There are thousands of problem gamblers in B.C., but one in particular rarely loses.

That's the provincial government, which relaunched its revamped online gambling website - www.playnow.com - this week after it was shut down last month over security concerns.

The province has defended its foray into the industry by arguing that people will spend the money anyway; at least this way, the money will stay in B.C. to fund needed social services.

Already, gambling earns the provincial government more than $1 billion annually.

With the expanded site and the weekly limit now at $10,000, that figure will likely swell.

But while that windfall may be helpful, the government must ensure that it is not creating a larger problem.

Victoria spends just $4.6 million per year on its Responsible Gambling Strategy and the Problem Gambling Program, having slashed funding from $7 million in 2009.

The support programs that are offered - such as a 24-hour help line, counselling and the www.bcresponsible

gambling.ca website - are maddeningly ineffective. The province's self-exclusion program is intended to prevent gaming addicts from entering casinos, but many find they can do so without so much as a peep from security.

If Victoria plans to balance the budget on the backs of problem gamblers, the least they can do is get serious about tackling the problem they are helping to support.

That starts with restoring funding and creating programs that are truly effective.

This is one game in which the house holds all the cards. Let's hope those cards get played for the benefit of all British Columbians - not just government coffers.