(Quebec) The Legault government sets two conditions for Loto-Quebec and Groupe CH’s project to open a brand new gaming hall at the Bell Centre: public health must give its consent and the project must lead to a net reduction in the number of video lottery terminals.
“This is the kind of file where I want to consult Public Health. We are going to do that if we do it with public health, ”said the Prime Minister briefly, pressing firmly on the “if” the project goes ahead.
Wednesday, The Press revealed that Loto-Québec and Groupe CH, owner of the Montreal Canadiens, are about to sign an agreement to open a brand new gaming lounge at the Bell Centre. The establishment will be equipped with several hundred slot machines as well as sports betting terminals.
In the morning of Wednesday, the CEO of Loto-Québec, Jean-François Bergeron, confirmed the information from The Press in an interview with Paul Arcand, on the airwaves of 98.5.
The brand new gaming room will be located in the premises currently occupied by the 1909 Taverne Moderne restaurant, a very large three-storey establishment which is adjacent to the Bell Center and which has been closed since the start of the pandemic.
Another condition must be met for a new Loto-Québec gaming room to see the light of day at the Bell Centre: the project must also lead to a net reduction in the number of video lottery terminals.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Eric Girard
This was announced on Wednesday by Finance Minister Eric Girard, head of Loto-Québec. He confirmed that talks are underway between the Crown corporation and the owner of the Montreal Canadiens on the opening of such an establishment equipped with several hundred slot machines and sports betting terminals, as revealed The Press.
“We have always been clear that there were two necessary conditions, that is to say that Public Health agrees and secondly, that there is a net reduction in the territory of the number of video lottery machines,” he argued.
The project has not yet been submitted to the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal. The Minister also recalled that the number of video lottery machines has decreased in recent years in Quebec, going from 15,000 to 9,300 today.
For Eric Girard, it is important that Loto-Québec “take its place” in the world of sports betting just like that of online gambling. Especially since the state-owned company is betting on “responsible gambling”. “The game will always exist, it must be framed, he said. It is very important, social responsibility, that it be controlled, that there be support measures. »
Two weeks ago, he said he was considering introducing a new law to limit access to illegal online gambling sites after an initial attempt by the previous government failed to pass the test of the courts.
The concerned opposition
The Liberal Party of Quebec has asked that the Commission des finances publiques seize a mandate of initiative to study the project.
“We are obviously concerned about the great accessibility of this site, in the heart of downtown Montreal and the public transport network, as well as the fact that the consumption of alcohol on the site could aggravate compulsive gambling behaviors. “wrote the Liberal MP for Marguerite-Bourgeoys, Frédéric Beauchemin, in his letter to the chairman of the commission.
The Liberals want parliamentarians to hear, in particular, public health authorities about the impact of this type of project on public health and gambling-related issues.
“I find this extremely worrying. Then, when people say to me: ah well, by doing so, we will reduce the supply of machines… Me, I don’t think that we will reduce the supply by setting up a gaming room”, expressed the Liberal leader by interim, Marc Tanguay.
“The question you have to ask yourself is: is this what downtown Montreal needs, thousands of slot machines? I think that asking the question is a bit like answering it, ”asked the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
“And we can’t wait to hear from Public Health on this file. Because, in the past, Public Health had sounded the alarm on casino development projects around downtown Montreal by highlighting the presence of vulnerable populations in that area, then saying that it was not maybe not the idea of the century, there, to add mini-casinos like that, close to vulnerable populations, ”he added.
“Do we need more game offers or less game offers in Quebec? You see me coming, the answer is less game deals. The Casino de Montreal is nearby, though. […] Me, I would like us to fight against addictions, ”said PQ MP Pascal Bérubé.
With Katia Gagnon