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Should Casinos be closed on Christmas day? Does it really matter whether you go out or stay home and revel in the greediness of consumerism on this day? Let's get real folks! Yes - there is a certain group of faithful that have kept Christ in Christmas but the masses (pagans I call them) have nothing in common with the Christian message.

Christmas is nothing more than an opportunity to make money. Watch TV for a month before December 25th and it's all about consumption.

The greatest shopping days of the year are all related to the birth of Jesus Christ. That moment in history is irrelevant to most of the people who call themselves once or twice a year Christians.

Keep the Casinos open - it's a continuation of everything that consumerist Christmas is all about. Just another stocking stuffer! (Maybe change the bells on the slot machines to Christmas Carols - O what fun!)

For those who are upset about the government tapping into "sin taxes" (smoking, drinking, sex, gambling) - well - lets tax religion - it's a business! The truth hurts - doesn't it.
Happy New Year!

Nathan, to be fair, the Bible says to kill anybody who works on Sunday. Working on Christmas, however, is not punishable by death.

As for Casinos being open, why not? It'd be something to do on that day. Nothing else is open. I wanted to go out for breakfast and all the restaurants were closed. I went to a Hilton restaurant.

Chris, Christians are given preferential treatment. A sickening amount. Notice how most holidays are Christian. Where do you get off claiming that Christians aren't given preference?

"Anyone spending their Christmas at the local Cansino have to be Stupid/looser and at the end of their rope."

They could probably spell "loser". Just saying...

"If the government needs to raise funds for services it should be done via taxes, rather than by exploiting those who can least afford it: the mathematically challenged."

You'd complain if taxes were raised enough to make up for the loss from taking away all Casino proceeds. Perhaps there's some math for you. Instead of taking money from those willing to give, it would be taken from everyone.

Now, I don't believe in any of the Jesus stuff, so I guess Christmas isn't as much to me as some people. But I do know that they can't force people to work on Christmas. Wouldn't you like to get 30 or 40 bucks an hour for working that day? You can always spend your time with your family after or before work. Tips would be great, and everyone would probably be pleasant. Sounds like a win win to me.

You people don't have to push your God thing on everybody every day of the year. To some, Christmas is a non-religious gift giving day. That's what it's become, and that's a good thing.

"On top of it,how many people will be FORCED to work Christmas day because of it?"

Nobody can be forced to work on a holiday.

I don't hear any outrage over movie theatres being open on Christmas Day. Why the special outrage over casinos? I can only imagine it has something to do with people trying to push their idea of "morality" on everyone. If you don't want to go to a casino, don't.

As for the people moaning about everything being so unfair to Christians, give up your pathetic martyr act. Christians in Canada are not persecuted. Nobody else gets "special rules". And you certainly don't deserve any special status for being Christian just because the first people who decided to keep the natives company here happened to be Christian. Canada isn't a theocracy.

Allan from Kamloops,

You missed Nathan's point entirely. Every religious sect in Canada is given preferential treatment, whereas us Christians who essentially created everything in this country are given no respect whatsoever.

I see this as a result of pinko left wingers crying over equality issues for years and now they have gone so far that the very fabric of this country has been destroyed.

On that note, I wish you a big MERRY CHRISTMAS :)

Nathan from Alberta

I truly didn't appreciate how tolerant most Canadians are toward others of different beliefs, etc. until I read your post.

"Should Casino's be closed on Christmas Day?"

Well done with the apostrophe CBC.

YES, Casinos should be closed on X-mas day and every other day of the year as well!

You can't even justify the Casino as a place of entertainment anymore when you can lose thousands in a matter of minutes!

It is a crime to capitalize on people's addictions! And it is legal to boot.

Might as well legalize drugs too...why not, eh? Maybe we can volunteer for the drug dealers running some drugs instead of poker chips, and raise money for the poor (who may not be poor if they weren't addicted to gambling and drugs in the first place) - THE IRONY!

A further thought:

Not only do the poor employees of the casino have to work today, many others do as well.

We should all take a moment to thank the police, fire fighters, doctors, soldiers, news reporters, bus drivers, air traffic controllers, gas station attendants, customer support technicians, operators, pilots, convenience store clerks, truck drivers, restaurant staff, and all the others who are helping to keep our lives running smoothly today.

