In an effort to reclaim some of the CAD$100m which it estimates is lost to illegal offshore gambling sites each year, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) announced the addition of online casino games to PlayNow.com, the province’s regulated online gaming site, with the UK's OpenBet powering the new offering.

The BCLC will offer access to online casino games including slots and table games such as blackjack, roulette, sicbo, craps and baccarat, as well as a portfolio of bingo, sports and lottery games, to British Columbia residents over the age of 19.

“Online gambling is a $20 billion dollar global industry and it's here to stay. It's unreasonable for BCLC to stand on the sidelines at the expense of revenues for BC,” said Rich Coleman, BC's Minister of Housing and Social Development.

The BCLC claims that every year approximately $100m goes out of the province to “illegal, offshore gambling sites”, a figure which it estimates is increasing by 11 per cent annually.

“We want to ensure money gambled in British Columbia stays in the province to benefit British Columbians,” continued Coleman. “We're going to redirect that money towards a variety of programs and services that support taxpayers and result in better health care, higher education and improved infrastructure.”

PlayNow.com generated revenues of $34m for BCLC in the 2009/10 fiscal year, equating to approximately 1 per cent of the lottery’s total revenue.

The launch of new online casino games is expected to increase PlayNow.com’s share of total revenues to 4 per cent by 2013/14 and result in approximately $100 million in additional revenues and $45.6m in additional net income to fund public, charitable and community programmes within the province.

“Given the preferences of our customers and the popularity of online gambling, offering casino games on PlayNow.com is a natural next step for our business,” said BCLC President and CEO, Michael Graydon.

“BCLC has been providing gambling in British Columbia for 25 years and online since 2004. The online gambling industry is not new; tapping into this existing market to provide a safe, secure and regulated alternative operated in B.C. is a sensible decision.”

PlayNow.com has put in place a number of safeguards including GameSense reminders on-screen, easy access to odds and factual game information, a session log displaying the amount of time players have spent online, and a player pre-set deposit limit with a 24-hour restriction on increase requests. Currently, 140,000 British Columbians have a registered account at PlayNow.com, with those enrolled in BCLC's Voluntary Self-Exclusion program at BC Casinos and gaming facilities automatically excluded from playing at the site. “PlayNow.com also offers the most control with our responsible gambling initiatives,” added Grayson.

“It is one of the most closely monitored parts of our business with numerous safeguards to provide player security and encourage responsible play.” An online poker offering is expected to be launched during the fourth quarter of 2010 through a common platform alongside fellow state lottery operators Atlantic Lottery Corporation and Loto-Québec.

“This is an important step forward in the development of the North American gaming market, a market which offers huge potential and one OpenBet is proud to be a part of,” added David Loveday, CEO of OpenBet.

Source: GamingIntelligence