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Problem Gamblers Sue Casinos for $3.5 Billion
Yahoo! News via Reuters ^ | June 11, 2008 | Frank Pingue; editing by Rob Wilson

Posted on 06/11/2008 2:43:15 PM PDT by wac3rd

Thousands of problem gamblers in have launched a $3.5 billion class action lawsuit in Ontario, saying they were allowed into provincially run casinos despite signing up for a program that should have denied them entry.

According to the CBC's website, the suit was filed earlier this week in Toronto, claiming the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. did not fully enforce a "self exclusion" program that allows problem gamblers to ban themselves from casinos.

Those who sign up for the program are photographed and their personal information is stored in binders at all of the province's casinos.

If program members are caught trying to enter a casino they can be arrested for trespassing.

According to the CBC, gamblers who had signed up for the program said it was not working, including one who returned frequently for years after signing up for the program.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Canada; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: addiction; casino; gambling; lawsuit; moraldecline; socialism
The spoiled, irresponsible child is now suing the Nanny (State) from not saving him from himself.

Is the word 'consequences' in the Liberal vocabulary? Apparently not.

1 posted on 06/11/2008 2:43:16 PM PDT by wac3rd
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To: wac3rd
there is nothing - n-o-t-h-i-n-g - to see here except the Tobacco Template reapplied.

Lawyers win!

2 posted on 06/11/2008 2:45:15 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Obama's a front man. Who's behind him?)
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To: wac3rd

Is the ENTIRE WORLD ADULT population turning into CHILDREN? Gees.


3 posted on 06/11/2008 2:46:06 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: wac3rd
Good for them!

If the state insists on being a nanny, it has to do a good job. The state volunteered to protect these saps from themselves and then let the saps down.

Of course, the state runs the courts, so they have no hope of winning. Story of their lives.

4 posted on 06/11/2008 2:46:38 PM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: the invisib1e hand

God I love it!

You’re a problem gambler, you sign up as such, you go in there and lose money. Then you sue them for not keeping you out. And so you win back your money and then some.

What a great system they have. These gamblers can’t lose. If they win, they win. If they lose, they sue.


5 posted on 06/11/2008 2:47:27 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: the invisib1e hand

Yep. And the defendants won’t get much at all if victorious. I was listed as a defendant in a case against GAP, and I received a $10 gift card while the attorneys received much, much, much more.


6 posted on 06/11/2008 2:47:28 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: wac3rd

I have the perfect solution for these out of control morons...

A private business will offer a fail proof solution..
Sign up, sign a release, get photographed and for a small fee — an armed representative of the company will be at every casino entrance and shoot your sorry ass if you show your face.

That ought to do it...
Folks unable to control their themselves, should be put down...
Instead — they’re suing OTHERS for not controlling them...

This new business offers the ULTIMATE control measure.


7 posted on 06/11/2008 2:48:59 PM PDT by river rat (Semper Fi - You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Do they have something like that in Vegas? I’ll be there for my birthday next month.


8 posted on 06/11/2008 2:49:04 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

I was thinking the same thing


9 posted on 06/11/2008 2:51:00 PM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (I voted Republican because no Conservatives were running.)
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To: the invisib1e hand

Yup, already there are rumblings in some extreme liberals out here in Nevada to apply the same “Pressure they applied on tobacco to casinos”

Its coming.. the nanny state to save us from ourselves again.


10 posted on 06/11/2008 2:52:55 PM PDT by eXe (Si vis pacem, para bellum)
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To: the invisib1e hand

Ahhh yes. And those of us that saw it for the slippery slope that it was were just supporting nasty habits that abuse sensibilities. Following those suits, came the transfat nazis and now the same crowd is promoting green restrictions. Same templates, same groups win. Funny that most congresscritters are lawyers ain’t it?


11 posted on 06/11/2008 2:53:59 PM PDT by commonguymd (Freedom and individual liberty is for everyone, including the odd and weird people like you.)
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To: eXe
Its coming.. the nanny state to save us from ourselves again.

The nanny state is nothing but a foil for the tort bar.

12 posted on 06/11/2008 2:56:28 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Obama's a front man. Who's behind him?)
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To: eXe

When will the “gambling-nazi’s” arrive on this thread? Are there any here at FR? LOL.


13 posted on 06/11/2008 2:58:00 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: the invisib1e hand

Well put.


