An Ottawa lawyer has taken the issue around casino liability for people’s gambling problems a step further by launching a complaint against a Gatineau, Que., gaming facility for allowing him to drink while he played.
Last week, the CBC reported that police are looking into allegations by Kent Glowinski that the Lac-Leamy casino served booze to drunk gamblers. As a result, its actions violate Quebec laws that forbid giving alcohol to people who are already inebriated, he claims.
Glowinski’s issue with the casino isn’t new. In fact, he has already launched a $700,000 lawsuit against Loto-Québec over his $80,000 in gambling losses in recent years. In that case, he argues that despite putting himself on the exclusion list, the casino still allowed him to play and drink. The alcohol, he claims, only added fuel to his addiction.
The case will raise the predictable arguments about personal responsibility. Already, casinos in Canada have begun facing litigation over claims they don’t do enough to stop problem gamblers from coming back to play. Critics, of course, will say it’s up to them to control their habit.
That argument is certainly true, but Glowinski’s actions hint at an interesting point. The law in some cases already holds bars responsible for serving alcohol to drunk people who then get into car accidents, so should casinos not bear some duty to limit how much they enable their customers to get themselves into trouble?
At the same time, laws against serving drunk people would already apply to gaming facilities anyway. But it’s certainly worth considering the extent to which society should also hold casinos accountable for their patrons’ habits, an issue Glowinski’s lawsuit and police complaint - should it lead to charges - will likely address.
Of course, concerns over problem gambling have grown as governments have allowed the gaming sector to expand in recent years. Obviously, the industry and the governments that profit from it have an interest in not restricting gambling too much in light of the revenues it brings in.
But given society’s interest in dealing with a looming social issue, Glowinski’s actions at least open an important debate. So rather than accuse him of ducking personal responsibility, let’s hope he gets a fair hearing both inside and outside the courts.
- Glenn Kauth
