Saturday, October 07, 2006

The Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation is looking for families to test a new
computer program for blocking online gambling sites. The corporation said
the new software program, called Betstopper, is supposed to block more than
94 per cent of online gambling sites. The province wants 500 families to
test the product in their homes. As many as six per cent of Nova Scotia
teens between the ages of 15 and 17 admit to gambling online, the
corporation said. Marie Mullally, the gaming corporation's chief executive,
said it's not hard for kids to access internet betting sites. "Many of them
are unregulated, with no controls, no supervision, no age restriction, no
security checks. So, in fact, it's quite easy for kids to get on-line and to
gamble, and they have thousands of sites from which they can choose," she
said. The gaming corporation said if families involved in the test like the
program, it will make the product widely available. The provincial
government agency said there are estimated to be more than 2,300
casino-style internet gambling sites in the world. Donna Gallant, an
Antigonish mother of three children under the age of 10, got one of the
first copies of Betstopper. Gallant said she doesn't want her kids trying
on-line gaming when she's not watching. Since she installed the softwear a
couple of days ago, it has already blocked several gambling websites.