From the Montreal Gazette - Monday, December 10, 2001

By: LYNN MOORE

A suicide note left by a Quebec City-area gambling addict may be used in a proposed class-action suit against Loto-Québec, a lawyer in the case said.

The government lottery agency operates the province's video-lottery terminals.

Roger Garneau said the Charlesbourg nurse contacted his office seeking information about the ground-breaking lawsuit on behalf of compulsive VLT gamblers. Garneau recently learned the man had killed himself.

"His spouse told me that he had committed suicide on Oct. 7," Garneau said. 

Georges-Henri Gignac's suicide note spoke of his inability to cope with his addiction to VLTs and mentioned Loto-Québec by name, Garneau said.

A coroner's report is being prepared on Gignac's death, the most recent gambling-related suicide to surface in Quebec, said François Houle, a spokesman for the Quebec coroner's office .

Gignac's brings to 15 the number of Quebec suicides directly linked to gambling this year, Houle said. There were another 20 in 2000 and 23 in 1999.

Like Slot Machines

VLTs, found in bars and restaurants, are electronic games of chance, similar to slot machines, that accept coins and bills and offer payouts of various amounts.

The suit is believed to be the first against state-sponsored gambling activities in North America. Gambling critics, researchers and academics are closely monitoring it.

The case was launched in May by Quebec City lawyer Jean Brochu. A compulsive VLT gambler, Brochu wants Loto-Québec to cover treatment costs and related expenses for himself and other Quebecers who became hooked on the machines before 1999 when the agency posted warnings that the machines could be addictive.

Similar to the stance taken in lawsuits against tobacco companies, lawyers will be arguing that Loto-Quebec knew of the machines' dangers and didn't warn the public.

Between 25,000 and 50,000 Quebec gamblers could be covered by the suit. If successful, each could receive compensation ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, lawyers estimate.

Brochu, who siphoned money from his professional association to cover gambling debts, paid about $35,000 in legal and treatment fees, Garneau said.

Brochu's push recently got a boost from the provincial Fond' d'Aide aux Recours Collectifs which allocated about $75,000 to cover initial legal costs.

Québec Contesting

A Loto-Québec spokesman said the agency is actively contesting the lawsuit. The courts should set a date for Brochu's formal request to proceed with a class-action case Jan. 23, Garneau said.

If authorization is received, Garneau's firm will unleash a publicity campaign and offer compulsive VLT players the chance to participate. About 50 machine addicts have already contacted the firm, Garneau said.

"When I started this case, I wasn't aware of the destruction ... the social drama," he said. 

After learning of Gignac's suicide, a woman told him that she prostitutes herself to pay for her VLT habit, he said.

Currently, there are about 15,300 licensed VLTs in Quebec. VLTs last year generated over $1 billion in gross revenues for Loto-Québec and net revenues of $639 million.

D The firm of Garneau, Verdon, Michaud, Samson can be reached at (418) 692-3010 or via E-mail at gvm@qc.aira.com.
D Lynn Moore's E-mail address is moorel@thegazette.southam.ca.

© Copyright 2001 Montreal Gazette