In less than 48 hours, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation will say goodbye to another eventful calendar year. And in a recent interview, the President and CEO of the Crown agency, Pat Davis, recapped 2022 and commented that after the unprecedented situation closures in 2020 and 2021, the corporation saw a continued upward trend in its business.
BCLC is a state-run agency that conducts and offers retail gambling and lottery entertainment to the province of British Columbia in a fun but responsible manner. In addition to that, the organization offers online gaming and sports betting to local bettors via its PlayNow. The website is the only one in the province whose proceeds are reinvested into B.C.’s economy.
Reflecting on 2022
It is safe to say that the BCLC has been keeping itself busy in 2022, as the Crown assigned Mr. Davis as its new President and CEO based in Kamloops. Mr. Davis who has been part of the community for over 20 years, said that his transition was wonderful. He is also pleased to be able to engage across the entire business and meet all employees, and several service providers.
The CEO added that despite the continued growth in 2022, the organization was pleased to see how quickly people adopted the online and digital BCLC platforms. He explained that 2022 continued the trend, and the company has even managed to build on its CA$1.3 billion return from last year. This way the agency will be able to provide additional funding to education, healthcare, and communities.
Despite the continued growth of the company, the CEO says that the organization continues to recover from the effects of the recent closures and that next year will be an interesting challenge for all businesses. He commented that the talk about all economic headwinds and pressures does not affect the organization, as its aim is to provide great experiences and products to its many players.
Mr. Davis says that since 1985, the BCLC has been part of the Kamloops community, and it resumes its effort to build and expand programs and services in the city and the province. He also shared that he it has been great in his new role to discuss possible enhancements and expansion opportunities with locals and groups and continue the immaculate relationship with the community.
Additional Highlights in 2022
In addition to its continued business growth throughout the year, the BCLC has also been awarded a platinum rating in The Social Purpose Transition Pathway: Helping companies move from “say” to “do”. The report is issued by Corporate Knights and acknowledges the B.C. agency for its exceptional service and contributions to the Province of B.C.
Also, in November 2022, the BCLC helped Saskatchewan launch its first regulated online platform. This was done by debuting its PlayNow to the province on November 3, 2022. Now bettors from the province are able to play casino games and wager on their preferred sporting event in a fun but responsible manner.
Source: Zieverink, Abby “BCLC President and CEO reflects back on 2022” RadioNL 610 AM, December 28, 2022
