Albertans are already eyeing the imminent gaming expansion in the country, as previously, the Canadian Senate passed Bill C-218. It is believed that the bill would further revolutionize the gaming industry in the country. The Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis Commission has been an advocate of the legislation and now also patiently awaits the final details.

Bill C-218 or also known as The Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act would amend the Criminal Code in order to legalized wagering on an individual event. As of right now gamblers can only wager via parlay bets on sporting events and have to guess the correct outcome of several games in order to win.

Patiently Waiting

In a media statement Kandice Machado, Acting President & CEO of the Crown agency stated that the corporation has been a big supporter of the initiative and it is looking forward to seeing the legislation go into power. Ms. Machado stated that fans will soon be able to place new and unique wagers on their desired sporting events.

The President and CEO explained that currently, Albertans are unable to place bets on the outcome of a single event such as the upcoming football season or the last week of the Olympics. Ms. Machado said that the Crown corporation resumes its hard work with industry stakeholders to provide Albertans with single-sports betting.

Ms. Machado continued her statement by saying that the agency and its official platform Play Alberta are excited to offers single-sports wagering later this year. According to her, the new betting option will further improve players’ experience while providing exciting and relevant gambling products on Alberta’s only regulated gaming website.

Additionally, the CEO explained that the BCLC’s player safety program GameSense is going to be an integral part of the gaming expansion. She said that Play Alberta has adopted the player program, which gives players access to tools and resources to choose the best and safest gambling habits. The platform also offers features such as loss, bet, and daily limits, along with the Crown Self Exclusion Program.

Online Lotto

Previously, the Crown agency made some improvements to its online platform as the corporation introduced digital lottery offerings online. Albertans can now play online fan-favorite titles such as Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Daily Grand, Western Max, Western 6/49. The agency revealed that there was a delay in the release as it had to deal with many bugs with the platform, but now they are live.

Claims of Unregulated Platform

However, there are some communities that are against the online platform of Play Alberta. In April, Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda first nations declared the platform to be unregulated and unauthorized. The tribes have taken the AGLC to court with the motion that the government is collecting money that would otherwise have gone to the then-closed gaming properties or used to finance charities.

Source: “Albertans ready for single event sports betting, says AGLC”, Lethbridge News Now, August 4, 2021