Nova Scotia Ends My-Play System on VLTs

The provincial government of Nova Scotia has announced that it is abandoning the My-Play System. The system was introduced as an aid for players to help them track and control their spending on video lottery terminals (VLTs). It was first introduced in 2010 on a voluntary basis and was made mandatory in April 2012. The Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation has already switched the My-Play System back to a voluntary model last week. It will be shut down entirely on September 8. Andrew Younger, the minister in charge of Part I of the Gaming Control Act pointed out that some of the other features on VLTs, such as mandatory cash outs, would continue to be active.

The reason given for discarding My-Play System was that only a small percentage of all players were deploying the system in a useful way, resulting in its failure. Younger said, “While the My-Play System may have been a reasonable attempt to improve responsible gaming features on VLTs, in the end, it did not reduce play by people with gambling addictions, and in fact, the vast majority of play sessions didn’t even use the main features of the product.” Therefore the system was cost ineffective and did not warrant spending of “public dollars”. Some opposition lawmakers condemned this decision. They stated that even if a few players were helped, the My-Play System should have been persisted with. “Turning to problem gamblers to balance the budget is not competent fiscal management,” said Progressive Conservative gaming control critic Chris d’Entremont.

The My-Play system was based on card usage. Players were required to insert their card into the VLT, and could optionally set limits for themselves. The system used these cards to help players set spending limits and time limits, and gave them information about both their current sessions and their play history. Based on preliminary studies it was envisaged that the high-risk players were the ones that would take advantage of the system, though it seems few players actually used the features in practice.

VLTs are commonly used throughout the world. Other gambling jurisdictions have either proposed or implemented similar systems to combat compulsive gambling. In Norway, such cards are mandatory. There problem gambling has dropped throughout the country as a result. This is in direct contrast to the experience in Nova Scotia in Canada. Australia had also approved similar pre-commitment technology, but, like in Canada, those efforts were mostly rolled back.

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