Legal sports betting in Saskatchewan should have an online component added in 2022, after the local gaming providers tapped a provincial lottery to develop a new internet gambling website.
The British Columbia Lottery Corp. (BCLC) has signed a contract with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) and the government-owned Saskatchewan Gaming Corp. (SaskGaming) to help provide regulated online gambling to Saskatchewan players, the parties announced on Monday.
BCLC will supply its PlayNow.com platform to its Saskatchewan partners, allowing them to offer online sports betting and online casino gaming in Saskatchewan.
It’s not the first such arrangement for BCLC. In addition to operating in its home province of British Columbia, the company also developed a PlayNow site for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp.
“BCLC’s PlayNow.com platform will be customized for the Saskatchewan market, and will reflect many of the popular casino games that Saskatchewan residents are accustomed to seeing at casinos, as well as single-event sports betting,” a press release stated.
Seek and deploy
The selection of BCLC, a government-owned Crown corporation, follows a request-for-proposals process launched by SIGA last year. That process came after an amendment to the gaming framework agreement between the Saskatchewan government and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), which represents 74 First Nations in the province and which created SIGA.
SIGA operates seven casinos in Saskatchewan and was chosen to run an online gambling site in the province that would also offer sports betting. The non-profit gaming authority will be the official operator of the province’s new gaming site, which is expected to launch later this year.
“SIGA is very excited to bring the PlayNow online casino and sports betting experience to Saskatchewan – the PlayNow platform is very competitive against any other online offering,” SIGA president and CEO Zane Hansen said in the press release. “This online offering will integrate into our existing casino operations and will further enhance the entertainment options for SIGA’s and SaskGaming’s customers.”
SIGA announced today, along with other stakeholders, that they have officially signed a vendor agreement for BCLC to begin development on the Online Gaming site.https://t.co/x3kzW639I8…@casinoregina @casinomoosejaw @fsinations pic.twitter.com/qsUCLgGDTV
— SIGA (@HomeSIGA) June 6, 2022
The addition of a regulated gaming site in Saskatchewan will expand the legal options for players in the province.
At the moment, the only authorized avenue for legal sports betting in Saskatchewan is Western Canada Lottery Corp.’s SPORT SELECT game, which caps wagers at $100 and requires players to travel to a store to get their ticket. However, some Saskatchewan sports bettors are likely using websites that are operated offshore or outside the province instead.
The new website could repatriate some of that wagering. PlayNow is the only legal online sportsbook in B.C. and, according to BCLC, it has become the company's fastest-growing business channel after first launching in 2004.
“This partnership reinforces the confidence the legal gambling industry has in BCLC, and our leadership in providing players with entertaining and engaging gambling experiences through our safe and secure online platform, PlayNow.com,” said Lynda Cavanaugh, interim president and CEO of BCLC, in a press release. “In addition to an innovative suite of online casino and sports-betting products, BCLC’s PlayNow.com is the only gambling website in North America and one of few in the world that offers dedicated player-health specialists – known as GameSense Advisors – via live chat.”
