Amid startling revelations that at least 10 suicides in Nova Scotia were linked to problem gambling, the provincial government has pledged to tackle the problem.

Video lottery terminals, or VLTs, are considered a chief culprit. The addictive machines have been called the crack cocaine of gambling.

Those who have become hooked on the machines say the human toll is far worse than the statistics suggest.

A study published late last year by Statistics Canada suggested one in four people who play video lottery terminals are either problem gamblers or at risk of becoming one.

Cab driver Donald Swinimer, a father of two, has been hooked on VLTs for 13 years. Swinimer, who has gambled away rent money and stolen to support his habit, says he's considered killing himself "many, many times."

While Swinimer has resisted his suicidal urges, others have been less fortunate.

Marie Mullally, the head of the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp., told a provincial legislature committee earlier this month that at least 10 Nova Scotians had killed themselves over a 19-month period because of gambling problems.

That data comes from a 2001 policy change by the province's chief medical examiner's office, which required investigators to ask those close to suicide victims whether or not the person had a gambling problem.

In Quebec, meanwhile, gambling-related suicides occur more frequently, averaging one every two weeks.

The Nova Scotia Gaming Corp.says it became aware of the problem of VLT addiction about a year ago and has promised to draft a strategy to deal with the situation.

But critics charge that the province is loathe to change its policy on VLTs because it is addicted to the profits they generate. Two-thirds of the province's gambling revenue comes from VLTs.

This year alone, the VLTs are expected to bring in $169 million in gambling revenue for Nova Scotia.

"I think there's been an effort to turn a blind eye to it for a long time," said Liberal gaming critic Diana Whalen.

Some are taking matters into their own hands; bar owner Abdul Rifah says he couldn't stand by after watching a patron gamble away his rent money and later kill himself.

"He was gonna be on the streets," Rifah says. "He took his life. He was only 40 years old."

It won't happen again in Rifah's bar; he says he's having the VLTs removed. Rifah says the government should follow his lead.

With a report from CTV's John Vennavally-Rao