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NSGC Announces Pilot Test of Internet Gambling Blocking Software
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Location: Blogs News |
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| Posted by: ITNovaScotia Admin |
Monday, October 09, 2006 |
HALIFAX, Oct. 6 /CNW/ - It is estimated there are more than 2,300
casino-style Internet gambling sites in operation, many of which are
unregulated and illegal. Today, the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation (NSGC)
announced the pilot test of BetStopper, groundbreaking software that will help
block gambling sites such as these from children under the age of 19. The
customized content-blocking program is strictly a prevention tool designed to
help parents protect their children from visiting gambling websites. This
software is the first of its kind in the world. NSGC developed it with a U.S.
technology partner.
"Regardless of whether real money or fake chips are involved, gambling is
not a safe activity for children of any age," says Marie Mullally, President
and CEO of NSGC. "BetStopper is a prevention tool specifically for parents to
use in their homes. It's about working to help prevent the next generation of
problem gamblers and it has the potential to positively impact the well-being
of our Province as a whole."
For the next six months, NSGC will be pilot-testing BetStopper with as
many as 500 families in Nova Scotia to help determine the effectiveness and
usability of the product. This will allow NSGC to determine whether BetStopper
could be a valuable tool for parents on a long-term basis.
Although there are several content-blocking software products on the
market today, they block a range of other categories such a pornography, chat
rooms and hate sites and are not very effective at blocking gambling. In fact,
testing has revealed that BetStopper is 94 to 99 per cent effective at
blocking gambling websites, while existing products are only 56 to 79 per cent
effective at blocking gambling sites. As with all technology BetStopper is not
guaranteed to be 100 per cent effective, however a combination of artificial
intelligence, a "blacklist" of permanently blocked websites, and ongoing
manual updates make it the most effective solution to date.
"This software gives parents another opportunity to discuss the risks of
gambling with their children. Together families can prepare children for
making responsible choices about gambling that minimize the risk of harm,"
says Loris Glass, Manager, Innovation Projects, Department of Education and
Children's Services, South Australia.
In 2005, the Canadian Internet gambling market generated an estimated
$370 to $735 million in revenue. That number could grow to between
$530 million and $1.0 billion within the next five years. Many of these sites
are unregulated, not controlled in terms of access and age restrictions, and
are illegal for Canadians to play.
While BetStopper is not intended to replace the supervisory role that
each parent has, it will give parents a safeguard on their home computer,
allowing them to control access to potentially harmful sites. BetStopper works
to ensure that all online gambling, lottery and sports wagering sites are
blocked, while puzzles, arcade-style games and strategy guides are not
blocked.
The BetStopper pilot will begin on October 7, 2006 and continue through
to October 2007.
For further information: Media Contact: Margaret McGee, Director, Prevention Programming and Public Affairs, Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, (902) 424-3420, Cell: (902) 489-2203, mmcgee@gamingcorp.ns.ca |
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Comments (2)
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Re: NSGC Announces Pilot Test of Internet Gambling Blocking Software |
By Tom R on
Monday, October 09, 2006 |
good luck with that - the parents relying on such software might as well give up, it's clear they got no time to step in and actually parent. like the helpful people volunteering for the trial even need the software
kids are smarter and smarter these days - can't see some little program stopping them if they want to bet online. they can bet amongst each other anyways. heard some kid last week talking on a cell phone with a friend betting on the 'over/under' of a football game. |
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Re: NSGC Announces Pilot Test of Internet Gambling Blocking Software |
By Cornhusker on
Saturday, October 14, 2006 |
| Any efforts to stop the spread of gambling and gambling addiction should be welcomed. Too many Nova Scotians have lost their lives over gambling, and we should keep the same fate from happening to our children. Internet gambling is awful. |
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