As a matter of fact, I would like to personally thank YOU, the CBC employee who is proofreading this post before putting it online, for your work this Christmas Day. It is appreciated, and I am actually quite surprised that we are able to see our comments that we posted today.

Once again, Merry Christmas.

I find it to be a shame that some of the people here who hold views from the "religious right" would be so ignorant as to use the Christmas season (note that I said "Christmas", not the politically correct "holiday" waffle-word) as an excuse to malign non-Christians.

Joy to the world, indeed.

Fortunately, most of your fellow "religious right" people understand what Christmas is really about, and refuse to be swayed by bigotry or politics.

I am a non-believer, but I am truly happy in my heart to see the true believers using love to express their faith on this beautiful Christmas Day.

To those of you who just see this as an opportunity to further your personal goals of dividing this world into "us" and "them", I seriously question your alleged faith.

That is not what Christmas is about, and has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

There is no room for hatred in a true Christian heart, so therefore, perhaps Nathan from Alberta, r murphy and john p should be working today, since they feel that non-believers should not benefit from the holiday in any way.

But whether you are here to love or hate, malign or welcome, argue with people, or simply to express your opinion about casinos being open on Christmas, I want to wish you, from the depths of my soul, a wonderful Christmas for yourselves and your loved ones.

And Michelle, thank you for remembering what it's all supposed to be about.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We live in a secular society. We live in a free society. If you do not like the fact that a casino is open, then do not go.

If people go, then they have obviously chosen to go and have the right to do so. Come on everyone, the casinos make money on behalf of the government.

If people want to gamble their money away, let them. That will mean more money for infrastructure, hospitals, roads, etc.

Does anybody not realize that Canadians are not all Christian, or religious at all, or care about Christmas, and so on.

I have been living in Canada for 24 years and have realized that Canada is so liberal that you can do anything, and how dare someone say that you cannot go to a casino on Christmas because Jesus would not do so or because it is not Christian-like.

I understand that casinos may indirectly cause crime and poverty, but it is a choice. Canada=free choice (as long as you do not break the law).

Any legal business should be able to open any time it likes.

However, at the same time, employees of those businesses should not be penalized (and in fact should have strong legal protection) if they refuse to work on significant religious holidays.

If the casino can find employees willing to work on Christmas, then fine. I don't have a problem with that. Obviously, they wouldn't stay open unless they believed there was enough demand.

As long as there are hotels nearby with tourists taking a VACATION for XMAS, the casinos will be open, as will the restaurants and gift shops that are within a block or two away.

There is money to be made in Niagara Falls on a holiday. You can't close a hotel on Christmas, and you can't tell people they cant order room service on a holiday because the cooks can't work that day.

People want to gamble on Christmas for the hopes that it will be their lucky day (or for entertainment purposes, which is what a casino is for).

Our city doesn't change on Christmas, or any holiday....no I'm sorry, parking lots can charge $20 to park instead of $10 (except New Year's eve when its $50 to park anywhere in the tourist areas), that is basically the only change that goes on here.

Did I mention that staffers at these hotels can't park in their lots because these hotels don't have enough parking for their guests as it is (and have to pay to park at another lot).

Simple solution is, let the non Christians (Those special "RELIGIOUS" interest groups) who find offence with CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS, work on CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS, but without DOUBLE TIME PAY????

To give those who believe in CHRISTMAS a day off?? Celebrate whatever your "RELIGIOUS" beliefs are, at home. ACCEPT the culture of the country YOU CHOOSE to be your new HOME OF "FrEEDOM"

The government will do what is convenient for themselves.

The Casinos being open really has nothing to do with the customers or the employees. It's only about money.

Families and friends should take every opportunity to be together regardless of 'who started the holiday'. It would be my hope that Christians would want others to benefit from Christmas purely out of the goodness of their hearts, and hopes that everyone will experience joy and peace.

In Steinbach almost everything is closed every Sunday including Safeway, Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart "To give people time to spend with their families" our mayor says.

BUT the restaurants are still open and the gas stations, along with a few convenience stores. And there are parents and children working in all of those places. It really isn't about ALL the people, it's about the wants and desires of the ones who have the power to make the decisions

After working as a table games dealer at Casino Rama for over 5 years, I can honestly from an insider's prospective that Christmas Day is one of the busiest for the gaming industry. Nothing else is open anywhere north of Toronto on that day.

