Nova Scotia VLT revenues drop

Efforts to control problem gambling in Nova Scotia continue toreducerevenue from video-lottery terminals, the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. says.

Profits from VLTs areexpected to be $95 million in 2006-07,a $20-million drop over last year, CEO Marie Mullally toldthelegislature's public accountscommittee Wednesday.

Sheattributedthedecline to changes imposed by the province to try to help gambling addicts, such as shutting down VLTs earlier and interrupting continuous play.

The province can expect a smaller return from the corporation as a result, Mullally said.

"When you're addressing such a significant drop, neither the casino business line nor the ticket lottery business line would be able to make up such a significant drop," she added.

Mullally is expecting overall gaming profits of $160 million this fiscal year, down from $174 million last year.

She said VLT profits are expected to level off next year then start to grow at the same rate as other gambling profits.

Profits from VLTs make up 64 per cent of all gambling revenue for the provincial government.