Moncton casino a major gamble: councillor

New Brunswicks only casino, which is set to open on Tuesday afternoon, may not be very profitable for the city of Moncton, according to one city official.

Coun. Daniel Bourgeois said that with the extra municipal services needed to support the casino, the city may just be able to break even.

"The provincial government will make $25 million out of it per year," he said. "That's good for them, but for the city it's a wash."

The city is expecting to benefit from around $600,000 in annual property taxes as a result of the casino opening. But Bourgeois said officials are also expecting to see an increase in crime and gambling addiction.

"We know that there will probably be an increase in emergency calls," he said. "So probably all of the property taxes will be invested again. So we're not going to make a profit out of it."

Bourgeois chaired a city committee that looked at the pros and cons of opening a casino. The committee contacted service providers in Halifax and Sydney, two cities that have a casino.

Agencies there said they did notice an increase in demand for addiction counselling services, but said they could not draw a direct link between the increase and the opening of the casino.

Bourgeois said that if the province's investment in addiction services is any indication, it is also expecting to see an increase in problem gambling.

Since the casino was announced, the province has doubled funding for addiction services, including treatment and research into gambling addiction.

Casino New Brunswick's suburban location may keep problem gambling to a minimum, Bourgeois said.

"Locating outside of downtown is probably a good thing that way because you don't have people who will take an hour lunch and go gamble."