BC Lottery Corp Eyes Mobile Gambling
Registered players at the British Columbia Lottery Corporation's official online gambling site, PlayNow.com, are being asked regarding their take on the introduction of mobile apps through the casino.
This is the first indication that the BCLC is considering going mobile, and thus capturing a share of the ever growing mobile gaming market in Canada.
If anything comes of the idea, players will be able to enjoy PlayNow's games on mobile phones and tablets through what the site trumpets itself as "BC's only legal gambling website."
Last year, when the site launched in July, it was estimated that residents of the province were spending around $100 million a year on gambling. At the time, cabinet minister Rich Coleman said that there was a need for the launch of PlayNow in order to keep some of that money within the province and prevent it all from being spent offshore.
The BCLC's betting limits were also raised to $9,999 to make the site more attractive.
However, now with the expansion of mobile gambling, the BCLC needs to try to keep up yet again, which is why it is eyeing growth into this market.
No decision has been reached yet regarding the expansion into mobile gambling, said a spokesperson for the British Columbia Lottery Corporation this week.
Ahead of Expectations
According to the BCLC, PlayNow is running ahead of expectations and has 170,000 registered players. While online gambling only makes up 1% of the lottery corporation's annual revenues, it is believed that this number will quadruple itself by 2014.
The vast majority of the BCLC's revenues come from regular lotteries, casinos and slot machines. The corporation rolls over $1 billion in profit each year from these undertakings.
