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The provincial government’s program to keep gambling addicts out of casinos is being reviewed after a Vancouver Island man exposed serious flaws in the system.
Nik Galego signed up for the Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program after his life was destroyed by losses, reports CTV News.
“What I’m about to do tonight, it makes my heart pound. It’s beating out of my chest right now,” said Galego on a video he recorded on his cell phone outside the Courtney Chances Casino.
“Gambling has destroyed my life. Gambling has destroyed my personal life, my financial life, my health….This is just an experiment to see if anyone cares.
“Tonight I’m going to put you in my pocket and see what happens,” he said, pointing his cellphone forward while walking through the door.
The Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program is supposed to eject gamblers from casinos if discovered and seize their jackpots, but Galego’s video showed nobody stopped him.
“So three security guards at the front door did not ID me at all,” he said. “None of them paid much notice. It’s pretty sad."
Gaps in the program are well documented and date back nearly 20 years. Attorney general David Eby told CTV Vancouver, “it’s not a perfect program...We’re looking at ways to improve the program. We can do better.”
with files from CTV Vancouver
