TORONTO — The extent to which gaming officials are responsible for keeping gambling addicts out of casinos is at the heart of an eye-popping $5.5-billion lawsuit filed in Ontario by a man who blew through hundreds of thousands of dollars on slot machines.
In his suit against the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., Peter Dennis argues gaming staff allowed him to keep gambling even though he had authorized them to stop him from entering casinos or throw him out if he went in anyway.
Dennis’s inability to stay away from the slots had terrible consequences for him and his family, but senior gaming officials said blaming the “self-exclusion program” for his problems was both dangerous and misguided.
“What we find troubling is the belief that this program, when distorted to be something that it isn’t, provides hope to real victims that somehow they have found a way not to be responsible for dealing with their own addiction,” said Rob Moore, a senior vice-president with the gaming corporation.
“It’s quite dangerous and misleading to think that one could transfer the responsibility they have once they’ve confirmed they have an addiction onto a third party.”
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