Online Gambling in BC
September 15, 2009
There have been rumblings, but it is official, the British Columbia Lottery Commission has changed their website so that they will now be offering online gambling. The BCLC had announced that they were looking into offering online gambling as they had been hit with an increasing demand for it. They say that with an estimated $87 million going to offshore gambling venues that they needed to act now in order to get some of that revenue back into their country.
The lottery says that the revenue from the online gambling will increase the province’s overall revenues and they are hoping to offer the games, somewhere around the middle of 2010. With online gambling being illegal in the United States and it being frowned upon in many areas for Canada, adding this in is a big deal for Canadian residents in British Columbia. They will now be able to play at online gambling while their neighbors below them still cannot.
The BCLC will be using the online gambling portal PlayNow.com for their gaming needs. It will offer sports betting as an option for their players. They will also be allowing players to choose their own weekly deposit limit which can be between one dollar and $9999. All players must be least 19 years of age, and there will be security features that will keep those that are under age from participating in the online gambling.
The lottery says that in addition to the safety features, they will also have a timer on the homepage that it shows the player how long they have been playing. They know that this will help when it comes to responsible gaming, and to hold off on the inevitable claims that it will add to online gambling addiction.
