B.C. Lottery Corp to launch online casino games

The B.C. Lottery Corp has caused controversy after it announced plans to launch online casino games. Popular casino favourites such as poker, blackjack , roulette and others are scheduled for release by the end of March next year. The games will be featured on PlayNow, the corporation site, and are expected to generate revenue worth up to an estimated $100 million per year by 2025. The announcement marks a bold move for the corporation amid the U.S. government's condemnation of online casino gaming.

The step will give the corporation access to a profitable market with British Columbians spending an approximate $87 million on offshore gambling sites. Michael Graydon, corporation CEO, said that the move represents a chance to safeguard profits "rather than it all going offshore to places like Antigua".

Despite enthusiastic claims, however, the decision has been met with severe criticism. The concern follows an outcry earlier this month when the corporation announced that it was increasing its weekly limit from $120 to just under $10,000. Shane Simpson, B.C. NDP critic, called the bid to increase gambling limits online "unacceptable" and a likely trigger for "problem gambling".

The corporation has said that it aims to counter these potential difficulties by introducing a number of measures to protect its users. A 24hour "cooling off" period, for instance, will stop players wagering on higher limits without sufficient pause. Bill Thompson, professor at University of Nevada, said that the decision was historic "in terms of being legal and authorized by a government in North America". Whatever the outcome, onlookers of all allegiances will no doubt be anxiously monitoring the corporation's progress