I can also say that every casino employee in the country would welcome the idea of having Christmas Day off so they can spend it with their families. Having to work on Christmas Day in any industry is just plain wrong.

If we're going to insist that teenage soccer players be permitted to wear the hijab because of their "religious beliefs," how can we insist that people work on Christmas if their Christian "religious beliefs" call them to take the day off?

Or are we going to have special rules for Muslims (who are oh so much more religiously observant than we lowly Christians) and other rules for "the rest of us." That's the way I see our entire country going.

CBC actually broadcast a segment on "Out Front" recently where a Muslim girl denigrated Christians who "don't understand" that "Muslims think about Allah 24 hours a day."

As if there aren't Christians who think about God just as much...and as if ALL Muslims live this way.

But I digress. I have no problem with ANY business, including Casinos, staying open 365 days a year provided that those with beliefs regarding Christmas as a special day be permitted the time off without being penalized for it.

I still can't believe that the ones that don't celebrate the birth of Christ, still accept and indulge in goodies from customers at work places and take the paid CHRISTMAS VACATION DAYS FOR SOMETHING THEY DONT SEE AS THEIR BELEIFS, so why don't they work on Christmas and let the beleivers have the time of with freinds and family .

MERRY CHRISTMAS THE WAY IT SHOULD STAY. Just the way I see it .

Our provincial government is nothing more than parasites with their greed for cash on the backs of the poor.

Anyone spending their Christmas at the local Cansino have to be Stupid/looser and at the end of their rope.

Their are no excuses for Gambling; it's not entertainment its Sicko.

Yes, they should be allowed to be open. This is a free country and people have the freedom of choice. And that choice allows us to decide whether or not we go into the casino.

As for people like Doug Little, I say, Get over yourself. Stop playing if you can't afford it.

Gambling IS NOT an addiction, it's simply a bad habit that people engage in while on their endless journey to the 'Big Time'.

These people look for an easy quick way to become rich because they refuse to put in the hard work that goes along with success.

Heck with them I say; why shouldn't I be allowed to take my family to a brunch dinner at the casino because a few jokers want a free path in life?

Most of us recognize what gambling is; a game. But those who think its a way of life should not be influencing whether or not all of us can participate.

Am I the only one who is sick and tired of social degenerates influencing decisions in this country to the point where all of us can no longer enjoy anything anymore?

Doug Little shouldn't be going to the casino on Christmas, but that doesnt mean the rest of us shouldn't either.

No question casinos should be closed Christmas day. It's disgusting that the Ontario gov't run casino is open that day, a government which is suppose to set an example to corporations and protect the rights of workers!

What about the workers who have to work that day and won't be able to spend it with their families! And as the article says, it just encourages more gambling for addicts.

The legislature should speak up about this!

Casinos serve a vital revenue function for government. It is a voluntary tax paid by the stupid instead of a mandatory tax paid by everyone.

Where can you buy a gift card for a casino?

Why should anything even close on Christmas? There is no good reason if you have people that want to work. X-mas has been commercialized into a trillion dollar spending spree every year by "followers". Taking a moral or religous stand to say things should close on x-mas is not consistent with the values of good capitalist exploitation.

Everything should be open regardless of some religous sect's commercialized "holiday".

Thanks for the story, I think that I will actually got to the casino on x-mas day and have a smoke there. Beating people over the head with outdated morals and irrelevant values must be removed from capitalist's interests.

It doesn't matter a tinkers damn whether or not you "do" Christmas.

In a democracy, majority rules, and most people in Canada recognize Christmas.

Are we going to lose that too, here in canada?

Shut the damn casino's down!

They are nothing more than money grubber's and hangouts for criminals...with government backing I might add!

While I agree with Joyce, I might add that if some vacant souls choose to spend Christmas Day gambling, I wouldn't stand in their way. Their choice to ignore Christmas will never have anything to do with my choice to celebrate the season, and the reason.

Not only closed for christmas...but forever!

Absolutely NOTHING should be open on Christmas Day, except for absolutely essential services like hospitals, police and fire crews. Let everyone have it off. That includes all retail, industries, commerce, institutions, etc.

They should be closed alright, permanently.

This one's good for a laugh.

I think people would be unpleasantly surprised to find out how many people actually work on Christmas day. This is driven by consumer demand to have essential services like gas stations, call centres for your ever important cell phones, 7-11, and I guess now casinos.

