Unregulated internet gambling is simply adding to the growing problem of
addiction, delegates attending the Canadian Association of Suicide
Prevention conference in Toronto were told this week. An estimated 200
compulsive gamblers commit suicide in Canada every year, said Terry Flynn, a
director of spiritual care at the Bellwood Health Services facility in
Toronto. The growth of gambling on the internet, where no regulations exist,
is making the problem worse, Flynn said. “It’s hidden. You can lie about it
and tell people you’re doing your homework or that you’re researching
something, but in fact you’re getting into deep trouble,” he said.The
ever-increasing options available to gamblers in the North – everything from
card games to the internet – are contributing to the growing problem,
Iqaluit counsellor Sheila Levy told delegates. “They are doing very well
with their jobs and making a lot of money, and yet their children are going
hungry often because the money goes perhaps in one night in gambling,” Levy
said.