Quebec to remove video lottery terminals

The Canadian province will start the removal of the machines to try to reorganise the current distribution.

Canada.- Loto-Québec, the organisation that supervises the video lottery terminals (VLTs), announced that they will start removing the machines from bars. The measure is part of a plan to restructure their distribution and reduce the machines in operation.

Carlos Leitao, Finance Minister and responsible for Loto-Québec, said: “Our government is determined to have responsible gaming on offer, fighting against compulsive gambling and preventing the outbreak of sites used for illegal gambling.” According to the Minister, some of the machines will be removed from areas where they already have too many VLTs, such as low-income neighborhoods. There are currently 12.000 machines in approximately 2000 facilities in Quebec, and the plan establishes that by 2019 there would be less than 10.000 VLTs in operation.

They will also relocate the distribution from bars and focus on places that promote group entertainment, like pool halls and bowling alleys. Leitao also confirmed that they will monitor the impact that the relocation will have, because if the machines are hard to find, it is likely to cause illegal gambling to spread.