14 posted on 06/11/2008 2:58:42 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: GOP_Lady
When will the “gambling-nazi’s” arrive on this thread? Are there any here at FR?

I bet not.

15 posted on 06/11/2008 3:00:00 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: wac3rd

Lotteries and gambling overall constitute some neat taxes. They are 100% voluntary, do not punish success, and make stupidity painful. Private, voluntary debt-work schemes would make it complete. Addiction victimology is complete bull. If they want to throw their money away, who are we to stop them?


16 posted on 06/11/2008 3:01:07 PM PDT by M203M4 (True Universal Suffrage: Pets of dead illegal-immigrant felons voting Democrat (twice))
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To: Zuben Elgenubi

Well, I BET SO! How much? LOL.


17 posted on 06/11/2008 3:01:12 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

That horse you rode in on!!! LOL.


18 posted on 06/11/2008 3:03:17 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: Zuben Elgenubi

How about the horse I ride off on — YOURS? LOL.


19 posted on 06/11/2008 3:05:34 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: wac3rd

I can’t control my Free Republic use. Can I sue Jim Robinson?


20 posted on 06/11/2008 3:06:22 PM PDT by Flycatcher (Strong copy for a strong America)
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To: GOP_Lady

Can I keep the saddle so the cops can identify me next time I come into this casino and stop me from gambling???


21 posted on 06/11/2008 3:06:50 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: Zuben Elgenubi

Well ... okay.


22 posted on 06/11/2008 3:09:00 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: Flycatcher

Hey. I know lawyers — work with them. Darn, they’re defense lawyers. Now what do I do?


23 posted on 06/11/2008 3:09:37 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: wac3rd
So typical of how elected representatives in a liberal democracy make everyone happy. In this case, problem gamblers hoped that the state would save them from themselves but the casinos don't want to have to give up their whales. So the law got passed in a form that guaranteed that it would be almost impossible to enforce.

We do a lot of that in this country too.

24 posted on 06/11/2008 3:28:35 PM PDT by Menehune56 ("Let them hate so long as they fear" (Oderint Dum Metuant), Lucius Accius, (170 BC - 86 BC))
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To: wac3rd

But if they win, what do you think will happen to the money?


25 posted on 06/11/2008 3:30:25 PM PDT by buck jarret
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To: wac3rd

The case is an extreme long shot, a desperate gamble for the gamblers who are at the end of their rope. It is sooooooooo ironic!


26 posted on 06/11/2008 4:21:56 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (I tried to explain that I meant it as a compliment, but that only appears to have made things worse.)
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To: NonValueAdded

How to maximize your chance of winning something at a casino: Choose a bet that if you win you get the amount you desire, and whose cost is an amount that you can afford to lose. Bet only once! This maximizes the chance a statistical fluctuation will make you a winner against the houses percentage. Multiple bets make the house a sure winner.


27 posted on 06/11/2008 4:52:20 PM PDT by dr huer
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To: GOP_Lady

No, but enough of them are never growing up and still get the right to vote. Did you read the promos for “Why Mommy is a Democrat”? DEMOCRATS WANT TO BE YOUR MOMMY!


28 posted on 06/11/2008 5:32:15 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
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To: Eric Blair 2084

NANNY STATE PING!


29 posted on 06/11/2008 5:37:12 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady
I'm no "gambling nazi," but at the same time I have no sympathy for anyone in the casino business who faces lawsuits like this.

Casino gambling is nothing but a big-time racket involving business practices that would be considered grossly unethical (if not illegal) in any other industry. I'll cite two specific examples of this: (1) the practice on the part of major casinos of ventilating their gambling floors with air that has a higher oxygen content (for the purpose of altering the state of their customers' minds, giving them a feeling of mild exhilaration, with the intent of making them more likely to take risks); and (2) the practice of serving free alcohol to customers with the expectation that they will potentially take on enormous financial obligations while in a state of intoxication (imagine what would happen if a bank served a half-dozen alcoholic beverages to all of their customers before they sat down and signed a mortgage or car loan).

30 posted on 06/11/2008 5:48:28 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I'm out on the outskirts of nowhere . . . with ghosts on my trail, chasing me there.)
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To: Alberta's Child
"(1) the practice on the part of major casinos of ventilating their gambling floors with air that has a higher oxygen content (for the purpose of altering the state of their customers' minds, giving them a feeling of mild exhilaration, with the intent of making them more likely to take risks)"

As someone who lives near Las Vegas and IN Nevada.. I can assure you thats a total myth.. no one pumps O2 into casino floors.

