After welcoming commercial online casinos and sportsbooks to the province this summer, the government of Alberta has pledged new funding to expand gambling addiction treatment and related services.
The government announced in a press release on Thursday, Sept. 24, that it will provide approximately $2.4m to Brick House Recovery Centre in an effort to ensure provincial residents have access to specialized care to address gambling issues.
Brick House is an Alberta-based addiction service provider that offers evidence-based treatment and support. The government said that its funding will help the centre deliver a flexible outpatient program consisting of four weeks of outpatient treatment and up to eight weeks of subsequent individualized aftercare to support ongoing recovery.
Treatment is available in-person at centres in Edmonton and Calgary or online across the province.
“Gambling can ruin people’s lives and livelihoods,” said Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally, the minister in charge of overseeing the province’s iGaming market. “If you don’t gamble today, you absolutely should not start tomorrow.
“For Albertans who choose to gamble and are struggling, we have your back, and we’re making sure real help is there when you need it.”
Alberta will select other funding recipients
Earlier this year, the provincial government began seeking proposals from qualified organizations for new gambling addiction services and supports to coincide with the July 13 launch of its regulated iGaming market. Officials told CBC News that the government was looking to fund services to offer in addition to pre-existing supports like Recovery Alberta and the 211 Alberta hotline.
Brick House Recovery Centre is the first organization to receive funding through that process. Additional recipients will be selected later this fall.
“As a leading provider of addiction and mental health treatment in Alberta, we are committed to helping individuals and families affected by gambling addiction access high-quality, recovery-focused care,” said Brick House Chief Medical Officer and co-founder Dr. Lovneet Hayer. “Our goal is to offer hope, practical support and a path toward lasting recovery.”
iGaming tax revenue will fund services in long run
The government said in August that the programs will be funded via revenue from Alberta’s regulated iGaming market. Alberta taxes online gambling operators at 20%, but that split only applies after the government has already deducted 2% of revenue to dedicate to First Nations communities and another 1% to put towards social initiatives and responsible gambling measures like addiction treatment.
The province and the Alberta iGaming Corporation publicly estimated that the government will reap $76m in iGaming tax revenue in the first year of the market.
Nally told the Edmonton Journal that the government has paid the $2.4m grant to ensure new services are being funded before the province starts to see the benefit of iGaming tax revenue.
Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Rick Wilson added in Thursday’s press release that the United Conservative Party (UCP) government is focused on ensuring that Albertans have access to recovery-focused supports that help people in the long term.
