Jess McDiarmid
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 19, 2007

NUNAVUT - It's one of the only ways that hamlets in Kivalliq can raise money to pay for community events and services. But bingo also gives those with gambling problems a means by which to spend money they can't afford.

"It's a dilemma," said Nancy Karetak-Lindell.

The Member of Parliament for Nunavut worked with an athletic association in Arviat that sponsored kids in sports years ago.

She said making a decision whether to try to fund their charitable work through bake sales and fundraisers or get a bingo licence was a tough call.

"We knew that a lot of the kids we were sponsoring as an association didn't have money to pay for their hockey equipment and their volleyball fees and soccer fees because the parents were spending their money on bingo and Nevadas," said Karetak-Lindell. "But we thought parents are not going to change their habits so I guess this is one way of re-directing their money... where it probably should have gone in the first place, so their kids can participate in sports."

Karetak-Lindell said she thinks people who are addicted to gambling will find a way to do it whether bingo is available or not. "It's awareness like any other addiction that we need to help people who are worried about their lifestyle but don't know how to curve it back..." said Karetak-Lindell. "Every time we talk about the social difficulties a community is having, we tend to focus on alcohol and drugs. I think smoking and gambling is right up there. I've heard of people who blow their whole paycheque on Nevadas and they walk out with nothing... You hope they bought groceries before they went."

Lotteries, including bingo and Nevadas, are regulated by the Government of Nunavut. In most cases, the territory delegates that authority to municipalities.

Typically, hamlets issue licences to local organizations that want to run bingo and Nevadas as fundraisers, said Shawn Maley, assistant deputy minister with the department of Community and Government Services. Organizations that are successful are entered into a draw for dates, then made familiar with the rules and regulations set by the territory. And organizations must account for funds raised, said Maley.

In some municipalities, the hamlet runs lotteries and invites organizations to apply for funding. In others, the territorial government administers bingos.

To be eligible for bingo funds, organizations must use them for things that benefit the community, such as fishing derbies, food banks and sports programs.

Bingo is the main source of funding for many such community benefits, said Maley, and it allows for parity between large and small groups in their ability to raise money.

"That's the upside to it. The downside to it is that it is gaming and it is potentially money that folks shouldn't be spending on these types of things."

But the current process allows for accountability and keeps money within the community.

Most hamlets regulate how many bingos can be held each week, with the trend being three nights, said Maley.

Baker Lake recently cut the number of bingos that could be held after the community expressed its concern that there was too much, said Mayor David Aksawnee.

"It was seen that bingo was going on and (people were) not spending enough time with their families, that was the main problem," said Aksawnee. Now, bingo is limited to 10 nights per month, he said.

"There's been a lot of cutting that down so it's sort of making it easier for the families."

The territorial government, not the hamlet, administers bingo in Baker Lake, he said, but council works with the government to keep people happy. If further adjustments are needed down the line, they will be made, said Aksawnee.

Meanwhile, in Arviat another bingo night was added less than a year ago to meet organizations' demands, pushing the number to three per week, said senior administrative officer Sheila Napayok.

Hamlet council approves licences based on how beneficial the organization seeking funds is to the community, she said.

The amount of money earned in a bingo night averages about $5,000 to $7,000, which goes to pay for community services such as sports, search and rescue and the food bank.

Without bingo, "they wouldn't have any money to operate," said Napayok. "There's high unemployment in Arviat so this is the only way they can really make enough money to hold their annual events."

In her year with the hamlet, gambling problems haven't come up, said Napayok.

"I've never heard any concerns about too much bingo."