31 posted on 06/11/2008 6:17:19 PM PDT by eXe (Si vis pacem, para bellum)
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To: eXe

Check your Freep-mail.


32 posted on 06/11/2008 6:37:13 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I'm out on the outskirts of nowhere . . . with ghosts on my trail, chasing me there.)
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To: Alberta's Child

And you don’t have to get alcohol. They’ll bring you anything you want. I usually get tea (believe it or not).


33 posted on 06/11/2008 6:39:43 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

So basically the children ran around the house with scissors, than when they got hurt they sued their parents????

Except the “chilrun” in this case are 46 years old. They are so cute at that age.

Open memo to gamblers:

The casinos make money for a reason. Math.


34 posted on 06/11/2008 7:43:02 PM PDT by Eric Blair 2084 (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shouldn't be a federal agency...it should be a convenience store.)
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To: Alberta's Child

They also give you a free hotel room if they know you will play blackjack, based on your history. Big deal. They have every right to fleece fools.


35 posted on 06/11/2008 8:45:59 PM PDT by buck jarret
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To: buck jarret

That’s why I go to Vegas 2-3 times a year — free rooms. I play slots. The last time I went, I came back with everything I went with — I played on their money. I give my winnings back and get free rooms and comps. In other words, I play responsibly. It’s entertainment. That’s how one has to look at it.


36 posted on 06/11/2008 8:51:38 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady; Eric Blair 2084

The last time hubby and I went to Vegas, hubby played 5 hours on a $20 bill on a one cent machine (max bet 75 cents). We took turns at that machine. I’ve never seen anything like it. He won $100 before the $20 was through and multiple winnings after that kept adding up. He ended up with $300. Like I said before, we played that $300 to get free rooms and comps. During that same trip, I won $350 and another $250.


37 posted on 06/11/2008 8:57:36 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

The difference between government lotteries and private casinos = I get free rooms and comps from the casinos and from the state lottery I get nothing (that’s why I don’t play the state lottery).


38 posted on 06/11/2008 9:04:58 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

Too bad you can’t sue the state for your losings.


39 posted on 06/11/2008 9:07:02 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

You think you do, but if you continue this, they will eventually make back their investment and then some. A casino can lose money in a day, but not in a month.


40 posted on 06/11/2008 9:10:11 PM PDT by buck jarret
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To: buck jarret

Yes indeed, and I realize that. That’s why I only play the money that I can afford to play. I use money from my part-time job and sometimes some of my overtime from my full-time job. It’s up and down and up and down. Overall, in the end, I’m either a little down, even or ahead. That’s how it works. Just like any “system,” you have to know how it works so you can use it to your advantage.


41 posted on 06/11/2008 9:17:13 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: wac3rd
The spoiled, irresponsible child is now suing the Nanny (State) from not saving him from himself.

When the Nanny State offers to save a person from himself and fails to do so, I am a bit sympathetic to the claims. It's called negligence by the state. Don't think the government should be doing it, but they should follow through on their promises.

42 posted on 06/11/2008 9:21:20 PM PDT by SeaHawkFan
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To: GOP_Lady

It’s your $$, but I’m sure that there are other causes you could give it to. You could have your vacation at someplace nice, rather than Vegas. Or you could even save the dough. I’ve never understood the appeal of casinos, or what the “advantage” is that you claim to have. There are real pro gamblers who either have some kind of talent or know good scams, until they get blacklisted. Are you one of them? My guess is, no.


43 posted on 06/11/2008 9:35:24 PM PDT by buck jarret
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To: wac3rd
Years ago, this nanny-state stuff was unthinkable and unheard of. What has caused this to change? Could it be government making promises it shouldn't have along with trial lawyers?
44 posted on 06/11/2008 9:35:28 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: buck jarret

There is nowhere else I would rather be than Vegas. It has it all — the gaming, weather, landscape (state and national parks), scenery and atmosphere of the gorgeous buildings, the food, the shopping, and the people. Too boring for me on a beach.


45 posted on 06/11/2008 9:39:08 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Sounds good to me... where do I sign up?


46 posted on 06/11/2008 10:55:14 PM PDT by monkeyshine
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