Also, the fact that Canada is at most 40% Christian turns Christmas into just another day.

Always remember when you see or talk to somebody working Christmas day that there is a chance they could be at home with family but hey customer demands need to be met.

Gotta love capitalism. Happy holidays everyone.

The casinos should be closed but of course they will not close on Xmas day. The governement cannot afford even one day without the proceeds from those with this problem.

I recently talkied to a very stupid lady at the OLG. I asked her why the slots at Mohawk were open 24 hours as I had been there at 7 am that day and noticed there were more staff members there than "gamers" ( the policically correct term used for gamblers).

She replied that "Gaming" was entertainment and the government wanted this "entertainment" avaliable to the players whenever they wanted to play.

I responded by asking her if that were the case why could I not be "entertained" with a drink in my local bar at 7 am.

There was no intellegent response because she only had a script for gambling, not drinking!!

Most taxpayers are too self centered so when their government gives them a choice of 'more taxes' or 'open a casino', they will vote in favor of the casino. Don't blame politicians. It is a democracy!

Casinos and lotteries should both be closed. Not merely on Christian holidays, but 365 days of the year.

If the government needs to raise funds for services it should be done via taxes, rather than by exploiting those who can least afford it: the mathematically challenged.

I sympathize with anyone who is so lonely on Christmas Day that the only place that they feel they belong is in a gambling casino!

It must be apparent that they have an addiction or that they have lost touch with family and friends because of their gambling in the past.

I feel very sorry for them when almost everyone else around them is enjoying a "Merry Christmas"!

As far as I know, most professional casinos in places such as Las Vegas, Atlantic City and New Orleans never close, unless a natural disaster forces an evacuation.

So it is little surprise that Ontario would follow suit.

Here in the Montreal region, bars will still be open, as will the 24-hour casino.

After all, what says Christmas more than dropping the kids off with Grandma and heading off to the casino to deepen your Christmas debts, while being served in style by people who have been forced to leave their kids behind, too?

But hey, Canada is a social democracy, so that means that this big money is paying for vital services such as subsidising medical students who will flee south of the border as soon as they can get a green card, and paying ten guys to lean on shovels at the side of the highway so they can supervise the new guy on the workcrew, who is doing all the work.

At least when the casino workers leave after their Christmas shifts with stress-induced chest pains, they are fortunate enough to have the privilege of driving down pothole-infested roads to the expensive parking lots at the hospital, where they will receive prompt service in about 6 to 12 hours from overworked med school interns.

It's not as though they were forced to give up Christmas for no reason, is it?

"Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmas time in the 'sino"

"Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be jackpot day."

Wow, what a Christmas joy.

Bah humbug from your local provincial government.

What is most interesting about this thread are what appear to be the self-centred replies from some who don't get that not everyone does Xmas.

Utterances like "If some people or cultures don't care. I say live somewhere else." truly drives home the spirit of the season, doesn't it?

Mike Shannon of Winnipeg, some people would prefer the day they get together with family to be July 1 or some other time with more meaning to them. Does that frighten you?

Hey, I'll bet there are a good number of people who'll be on line trying to do more shopping once the gift opening rituals are over.

I mean, why wait for the Boxing Day crowds?

No doubt e-bay will be awash in unwanted gifts from disillusioned recipients before the sun rises here in the west.

And as Alec noted, here in BC you can drown your sorrows in the plonk of your choice down at the 'cold beer and wine (and now hard liquor) store' if your presents don't meet your expectations.

Maybe we should think about resting and spending time with friends and family throughout the whole year and not just on one day.

I consider myself to be more secular than religious and definitely believe in free speak. However, I also believe there are many in our society that simply makes wrong choices for themselves and their dependants. The question then is “When does the society as a whole step in and make choices for others”?

Although Christmas has become more and more commercial and less religious over the years, it is still a very important time of the year.

On average, people are friendlier and more giving at this time of year, and also probably more caring. Therefore, by closing casinos at this time of year is a good thing.

I consider "less time" for our society to think about others to be not a good thing. Casinos by large benefit only a very few (usually the owners), therefore shut them down during the whole Christmas season.

