
     
     
      ho
      are
      over
      sixty
      years
      0
     
     
      ieee
      nd
      work
      toward
      their
      degree
     
    
   
   
    
     
      enrol
      in
      UPEI
      courses
      @
      an
     
     
      i
      i
      Iment
      fees.
      They
      must
      s
     
     
      Na
      i
      ing,
      and
      other
      items.
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
      k
     
     
      their
      books,
      lunches,
      par
     
     
      program
      allows
      seniors,
      most
      of
      whom
      had
      to
      a
     
     
      school
      early,
      an
      opportunity
      to
      car
      that
      e
     
    
   
   
    
     
      degree.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      s
      has
      moved
      to
      limit
      the
      pro-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      board
      of
      governor
      .
      e
      pro-|
     
     
      gram
      to
      one
      course
      per
      year.
      If
      a
      senior
      enrols
      at
      sixty
     
    
   
   
    
     
      r
      year,
      how
      old
     
     
      rs
      of
      age
      and
      takes
      one
      course
      per
      |
     
     
      ill
      that
      ffir
      be
      when
      forty
      credits
      ae
      ae
     
     
      earned?
      And
      will
      that
      100
      year
      old
      student
      still
      f
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tion
      in
      class?
      Most
      of
      us
      do
      not
      have
      the
      finances,
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      even
      fewer
      have
      the
      will
      to
      pay
      $20,000.00
      for
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      degree
      we
      will
      never
      use.
      We
      want
      oe
      aie
     
     
      sonal
      satisfaction,
      our
      late
      great
      accomplishment.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      our
      age,
      it's
      not
      likely
      to
      be
      used
      for
      financial
      gain.
     
     
      +
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      need
      support.
      We
      ask
      anyone
      who
      can
      throw
      a
      lit-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tle
      support
      (or
      a
      lot)
      our
      way
      please
      5
      —,
     
     
      i
      ired,
      universi
      Sy
     
     
      pee
      seniors,
      groups,
      individual
     
    
   
   
    
     
      esent,
      politicians,
     
     
      ee
      and
      all
      others
      who
      can
      reach
      the
      ears
      of
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      authority
      ask
      them
      to
      reconsider.
      The
      legacy
      ’
      ee
     
     
      1972
      authority
      was
      the
      establishment
      o
      ae
     
     
      Centennial
      Scholars
      project
      to
      mark
      PEL.
      s
      one
     
    

    
     
      dredth
      birthday
      in
      Canadian
      confederation.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mantling
      of
      this
      project.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bill
      Evans
     
     
      Centennial
      Scholar
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      will
      be
      a
      sad
      day
      for
      all
      if
      today's
      legacy
      is
      the
      dis-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Gambling
      by
      All
      Ages
      on
      the
      Rise
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      recent
      survey
      of
      adolescents
     
     
      found
      that
      more
      than
      80
      percent
      of
     
     
      those
      between
      12
      and
      17
      years
      say
     
     
      they
      have
      gambled
      at
      least
      once
      in
     
     
      the
      last
      12
      months.
      More
      than
      35
     
     
      percent
      say
      they
      gamble
      at
      least
     
     
      once
      a
      week.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      With
      the
      rise
      in
      online
      poker
      and
     
     
      real
      money
      gambling,
      more
      and
     
     
      more
      youth
      are
      getting
      turned
      on
      to
     
     
      this
      ‘new
      to
      them’
      gambling
      phe-
     
     
      nomenon.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Stats
      Canada
      also
      did
      a
      study
      on
      the
     
     
      effects
      of
      gambling
      in
      Canada.
     
     
      They
      found
      that
      three
      quarters
      of
      all
     
     
      adults
      have
      gambled
      in
      2002
      and
     
     
      estimated
      that
      1.2
      million
      adult
     
     
      Canadians
      were
      at
      risk
      of
      experi-
     
     
      encing
      a
      problem
      with
      gambling,
      or
     
     
      were
      problem
      gamblers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “These
      1.2
      million
      individuals
      rep-
     
     
      resented
      5%
      of
      the
      total
      adult
      popu-
     
     
      lation,
      and
      6%
      of
      all
      gamblers.
      That
     
     
      is,
      they
      had
      suffered
      adverse
      effects
     
     
      from
      their
      gambling
      behaviour,
     
     
      such
      as
      financial
      or
      social
      prob-
     
     
      lems,
      anxiety
      or
      depression,
      or
     
     
      dependence
      on
      alcohol.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      figures
      between
      both
      studies
     
     
      show
      similarities,
      which
      question
     
     
      the
      effectiveness
      of
      youth
      gambling
     
     
      laws
      with
      concerns
      to
      VLTs,
      lotto
     
     
      tickets
      and
      other
      illegal
      gambling.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “In
      2002,
      an
      estimated
      18.9
      million
     
     
      adult
      Canadians
      wagered
      $11.3
      bil-
     
     
      lion
      on
      everything
      from
      VLTs,
      lot-
     
     
      tery
      tickets
      and
      bingos,
      to
      blackjack
     
     
      and
      slot
      machines
      in
      casinos.
      This
     
     
      amount
      was
      more
      than
      a
      four-fold
     
     
      increase
      from
      $2.7
      billion
      a
      decade
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      October
      19,
      2004
      page
      3
     
    
   
   
    
     
      earlier.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      addition
      of
      Charlottetown’s
     
     
      new
      “Racino”
      may
      soon
      be
      adding
     
     
      to
      these
      figures.
      That
      is,
      the
      open-
     
     
      ing
      of
      some
      225
      new
      video
      lottery
     
     
      terminals
      (VLTs)
      in
      the
     
     
      Charlottetown
      Driving
      Park.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Though
      there
      was
      significant
      public
     
     
      appeal
      from
      the
      public
      and
      many
      of
     
     
      the
      Churches,
      Binns
      and
      the
      provin-
     
     
      cial
      government
      decided
      to
      go
     
     
      ahead
      with
      plans
      for
      the
      new
     
     
      Racino
      in
      efforts
      to
      revitalize
      the
     
     
      racing
      industry
      and
      boost
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      funding.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Texas
      hold’em,
      a
      rapidly
      growing
     
     
      style
      of
      poker
      is
      currently
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      most
      popular
      sought
      after
      means
      of
     
     
      gambling.
      Specifically,
      poker-
     
     
      room.com
      offers
      real
      or
      play
      money
     
     
      accounts
      where
      users
      can
      refill
      any-
     
     
      time
      they
      like,
      without
      repercus-
     
     
      sions
      in
      the
      game.
      They
      also
      offer
     
     
      spots
      for
      winners
      in
      the
      World
     
     
      Series
      of
      Poker,
      which
      costs
     
     
      approx.
      $10
      000,
      where
      the
      best
      in
     
     
      the
      world
      duke
      it
      out
      for
      a
      grand
     
     
      prize
      of
      several
      million
      dollars.
      The
     
     
      online
      gambling
      community
      is
     
     
      increasing
      exponentially.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      leads
      to
      some
      questions
      among
     
     
      the
      Atlantic
      Lotto
      Corporation.
      Will
     
     
      they
      accomplish
      a
      reputable
      image
     
     
      in
      the
      online
      community,
      and
      are
     
     
      we
      seeing
      an
      end
      to
      those
      static
     
     
      VLTs.
      One
      thing
      we
      do
      know,
      is
     
     
      that