Experts say this is partly why the province on Tuesday shelved a thick report on the future of charitable gambling, which recommended a major redistribution of the nearly $200 million charities bring in every year by hosting casinos.
“There are no funding alternatives for those organizations that will see a shortfall as a result of the change,” said Russ Dahms, executive director of the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations.
“You have got to sell a lot of chocolates and kielbasa to make the kind of money you can make at a casino. They will have to cut clients, cut services, cut back — and they’ll point their fingers right at the provincial government.”