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Suicide prompts Loto-Québec to delay new casino announcement

Mont-Tremblant casino shouldn't go ahead at all: activist

Last Updated: Friday, April 4, 2008 | 12:47 PM ET

CBC News

Loto-Québec cancelled plans to announce it was building a new casino Friday because the body of a suicide victim had been found under a bridge near the Montreal casino Wednesday night.

The man had been at the casino just before he killed himself, according to Loto-Québec spokesman Jean-Pierre Roy.

The man's family contacted police Wednesday evening saying he was distressed and that he was gambling, police said.

An hour later, the man's body was found under the Pont-des-Îles, the bridge to Île-Notre-Dame, the island on which the casino stands.

Police confirmed that the death was a suicide.

Loto-Québec has recently been trying to address the problem of gambling-related suicides.

Earlier this year, the agency released documents showing it knew of two gambling-related suicides and six attempted suicides at casinos in Montreal and Gatineau.

Roy said this latest suicide is a serious concern for Loto-Québec.

He added that plans for the new casino in Mont-Tremblant will be announced at a more appropriate time.

Activist calls for halt to gambling expansion

But a Gatineau activist who forced Loto-Québec to release the documents on gambling-related suicides said Wednesday's incident shows the agency shouldn't go ahead with the new casino at all.

"We have another case and point of where gambling can ultimately lead people, very sadly, and we think there should be a moratorium on any future expansion of gambling, which would include the Mont-Tremblant casino," Bill Clennett said Friday.

The province needs to discuss the issue, either via a public debate or a parliamentary committee, before considering new gambling opportunities for the public, he added.

Loto-Québec should also reconsider its recent move to open the Lac Leamy casino in Gatineau 24 hours a day, Clennett said.

Until March 28, the casino had been closed between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. The Montreal casino is also open 24 hours a day, but the one in Charlevoix is not.

Internal Links

Gambling-suicide links revealed by Loto-Québec documents

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