The Kahnawà:ke Casino Project Team launches new video on Social Impacts of Gaming

03/27/2012

The Kahnawà:ke Casino Project Team is pleased to announce the launch of a video addressing the Social Impacts of gaming which will be available for viewing on kahnawakecasinoproject.com and local channel 4 on Paul’s Cable.

The Casino Project Team recognizes the fact that some people fear that a casino in our community will cause an increase in crime and problem gambling among our people. These are legitimate concerns and precisely why The Innovation Group was contracted to conduct a Social Impact Assessment for Kahnawà:ke, something that was never done in previous casino projects.

Based on a review of 492 studies, the report states that given the fact that Kahnawa’kehró:non have been fully exposed to the Montreal Casino since 1993, the addition of the proposed casino is unlikely to have any significant negative social impact on Kahnawà:ke.

In Quebec, the pathological gambling rate is .07% with treatment options mainly available in French, leaving out a large gap of English speaking Native populations. A Kahnawà:ke casino would dedicate a projected $3.6 million dollars from annual gaming revenues to fill that gap by providing local treatment programs the means to effectively address the gaming problems that already exist. Proof these problems already exist is evident in the current Lotto Quebec advertisements running in local media.

Casino gaming was introduced in the Montreal area in 1993 and based on data in existence; it has not negatively affected crime rates. When sufficient on-site security is provided and supplemental police patrols are provided in the surrounding neighborhoods, major criminal activity can be minimized and potential increases in crime can be effectively eliminated.

In the case of organized crime infiltrating a Kahnawà:ke casino, the National Indian Gaming Association has cited exclusive 100% First Nations ownership as their #1 reason for preventing “undesirable elements” from holding interests in First Nations casinos.  In effect, they do not allow for private ownership in their casinos, which could potentially be controlled by organized crime.

The Kahnawà:ke Casino Project Team recognizes that establishing mitigation and assistance programs up front with appropriate funding can minimize negative impacts. To see how they plan to do this, please read the entire Social Impact Assessment for full details by visiting kahnawakecasinoproject.com