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Kanada – Výskum vyzýva Kanadu, aby zmenila zákony pre hazardné hry prvej krajiny

If Canadian policymakers want to help First Nations generate more revenue and improve living standards, they should reduce regulation of the gaming industry, finds a new study released by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Casinos with slot machines and table games are the most lucrative form of legalised gambling in Canada, yet due to provincial regulation, most First Nations see a relatively small percentage of gaming revenue,” said Tom Flanagan, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of Cartels and Casinos: First Nations’ Gaming in Canada.

When First Nation communities open casinos near large cities and vacation resorts, their Community Well-Being scores (based on income, employment, education and housing data collected by Statistics Canada) rapidly rise.

But unfortunately, provincial gaming policies have kept First Nation casinos in remote areas where they remain relatively small and contribute relatively little to economic development. The study identifies three key reforms to help First Nations generate more revenue from the gaming industry.

It suggests Canada should amend the Criminal Code to remove First Nation gaming from provincial oversight, paving the way for national regulation designed to increase gaming’s contribution to First Nation economic development.

It should abandon the “cartel” approach to the gaming industry and allow entrepreneurs—not government regulators—to make decisions about where to locate, what services to offer and what prices to charge. Then, First Nations could compete in Canada’s gaming market much like Indigenous communities in the United States in the American market.

It should also allow First Nations greater access to lucrative urban and resort markets (creating more urban reserves could help achieve this goal). And allow First Nations to keep a greater share of casino revenue.

“The provinces are unlikely to relinquish control of lucrative First Nations gaming without a fight, but if these communities can generate more revenue from this industry, they have an excellent chance of raising the living standards of their members,” Mr. Flanagan said. “British Columbia and Manitoba plan to follow Ontario in giving First Nations a larger percentage of all gambling revenue in the province. Other analysts suggest allowing First Nations to keep a greater share of what they generate in their casinos. Without denying the merit of these suggestions, an even better policy would be to relax cartel restrictions so that First Nations can earn more for themselves. They have demonstrated that they can operate casinos efficiently in the locations they have been allocated. It is time to take off the shackles.”

“One step would be to allow more First Nations casinos into profitable big-city markets. That might mean that some First Nations would operate casinos in multiple locations off their present Indian reserves. If that is seen as a problem, let them buy urban land and incorporate it into their reserves. That model is already well established in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and could easily be applied more widely,” he added.

“If the provinces will not take these steps, Ottawa can nudge them by threatening to resume jurisdiction over gambling. What Parliament gave, Parliament can take back. Or Parliament could leave general jurisdiction with the provinces but assume regulatory power over First Nations casinos. The gambling ventures of Indian tribes are federally regulated in the United States, where they are far more numerous and generate far more revenue for their hosts than in Canada.

“The best policy of all would be to abolish the provincial cartels. Ironically, they were created just as Canada abolished cartels and reduced over-regulation in telecommunications and air-passenger travel. Because of the large amount of money involved, gambling needs government regulation to keep out organized crime, money laundering, and profit skimming. Beyond that, gambling can operate in a free market like other entertainment industries. First Nations have shown the ability to compete, and they would be winners in such a market.”