Newfoundland and Labrador is now the latest Canadian province to kick off its regulated platform for online gambling. This week, the local government surprised residents by announcing digital casino gaming is now available in the province via the Atlantic Lottery Corporation’s website. Residents can now enjoy iGaming from the comfort of their homes or anywhere else in the province.

It is a widely popular fact that Newfoundland and Labrador is the only Canadian jurisdiction where there are no land-based casinos. This will remain the case even after this week’s ruling in favour of iGaming. The province now becomes the third Atlantic region to legalize and debut online gambling on its territory after New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Bringing iGaming in Responsible Manner

Atlantic Lottery Corporation is responsible for providing safe and regulated gambling for the Atlantic region. It offers safe gambling options and resources while also touting a Level IV World Lottery Association certification, which is the highest honour in the industry. That is why the province of Newfoundland felt that the ALC is the obvious choice for iGaming providers.

Hon. Siobhan Coady, Newfoundland and Labrador’s deputy premier and minister of finance said the province wanted to provide a safe regulated environment for online gaming. In addition to that, he said ALC’s online platform delivers responsible alternative for residents who usually play on one of the hundreds of iGaming sites, but none of them are legal or regulated by the province.

ALC is able to protect its players via its responsible gambling program, PlayWise, which delivers relevant information and actionable resources. Similar to Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s PlaySmart and British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s GameSense, PlayWise aids players in making informed decisions when participating in gambling activities or helps them understand games and their rules.

By utilizing PlayWise, bettors can better learn about chance- and skill-based games offered by the Crown corporation. They can also discover key gambling facts, understand how odds work, dismiss common gambling myths, and help them with tips for responsible play. ALC says these key points help the Crown in its objective of empowering players.

Laying the Ground Work

It should be mentioned that New Brunswick was the first Atlantic province to launch iGaming via the ALC back in 2020. Then after the introduction of single-event betting in 2022 Nova Scotia also joined the party as it debuted online gaming via ALC. However, the province did not make an official announcement about it as it said it was not trying to promote it.

Meanwhile, the last province, Prince Edward Island also approved online casino expansion in 2021 but it is still not up and running. Its decision caused a little bit of controversy as many people from the province argued that the public was not consulted on the matter. This is because the news came during the closure of brick-and-mortar casinos and the population was more vulnerable.