Non-profit clubs in New Brunswick, New Jersey, US, which expected to have their video lottery terminals removed at the end of last month, will get to keep them for another six months as the provincial government considers the argument that revenue from the machines is crucial to their existence.
Marc Belliveau, a spokesman for the department of finance, has said the clubs have been informed that their contracts could be extended through to March 31, 2010. This give them and the province more time to look at the situation and see if there is something more that can be done. "It’s a six-month extension but it’s impossible to know what will happen at the end of it," said Belliveau.
The extension comes as good news for non-profit clubs - however, Norm Richard, president of the Boishebert club in New Brunswick, said: "It’s not the long-term solution we were looking for. We’re hoping to keep the status quo."
The Boishebert Club is one of around 17 non-profit groups, which are licensed to have VLTs and represent a total of 80 of the coin-operated gaming machines.
As part of its responsible gaming strategy, the province is cutting the number of VLT licensed sites from 625 to 300 in the province and the number of VLTs from 2,650 to 2,000.
