Starving lottery addiction

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by George Maddux

Maurice Jean has fed at least $20,000 into video lottery terminals, now he's protesting against the machines by not feeding himself. The navy-vessel chef says he's consumed only water and coffee since Dec.12 in order to attract attention to the damages caused by gambling machines. "I started playing slowly, and it was a slow descent into hell," says Jean. "I couldn't sleep, I stopped paying my bills, my friends took off. I lost my self-esteem and became suicidal." He was rescued from the abyss by a month-long, intensive therapy. "I started to do sensitization for the media on the issue but they ignored it, so I started on this campaign."

The Rimouski man has fallen from 150 lbs to 122 lbs, and says his local PQ MNA has attempted to persuade him to end his fast. "He came over with his crocodile tears and made my family panic." Jean insists he'll only stop his fast after Loto-Québec removes the VLTs from every establishment other than their government-run casinos. He cites Quebec Coroner statistics indicating that VLT addiction is directly responsible for 68 suicides since 1993. Meanwhile, in Montreal the Blue Bonnets racetrack has recently requested an increase in VLTs from 200 to 1,450. The Information and Referral Centre of Greater Montreal reports that 83 per cent of its calls are distress calls from VLT addicts. Jean says he won't start downing the cheeseburgers before his mission is accomplished. "I'm going to continue this hunger strike to my very last breath."