MLA Advisory Committee

Further analysis needed for aspects of charitable gaming model

A thorough review of charitable gaming policies for wait times, distribution of proceeds and volunteer requirements is being referred to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) for further research. The MLA Advisory Committee report, released today, outlines complex issues in finding a fair and equitable solution for all eligible charities in Alberta. In the meantime, existing AGLC policies remain unchanged.

News release

Committee History

On September 10, 2009, the Hon. Fred Lindsay (former Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security responsible for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission) appointed a three-member committee to examine aspects of the province’s charitable gaming model.

The committee came in response to concerns from some charities on how proceeds and wait times between events vary throughout the province. Many groups also reported difficulty in recruiting and retaining enough volunteers to support their activities including casino events.

News release        Backgrounder

The MLA Committee consisted of:

• Chairperson Doug Griffiths, MLA (Battle River-Wainwright), and
  Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security
• Dave Rodney, MLA (Calgary-Lougheed)
• Doug Elniski, MLA (Edmonton-Calder)

The panel reviewed and made recommendations on how to improve wait times and the pooling of proceeds from licensed casino events to eligible organizations. The members also reviewed the number of volunteers each group needs to provide to conduct and manage charitable casino events.

Province-wide meetings were held with eligible organizations between October 6–15, 2009 and on November 5–6. Many of these groups also made written submissions to the MLA Committee by November 20. A final report with recommendations was completed on March 31, 2010 and was submitted to the Minister for release following his review.

• Terms of Reference
• Consultation Questions
• Proceeds, Wait Times and Population Table

Alberta’s Charitable Gaming Model

Alberta’s unique charitable gaming model benefits eligible organizations by providing them with an opportunity to fundraise through casino events. In 2008-09, almost 3,500 licensed charities earned $252 million in proceeds from casino events. There are 6,972 charitable organizations eligible to conduct and manage a casino event.

• Each of the 19 traditional charitable casinos facilities can accommodate 182 two-day events per year resulting in almost 3,500 casino events annually.
• The province is divided into eight casino regions and eligible organizations are assigned to facilities within their area. Based on geographic constraints and current boundaries, waitlists for a casino event range from 16 to 33 months throughout the province.
• Charities are required to provide between 15 and 25 volunteers per event depending on the size of casino.
• Between April and June of this year, charitable proceeds, per event, ranged from $18,246 in Medicine Hat to $76,109 in Calgary.

The AGLC is responsible for licensing, regulating, and monitoring gaming activities in Alberta. This responsibility includes licensing casino events conducted by charitable and religious organizations and conducting and managing electronic gaming in the province.