Canadian Provinces Increase Online Gambling And Decrease Tobacco
Canadian provinces have been busy the past couple of months dealing with the online gambling issue. Several provinces have added Internet gambling to their list of offerings, while others have decided the added revenue generated from online gambling is not worth the hassle.
While the gambling debates have taken place, another vice has also been front and center. Canadian provinces are going after tobacco companies as part of their efforts to slow the use of tobacco in their jurisdictions.
Alberta will soon launch a lawsuit that could become one of the biggest of its kind in Canadian history. The lawsuit is seeking to recover billions of dollars from the tobacco industry for health care costs. Tobacco companies have been on the hit list of many countries in recent years.
“We are confident this action is the right thing to do,” said Justice Minister Alison Redford. “Some of the most costly illnesses to treat, such as cancer and heart disease, are caused by smoking. The litigation we plan to commence will seek to share this burden with the manufacturers of this product.”
The lawsuit is being met with criticism from those within the tobacco industry. There have been rumblings about the fact that these governments such as Alberta are profiting from tobacco sales through taxes. The industry also feels it is hypocritical to go after tobacco when gambling is openly accepted.
“I’m a smoker, so it may be biased, but how can the government claim that tobacco is the main reason for health care costs?” said Paul Timon. “What about the people who are addicted to gambling and need to get treatment?”
British Columbia, Ontario, and New Brunswick have started the push to recover funds from the tobacco companies. British Columbia launched their first online casino, PlayNow, this past summer. It is unlikely the gambling issue will have any bearing on the outcome of the tobacco lawsuits.


