Self-admitted problem gamblers sue casinos

TORONTO, June 11 (UPI) -- The provincial agency that regulates casinos in Ontario, Canada, is being sued by registered problem gamblers who claim they aren't being refused entry.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp., said the $3.5 billion suit was filed Tuesday in Toronto against the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., on behalf of "thousands of addicted gamblers."

The OLGC has a voluntary self-exclusion program intended to deter problem gamblers from entering casinos after registering but the suit alleges casinos aren't following up on enforcement, the CBC said.

The lawsuit alleges registered gamblers merely have their personal information and photos placed into binders which unspecified casinos don't check. One of the lawyers in the class-action suit, Jerome Morris, said the corporation should be following methods like those in the Netherlands, where identification is scanned and checked against a computer database to protect people from their addiction, the report said.

There was no immediate response from the corporation on the lawsuit in the report.