News release

Gaming Foundation Surplus to Benefit Community Efforts

Office of Health Promotion (Jan. 2003 - May 2005)

HEALTH PROMOTION--Gaming Foundation Surplus to Benefit Community Efforts


Interest from a $4-million surplus accumulated by the Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation will be used to generate funds for community level health promotion work, in particular help for program gamblers.

Community health boards -- through their District Health Authorities -- will receive interest generated annually by the surplus. The funds will be used to help address health issues in their communities.

Annual funding of about $900,000 will continue to go to the Gaming Foundation for research and programming designed to help problem gamblers. The changes were announced today, Dec. 16, by Health Promotion Minister Rodney MacDonald.

"This is good news," said Mr. MacDonald after signing the memorandum of agreement between the foundation and the Office of Health Promotion. "The foundation had a surplus of funds that needed to be used to help people. We're distributing the funds in a way that meets the needs of problem gamblers and helps the community health boards in their work to help people live healthier lives."

The Gaming Foundation, in operation since 1998, funds projects that help address problem gambling and its consequences through research, prevention, education and treatment. It also provides annual operational funding to community-based organizations that serve those affected by all addictions. The foundation receives about $900,000 in annual funding from VLT retailers and the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation.

The minister of Health Promotion and the Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation have agreed to restructure funding to include:

  • dedicated core annual funding to support the existing Gaming Foundation funding for problem-gambling programs in education, prevention, skills training, awareness, communication and community development;
  • sustained, direct and predictable funding of about 50 per cent of annual funding for Addiction Services work in district health authorities; and
  • a special funding allocation to the Addiction Services branch of Health Promotion for provincial projects designed to support district addictions programming.

The result is a balanced funding formula for various approaches to address problem gambling and its consequences. The current administrative structure and the board of the Gaming Foundation will continue. No jobs will be lost.

"The memorandum of agreement clarifies the mandate of the Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation and how we and Health Promotion work together," said Hubert Devine, chair of the foundation board. "The new funding process allows us to grant funding to community groups and others who can put it to good use efficiently while strengthening the foundation's oversight role."

"I'm glad we took the time to do this right," said Mr. MacDonald. "This is a win-win solution for everybody."

Community health boards do health promotion work at the community level in each district. There are 37 boards in Nova Scotia. They are funded a total of $348,000 this fiscal year through the Community Health Board Wellness Fund administered by Health Promotion. The additional funds announced today will allow community health boards to undertake more initiatives to help Nova Scotians live healthy lives.

Addictions prevention work is one aspect of Health Promotion. Its other areas of focus are physical activity, healthy eating, tobacco control, injury prevention and healthy sexuality.