British Columbia Becomes First Government to Run Online Casino

Residents of British Columbia will be able to play soon in the province’s government-run casino www.playnow.com.

The online casino is the first casino in North American run by a government entity. Although it might be the first, those behind it say it might not be the last.

“British Columbia might be the first jurisdiction in North America to offer games, but I can predict that it won’t be the last,” said Rich Coleman, the minister of Housing and Social Development. His office oversees the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.

Many states and cities in Canada and the United States have discussed the possibility of opening and running online casinos and poker rooms recently, but British Columbia is the first to do it. Coleman said the Canadian province would not any longer “stand on the sidelines” while losing revenue to the many off-shore website that Canadian residents play.

“The hard reality is this – that activity is not going away,” Coleman said.

The revenue from the casino will be directed to the province’s general fund, which could help close a C$1.7 billion deficit this year.

Globally, the online gaming industry generates $20 billion in revenue annually, and it’s estimated that Canadian residents contribute $100 million to that total. The new gaming site run by the province will only accept bets from resident of British Columbia.