Three legions were warned by the Alberta commissioner of gaming and liquor
for holding seniors cribbage games. A single complaint
led to the warning in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie Alberta. Three legions were
targeted in the complaint.
The commissioner said the cribbage tournaments
constituted illegal gambling.
Seniors in Lethbridge, about 250 kilometres south of Calgary, are upset about
the warning. They pay $10 a couple to the club to enter the competition,
covering all the coffee they can drink and a small cash prize for the winner –
as much as $100.“This doesn’t make common sense,” says cribbage player Mona Templeton in
Lethbridge.“What is a law? A law is supposed to have some common sense to it.”
Templeton says cribbage tournaments are important to older people, especially
those who have little opportunity to get out of the house. It’s an opportunity
to socialize and have some fun, she saysThe government says it’s just applying the law equally and suggests the clubs
give small gifts to the winners rather than money.“We certainly don’t want them to feel they can’t play crib,” Stephanie
Francis, spokesperson for the commissioner, told CBC News Online.“We have other more serious things to pursue. We would only continue an
investigation if there were more complaints. It’s just a warning right now.”Liberal gaming critic Maurice Tougas calls the idea “outrageous” and says the
government should just fold its hand because the seniors aren’t doing any harm.
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