Alberta Announces Online Gambling Intent

Ever since British Columbia launched its own online gambling web site, the other provinces have followed suit. Alberta is one of two Canadian provinces that have been left behind. The other province is Saskatchewan. Finance Minister Robin Campbell said that Alberta is looking to provide online gambling services through a designated gambling monopoly by the end of 2015. The minister was speaking at the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties' spring convention.

Armed with the experiences of the other Canadian provinces, Alberta hopes to achieve its goal in less time. It will be able to factor in the hurdles met by the other states in its planning and execution. The first concrete step was taken by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) at the start of 2015 when it announced its decision to look into the possibility of legalizing online gambling. The commission then invited bids from online gambling turnkey technology providers. The bidders have been given a month to submit their applications. In principle, it will be up to the Alberta Treasury Board and the ministry of finance to approve the proposal. But there is political disagreement on the issue, which seems to be centred on the fact that the opposition has not been taken into the loop. David Swann, the Liberal party leader complained that the proposal has not been presented in the legislature and not been put before the public. “It sounds like it is a fait accompli, which is unsettling in the least,” he added.

It has been estimated that Albertans spend $150 million wagering on online and mobile gambling sites run by the internationally licensed offshore operators. The province hopes to capture a big chunk of that market. Campbell said that a part of the revenues from online gaming taxes will go to rural charities. At present these charities get about $20,000 from rural casinos as compared to the $80,000 for charities operating in city casinos. Campbell added that online gambling revenue would also go towards balancing the budget, and this presumably is the more important reason.

At the time of inviting the bids, Bill Robinson, the CEO of AGLC, had spoken with the Calgary Eyeopener. He said that the Commission has been considering online gaming for some time because similar programs in British Columbia and Manitoba have been successful. He said that a program to prevent online gambling addiction would be put in place. Players could enroll in a voluntary registration program that would send out social responsibility messages to its members.

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