This decision demonstrates several things about the mentality of our provincial governments and casino gamblers:

1. They have abandoned all respect for our country's heritage, both religious and secular.

2. They value gambling proceeds more than they value family time for casino employees and patrons. How many kids will be left with a babysitter on Christmas Day so the their parents can go to the casino for some "entertainment"? How many casino employees will sadly bid goodbye to their families on Christmas morning to go to work

3. They prefer to keep feeding addicted gamblers with as many opportunities as possible to ruin their lives. After all, it's a small price to pay for all that income.

4. The government itself has become addicted to gambling as an income source. A few years ago they were putting people in jail for doing exactly what they are doing themselves today.

It's a sad commentary that there are so many people who are foolish enough to make a pilgrimage to a casino on Christmas Day, or any other occasion for that matter, to pay their "tax on stupidity" to the government. Why not just voluntarily add $500, $1000 or $10000 to your income tax and stay home.

If they really do have a gambling problem then they probably have already lost their family and friends and kids so they are all alone anyways on Christmas. So, why not open up the casinos so at least they have someone to talk to while gambling their last remaining dollars away.

Maybe while sitting alone at a roulette table on Christmas Day at a casino, they will reflect and realize at how much they have lost with their gambling and turn their life around.

Casinos are designed to take away all your money plus your dignity and self-respect so maybe sitting in a cold and heartless casino will awaken a gambling addict to the cold-reality that they have truly hit rock-bottom if they have no where else to go on Christmas Day.

While I kind of see Charlene's point about people working on Christmas Day,I don't really think that is a really bad thing.Lots of people work these holidays on a routine basis.

In my job,I get Christmas off twice every seven year cycle.But I usually get premium pay.I guess that aspect depends a lot on how each employer handles the shifting and scheduling.

But I have mixed feelings otherwise.Let's face it,it is entertainment,and there a lot of people who don't have family,or are not really into Christmas.So,while I think it's quite proper to allow any business to remain open,I have to confess that I have recently become more inclined to think we have lost something by not having some "days of rest".

It might be nice to escape the rush of modern living once in a while.Even Sunday shopping is not as attractive as it used to be.It seemed like a "free choice" when it started.I guess it still is,but it still means the city has it's "rat race" every day now.

Perhaps it would be a good thing if we ALL had to sit back and relax a bit.Whether we really want to or not.Our society is way to stressed out most of the time.

But hey,not everyone agrees with this.So I guess others have a right to choose too.If that's the concensus,I don't see casino's or entertainment being open as any different than the over indulgence and consumerism we have become addicted to.

As someone who has very deep feelings about preserving "free choice" for everyone,I have to shamefully admit,I do miss the days when ALL Sundays and Holidays saw EVERY non essential establishment closed.I know there have been positive results with a more open society.But I wonder if what we gained has really been worth what we lost.

I will say that this issue is never likely to have unanimity.Regardless of what you think,or where you will be at Christmas,I wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS,and hope we can all give a special thanks to those who provide services for us on special days all year long.

I believe the Casinos can give there employees the day Off. I can't believe the Government is giving up on Xmas.

Im not a religous person, but I do believe people should spend time with family or friends at least once a year. If some people or cultures don't care. I say live some where else.

Without trying to sound racists, slippery slope I know. I have been to several of the casinos around Vancouver/Richmond BC. I would take a guess that over 85% of the patrons are from China, or Hong Kong. Since most of them don't really follow Christmas, why close the casino?

I wonder how the employees of casinos feel about having to work on Christmas Day?

Of course, they may appreciate the premium wages. Or they may enjoy being with other people in a similar situation, alone at Christmas.

What does not make sense to me are the B.C. liquor laws allowing private Beer & Wine stores to be open on Christmas Day. That is a sad situation.

Yes, absolutely! Why can't we have ONE DAY rest from everything that is going on today?

Just to think of how much can be avoided in terms of all the bad things that happen on a regular day. It only makes a good sense!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Gambling is entertainment. People seek entertainment when they are not working. Christmas time is holiday time.

The last time that I was in a casino, it did not appear to me that the majority of people who were gambling were devout Christians.

Personally I don't buy Don Pister's logic.

If all other non essential services supplied by our government are closed,why is this cash grab open?

On top of it,how many people will be FORCED to work Christmas day because of it?

It reminds me of the smoking laws with regards to government.

They will make money off PEOPLE'S ADDICTIONS,one way or another.