BCLC’s Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program: Perceptions and Experiences of a Sample of Program Participants

Gambling is a popular recreational pastime for many people. Although there has been a decrease in gambling participation since the 2003 British Columbia Gambling Prevalence study (Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, 2003), where 85% of British Columbians gambled in the past year and 39% did so on a weekly basis, the most recent British Columbia gambling prevalence study indicated that gambling activities remain popular, with 73% of citizens reportedly engaging in gambling in the previous year, while nearly one-third (29 per cent) did so on a weekly basis (Ipsos Reid and Gemini Research, 2008). Typically, gambling participation involves lottery games (59 per cent), and one-quarter also gambled in casinos. By contrast, gambling online remained a very rare occurrence; namely 2% in 2003 and 3% in 2008. Those more likely to report past year gambling were adults between 55 and 64 years of age, residents of Southern British Columbia, and those with higher household incomes.

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