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ABSTRACT
Background: In the province of Québec, video lottery terminal (VLT) gambling has proliferated under government control since 1 993. The aims of this study were to describe the spatial distribution of video lottery terminals (VLTs) in the municipalities of Montréal and Laval and to identify neighbourhood socio-economic conditions associated with their distribution.
Method: Locations of all establishments holding VLT licences in Montréal and Laval (n=834) were geocoded by their street address. Boroughs (n=49) were characterized by socio-economic indicators (unemployment, educational attainment, lone parenthood), a neighbourhood distress index, and measures of VLT prevalence, VLT adoption and VLT density.
Results: VLT prevalence, adoption and density were strongly correlated (p<0.01) with lower borough socio-economic conditions. Although liquor establishments were also more likely to be located in poorer neighbourhoods, the adoption rate of VLT licences by bars in poorer neighbourhoods was systematically higher than in more affluent ones.
Conclusions: The spatial distribution of VLTs in Montréal and Laval closely reflects local geographies of socio-economic disadvantage. Any public health effort to reduce the burden of gambling-related health and social problems must recognize the spatial distortion of gambling opportunities in the urban environment.
MeSH terms: gambling; geographic factors; social environment; geographic information systems
In 1969, the Government of Canada amended the criminal code and legalized gambling; Loto-Québec was created that same year. Video lottery terminals (VLTs) were first introduced in Québec in 1993, and by 2003, the net income from the Société des loteries vidéo du Québec was $706 million - over one half of LotoQuébec's total net income.1·2 Loto-Québec retains ownership of all VLl s and regulates their distribution through the Régie des alcohols, des courses, et des jeux (KACJ). VLTs are only permitted in establishments with at least one licence to serve alcohol if the owner applies to the RACJ for a VLT licence. The latter allows owners to operate a maximum of five VLT machines per liquor licence.
This paper examines the distribution of VLT licences in Montréal and Laval in an effort to understand the spatial distribution of opportunities for this form of gambling. More specifically, we aim to reveal the spatial patterning of gambling opportunities in relation to neighbourhood socio-economic conditions. While the academic body of literature addressing VLTs in Canada is somewhat limited...