New Brunswick bill would let province regulate online live casino games through Atlantic Lottery
New Brunswick has introduced legislation to amend its Gaming Control Act and allow regulated live casino games. The offering would stay within the Atlantic Lottery Corporation's monopoly rather than open a commercial iGaming market.
GamblingSource: GamblingNews
The government of New Brunswick has put forward a bill that would let the province regulate live casino games online. The proposal amends the Gaming Control Act and would widen the range of products offered by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, the multi-province, government-owned operator.
At present, residents can access regulated online gaming in New Brunswick only through the ALC. The bill would not introduce a commercial iGaming market. Instead, if it passes, the province would create a new regulation-making authority responsible for overseeing online live casino events. Live casino games are online table games played in real time against human dealers and other players.
The legislation responds to a proposal from the ALC. Officials said the changes and the new authority would allow the government to maintain safeguards through regulations.
Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin said updating the law is key to keeping local players safe, adding that the evolution of the gaming industry requires governments to adapt and change rules where needed. He argued that the move would improve channelization, bringing people who currently gamble with unlicensed operators into a legal and safer market. Finance and Treasury Board Minister René Legacy said modernizing the Gaming Control Act is about keeping up with how gaming is changing, and that new options should be developed responsibly and meet player needs in a regulated way.
The bill arrives while some officials are also weighing commercial iGaming, hoping to reproduce the results of Ontario's regulated market and generate revenue for the province. Reports indicate that only about 35% of betting volume in New Brunswick is placed with the ALC, which points to substantial unlicensed activity. Experts estimate channelization in Ontario at more than 90%.
The recent launch of regulated iGaming in Alberta appears to have added momentum to calls for similar steps elsewhere in Canada, although New Brunswick has not yet moved toward a commercial market. Nova Scotia is reportedly also considering iGaming.
Based on reporting by GamblingNews.