Home / Poker News April 2012 / The Poker Grapevine – Canadian Govt. Buys into Online Poker
The Poker Grapevine – Canadian Govt. Buys into Online Poker
Posted by: James Carter. - Sat, 2012-04-07 13:34
The Canadian Government has never been a vocal opponent of
online poker, but going from not opposing something into taking part in it is quite a move indeed, which is exactly what the government of Manitoba pulled off: the state will apparently open an online gambling site which only Manitoba residents will be able to use, that will offer various real money online games, among them online poker. The site is set to be launched next year, and it will be a fully regulated operation which province residents will be able to trust from every point of view. The Manitoba Lotteries will be the operator of the site and the Manitoba Gaming Control Commission will regulate it.
According to Steve Ashton, Lotteries Minister of the province of Manitoba, Manitoba residents currently use more than 2,000 gambling sites, spending more than $37 million each year. The vast majority of that money leaves the state. The solution proposed by the government aims to keep as much of those funds as possible within the state.
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation will also be involved in the operation. The BCLC will be responsible for providing the actual website and it will manage most of the online aspects of the operation. The BCLC has the required experience in the matter: it has been offering regulated online gambling services to residents of British Columbia since 2004.
The main selling point of the new operation will be safety: unlike most offshore operators, the government of Manitoba will guarantee the safety of player funds.
In other news: the EPT’s Monte Carlo final will offer players more opportunities to take down a prestigious tournament than ever before. Besides the Super high Roller and the Main Event – which people have pretty much grown to take for granted – there will be an additional high profile event: the €100k Champion of Champions, which is an invitation-only event and in which only the title winners of the EPT’s previous 8 seasons will be allowed to participate.
