Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Eyeing Online Gambling

The Canadian province of Alberta is reportedly set to be the next Canadian province to launch online gambling operations under the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), its local government monopoly. This came to light in a report that was issued by CBS News on Friday, January 25 saying that the AGLC had quietly issued proposals for technology suppliers to facilitate a proposed digital gambling offering.
According to the Request for Proposals that was issued by the AGLC, the residents of the province spend over $350 million annually n unregulated gaming websites. As such, the organization’s venture into the online gambling space is expected to protect Albertans from the risk of gaming at offshore unregulated sites which are usually do not provide the necessary tools for responsible play. To be more precise, the AGLC’s participation in the delivery of online gambling in the province will help to prevent minors and problem gamblers from participating while at the same time ensuring that winnings from the games get to the hands of the players.
In addition to that, the organization hopes that its venture into online gambling will allow it to collect revenue in a sustainable and long-term manner by offering gaming services to the residents through a new channel that conforms to both entertainment trends and consumer needs.

Gambling in Canada

Canada has been known to be not so gambling friendly – it has long established a monopoly on the market through the use of individual state watchdogs. Consequently, Canadians’ proclivity for gambling has for a very long time been quenched by offshore online casino operators and online sportsbooks.
Alberta has since come to terms with this fact and as a result, it has, on multiple occasions, considered the possibility of approving online gambling – it has never gone beyond that until now. Everything seemed to be going so well in the recent past thanks to moves by a number of charitable organizations that have proliferated across the province for many years due to the presence of a wide variety of gaming offerings. Gamblers in the country have also been able to enjoy a broad range of bingo, casino table games as well as raffles.
Unfortunately, all this has taken a different turn with the AGLC reporting a significant slump in charitable gambling in the province. Over the 2017-2018 fiscal year, for instance, there was a slump in charitable gaming revenue which, according to the AGLC, cannot be overlooked. The organization is, therefore, looking to mobile and online gaming to boost the sector – these are by far the most appealing possibilities since both sectors have seen massive growth over the past decade and continue to grow rapidly across Canada and the rest of the world.