In an effort to ease its budget deficit, Canadian province has become the first in North America to introduce a government-run site offering virtual gaming.
Monday 19th July 2010
In Canada, the province of British Columbia has premiered North America's first government-run online casino in an effort to raise revenues and offset some of its expected $1.63 billion annual budget deficit.
Being run by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, PlayNow.com features casino games such as blackjack, sic-bo, roulette and craps alongside sportsbetting with any tax revenues going into the province’s general fund.
According to a report from the Reuters news agency, the western Canadian province launched the domain because it could no longer afford to ‘stand on the sidelines’ and lose revenue to the hundreds of offshore websites currently available to its residents.
“The hard reality is this; that activity is not going away,” said Rich Coleman, Housing And Social Development Minister, who oversees the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
“British Columbia may be the first jurisdiction in North America to offer games but I can predict that it won't be the last.”
Officials stated that they had worked with lottery officials in Quebec and Canada's Atlantic provinces, which have expressed interest in offering online betting on games including craps, poker and roulette, and that PlayNow.com offers a safe alternative to unregulated private sites that may not reveal the true odds of winning.
However, critics have accused the governing right-of-centre BC Liberals party of failing people with gambling addictions at the land-based casinos it now allows.
“If we're going to do this as a government, then we have a higher responsibility than private operators elsewhere to ensure we are protecting people,” said Shane Simpson, a lawmaker with the opposition New Democratic Party.
Only people that live in British Columbia are able to access PlayNow.com and users must be at least 19 years of age. Registered members will be allowed to spend up to $9,999 a week with games of poker expected to be added next year.
