The western province of Alberta Canada has announced it will open its first online casino offering slots, instant win and lottery gambling. The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) developed its first real money web location utilizing designs by online gambling innovator NeoPollard Interactive. The new site, PlayAlberta.ca will be made available with responsible gambling tools such as GameSense. The neighbouring province of British Columbia and its Lottery Corporation provided the pattern offering players secure access for betting time limits and other useful advice and resources to support responsible betting.
The launch of the real money PlayAlberta.ca online casino has left only one other Canadian province, Saskatchewan without a regulated online gambling domain. The economically stagnant province of Alberta caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the drop in oil prices sees the launch of the online casino as a boon for the provincial coffers adding some much needed revenue.
The President and Chief Executive Officer, Alain Maisonneuve for the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission commented on the launch saying PlayAlberta.ca as ‘another way’ his province run organization ‘is delivering a responsible gambling choice for the benefits of Albertans’. Maisonneuve continued to say, “The province’s regulated online gambling website will offer players expanded entertainment options with integrated responsible gambling features and generate revenue to support valuable programs and services Albertans rely on every day.”
The development of the PlayAlberta.ca online casino domain started last year in January with the government asking for technology proposals for the site. The projected revenue from online gambling was included in the Alberta 2020 budget, with the expected launch originally to go ahead in the year 2021. NeoPollard Interactive was chosen as the technology platform creator in June, with the platform completed in just over three months. The government run organization is expected to gain a little over $1.1 billion CND dollars for the next year.
