ONLINE POKER AND SPORTSBETTING FOR QUEBEC SOON
20 November 2009
French-speaking province lobbied for
licensing
The president of Loto Quebec, Alain Cousineau, revealed
in a speech to the Montreal Board of Trade on Tuesday
that his organisation is about to make a bold move into
online gambling, at least as far as online poker and
sportsbetting is concerned.
The Canadian Press
reports that as early as next summer, the company will
be offering its clients online poker and sports betting.
Loto-Quebec plans to collaborate with the lottery
corporations in five other Canadian provinces that
already offer online services, specifically British
Columbia and the four Atlantic provinces.
The
news agency reports that studies show that in 2009,
online gambling represented a worldwide market of $25.3
billion - a 300 percent increase since 2004.
The
growth in online gambling is a huge and probably
irreversible worldwide trend, Cousineau told his
audience. He backed his assertion with statistics,
explaining that in Canada the online gambling industry
grew by an average 30 percent a year between 2003 and
2008, going from $184 million to $675 million. It is
expected to pass the billion dollar mark in 2012.
"Annual revenues drawn from Quebec alone," Alain
Cousineau reported, "are conservatively estimated at
around $80 million, which is a sharp increase from the
$50 million drawn in 2006."
With the emergence of
online gambling, Loto Quebec has no other choice but to
adjust to this new wave, Cousineau said. "The precise
form of the adjustments still needs to be determined.
One thing is sure, however, while Loto-Québec continues
its efforts to channel gaming towards controlled sites
and establish a framework to the minimise [the] social
costs of gambling, the Corporation will always endeavour
to maintain a balance between its economic mission and
its social responsibility."
The Loto Quebec
executive revealed that over the past seven years, Loto-Québec
has spent $160 million on assistance programs for
problem gamblers, which are administered by the
Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux, as well
as management of VLT access controls, which is the
responsibility of the Régie des alcools, des courses et
des jeux.
Over the same period, Loto-Québec has
given $20.6 million to the Fondation Mise sur toi to
support programs that promote responsible gaming as well
as the implementation and continuous improvement of
prevention tools within the company's operations.
"In total, this represents $180 million committed by
Loto-Québec during that period to prevent problem
gambling, making Quebec one of the areas of the word
where the most money is expended on that issue,"
Cousineau claimed. In this regard, he added, "...we are
very proud that Loto-Québec was the first lottery
operator in the world to receive the World Lottery
Association's highest international certification for
responsible gaming."
Cousineau revealed that Loto-Quebec
has already asked the province to make the necessary
regulatory changes to allow Quebec to enter the online
gambling market.
Revenues from land casinos,
lotteries and video lottery terminals in Quebec have
levelled off for several years.
Online Casino News Courtesy of
Infopowa
More news here.
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