You don't deserve to be a parent if you leave your kids in the car while you gamble. WHY WHY WHY? It's just disgusting. You aren't fit to be a parent. To these parents, I say, shame on you.... you should be locked up and put away, your kids taken from you.
Gambling is a problem. Yes, I agree but when you involve your children with your addiction, you're asking for trouble.
[H2]Children left alone in cars outside casinos[/H2] [H4]Over three years, 41 people were banned from premises for leaving young children alone in vehicles[/H4]
More than 40 people have been banned from B.C. casinos over the past three years for leaving their children alone in the car while they go inside, according to B.C. Lottery Corp. internal records obtained by The Vancouver Sun.
"Most of them are there to gamble. . . . But there are some who have gone in to look for a spouse or something," Bob Leach, manager of casino security for BCLC, said in an interview.
Coquitlam RCMP has responded to several such incidents at that city's casino and a spokeswoman said officers have found children as young as three left alone in cars.
While most children are found during the day, Leach said a few have been discovered as late as 3 a.m. at some of the province's 24-hour casinos -- left there by both parents and grandparents.
In response to a freedom of information request, BCLC provided The Sun with a list of recent barrings at its casinos.
Most are for criminal activity on the casino floor -- such as pickpocketing or loansharking.
But over a three-year period, from 2003 to 2005, a total of 41 customers were barred for the offence of "Abandoned Children" -- with the ban usually lasting one year.
No one under the age of 19 is allowed in a B.C. casino, so people cannot bring their children with them when they gamble.
Garry Smith, a gambling expert at the University of Alberta, said those who leave their children alone are likely gambling addicts, not casual gamblers.
"They're overwhelmed by the urge to gamble and everything else becomes secondary," he said.
And while they may only plan to gamble for a few minutes and then retrieve their kids, research on gambling addicts suggest they lack that self-control.
"Problem gamblers will gamble for longer than they expect, and because cash is readily available [in casinos] at ATMs, even if they don't have money on them, they can keep getting it," said Smith.
Leach said parking lot patrols are so frequent that he expects most children left there are found within 15 minutes.
"They're not out there for a great length of time," he said.
Unfortunately, some gamblers with children park their cars a few blocks away.
Cpl. Jane Baptista of Coquitlam RCMP said police were called to a vehicle in a lot near the casino one afternoon in October 2004, where they found a three-year-old child alone.
And in May 2005, at 3 a.m., they found a nine-year-old girl asleep in a car near the casino who told them her mother was gambling.
"It's a tough thing to see," Baptista said. "It's so dangerous. The wrong person might come by. . . . It's frustrating and quite scary."
The largest number of cases of abandoned children, by far, is at Great Canadian's Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam, which has had 15 incidents in the past three years. The second-highest was Gateway's Burnaby casino, with five.
Leach said he had no idea why Coquitlam had so many cases.
When children are found, Leach said, the casino usually makes a public announcement asking for the owner of the vehicle to come forward.
"Most of them are apologetic and very cooperative," he said. "[They say] they're sorry and won't do it again. That they don't usually do this. . . . We get all sorts of excuses
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We have a name for those kinds of people where I'm from. they're called Banjo people. Its the PC term now for calling somebody a hill billy.
Those people don't deserve to be parents. How could anyone do such a thing to their own child?
If I was ever left in car I always had the engine running and the air conditioning flowing but the most I'd ever stay in the car was about 15 mins. But then again I wasn't a little kid either. This was when I was like 10 or 12 years old.
You would think that if a parent is going to gamble they would get a babysitter instead of hauling the kids along with them. I wouldn't leave a 10 or 12 year old in a car with the motor running either. Just think of the temptation that comes with the child's boredom. A dangerous combination.
I never had that boredom. The radio is to interesting. Would always try to find a station from far away. Would depending on the day pick up the big Denver station 850 AM or 1000 Chicago or 880 Chicago. A couple of months ago I picked up a Montreal french station up on a hill. But then again I'm was a nerd when it came to the radio and still am.
You've got to admit, though, that not too many kids are like that when left alone. You were an exception. Most kids will want to see if they can drive just like Daddy or Mommy.
Yeah I know, I'm also the exception and not the rule.
They're just extending their habit to gambling with the lives of their children.
One of my friend's girlfriend is dragged to go with her parents whenever they go gambling down at Seattle. Her parents go there every weekend and she has no choice than to go down there with them.
The casinos should just put up a daycare for all it's worth. I know this not the best idea - it will encourage more addicts but given the choice, I would choose the lesser of the two evil.
There should also be stiffer punishment for those who leave their kids in the car, not just banning them from the casino. Criminal charges should be presented.
Removing driving licences could well do the trick.
Not as long as there is the urge to play and public transportation. When they are that addicted there isn't that much that will deter them outside of jail.
Apart from Gamblers Anonymous.
Like AA, that only works if they have a real desire to change.
Did you know there's a SA?
My parents used to do that once in awhile when they went to a pub. They'd give my brother and I enough for some fries at the restaurant, then we'd have the keys to go wait in the truck. They will deny it to this day, but my brother and I both remember whiling away the time by playing "Taxi Cab Driver". Finally, we'd start poking our head in the door to hound them into getting out of there.
I don't remember how long it was. As a kid it seemed like forever, but it might have only been an hour.
I could NEVER leave my kids in the car. Not even for a split second.
I do remember my parents leaving us in the car but they were never gone for long nor did they go to gamble. Funny, the things you remember.... like being left in the car and so forth.