The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch now admits it made an “administrative error” after it published a report that showed Gaming Control Act violations skyrocketed by 735% last year.
The report for the year ended March 31, 2015 said GPEB recorded 3,215 violations, up from the 385 a year earlier. A spokesperson for the gambling regulator said there were actually only 305 violations in 2014-2015, which was a decrease of almost 21%. None, however, was reported to Crown counsel, according to the report that was tabled at a May 17 budget estimates hearing in the Legislature.
Brennan Clarke of the Ministry of Finance blamed the error on the inclusion of 2,910 incident reports of voluntary self-exclusions, a category that had been removed from the 2013-2014 report because it was deemed a B.C. Lottery Corporation responsibility – even though it is mentioned in the Gaming Control Act.
“The exclusion of VSEs and other prohibited patrons in the 2013-14 report, and the notes explaining the change, were supposed to carry through to the 2014-15 report,” Clarke said. “The intent was to continue reporting on that basis, and GPEB will report on that basis in next year as well.”
Bob Mackin -Business in Vancouver – May 30, 2016.
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