Ontario to Introduce Regulated Online Gaming
Canada already has regulated online gambling in British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, and the Atlantic Provinces. Ontario had not yet made the move to offer legalised online gambling, although changes are currently underway in which Ontario is to introduce regulated online gaming.
It is estimated that Ontario loses out on about $400 - $500 million in annual revenue because of the large number of players who gambling at offshore online gaming sites. Ontario has hopes that the regulated gaming site will help to keep funds in Ontario and take the province out of its budget deficit.
Trial Run for Ontario's PlayOLG.ca
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has announced that it has already issued an invitation to 53,000 existing casino customers to try out the new regulated online gaming site. Players have been invited to sign up on PlayOLG.ca where they can play games such as slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and single player poker games. In addition to this, players will also be able to buy various lottery tickets online, such as the Lotto 6/49 tickets, Lotto Max tickets, and Encore tickets.
Those who have been invited to play are a large sample that are being offered the chance as a pre-launch opportunity. In addition to this creating much anticipation, it also gives the OLG the chance to iron out any issues that may arise during this period of time before the site is open and available to all those who can legally take part in online gaming in Ontario.
A statement in the news release earlier this week noted: "Eligible members of OLG's Winner's Circle Rewards program will participate in a short-term, soft-launch of the new site before it becomes available to legal-aged Ontarians in the coming weeks."
In addition to this, the press release from the OLG stated: "As a new line of business, PlayOLG will provide more money to the government of Ontario for hospitals and other government priorities."
Regulations for PlayOLG Members
In addition to the legal age restrictions, there are other regulations that are being added to Ontario's legalised online gaming site. Members are limited in the number of lottery tickets that can be purchased, and there are casino loss limits. There are also time limits for casino game play, and those who wish to make use of the option can choose to be self-excluded from gaming. Players will also need to fill in self-assessments and risk profiles. The site will also offer parents information regarding password protection to ensure that underage children do not access the age-restricted website.
