There is good news for Saskatchewan residents, as the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has signed a vendor agreement with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) to develop an online gaming platform, the two announced. parties on Monday in a press release.

BCLC, a government-owned company that already operates its regulated online gaming platform PlayNow in the provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba, will expand to a third Canadian province and offer iCasino and sports betting in Saskatchewan. Development of the site is to begin immediately with the goal of being operational by the end of 2022.

PlayNow.com is the only regulated gambling website offered in British Columbia and Manitoba, and is the only gambling website in North America, and one of the few in the world, that offers dedicated health specialists players known as GameSense Advisors.

SIGA, a non-profit organization, operates seven First Nations-owned casinos in Saskatchewan, which is home to nearly 1.2 million Canadians and borders Montana and North Dakota to the south. Established in 1995, SIGA reported revenues of $85.7 million (CAD) and net income of $16.6 million for 2020-21, according to its annual report.

The schedule so far and ahead

SIGA closed its tender process last December and has taken the last few months to select its supplier. Director of Communications and Media Relations Alanna Adamko previously said Sports handle it would take about four to six months to get the site up and running once a vendor was selected. This means that an online games launch in the fall or early winter in the province is likely.

An industry source said earlier this year that Kambi Group would have been a logical online games supplier for SIGA.

“I heard there was a lot of interest [in the RFP]said Canadian Games Association President and CEO Paul Burns. Sports handle. “It’s very good for them. This is a great opportunity for SIGA to expand its brands online and integrate them with SaskGaming, and be able to create a really great offering for the province of Saskatchewan.

The news comes just two months after Ontario launched its regulated online gaming and sports betting market. Currently, sports bettors in Saskatchewan can only bet at certain outlets using the Sport Select platform, which is regulated by the Western Canadian Lottery Corporation. Single event betting was legalized in Canada last August.

“Sport Select has a niche in the province, and SIGA will look to complement offerings in the sports betting space to compete with gray market betting, where those funds leave the province,” Adamko said. Sports handle last December.

SIGA announced today, along with other stakeholders, that it has officially signed a vendor agreement for BCLC to begin development on the online gaming site.https://t.co/x3kzW639I8…@casinoregina @casinomoosejaw @fsinations pic.twitter.com/qsUCLgGDTV

— SIGA (@HomeSIGA) June 6, 2022

Unprecedented revenue sharing model in Canada

On September 23, the Government of Saskatchewan and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) announced an amendment to the Gaming Framework Agreement (GFA), originally signed in 1995, to establish the legal basis for running a digital game business. by SIGA. The FSIN, which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, and the province have entered into a 50/50 revenue sharing agreement, making SIGA the only First Nations operator in Canada to have such an agreement with any level of government for online gambling. SIGA will be the official operator of the new online gaming portal under an operating agreement with SaskGaming.

By comparison, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation allocates only 1.7% of its annual gross revenue to First Nations in the province of Ontario. In British Columbia, the government entered into a 25-year pact in 2018 with its First Nations to share 7% of gambling revenue.

Chief Adam Pawis of the Shawanaga First Nation community, located about 170 miles north of Toronto in Ontario, praised the Saskatchewan government for reaching the historic agreement with SIGA, but also criticized the government. of Ontario for excluding First Nations from any future iGaming or sports betting plans and expansion, calling it a form of “economic genocide.”

Other Ontario First Nations groups also condemn the expansion of online gambling in Ontario, as they believe revenue will be taken away from land-based casinos, impacting the funds they depend on.

Check out this article from our leader, Kelly LaRocca, on the negative impact of iGaming on First Nations communities! https://t.co/ceQ1UCj8iU

— MSIFN – Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (@MSIFN) May 3, 2022