September 9, 2009 (CAP Newswire) — Why lose tens of millions of dollars to places like Antigua or Costa Rica when the local government can claim its share of all the online gambling money being generated within its borders? That’s the reasoning behind Canadian province British Columbia’s recent decision to regulate its own state-run online casino games.
The government-run “crown corporation” B.C. Lottery Corp. has decided to introduce Internet casino games with the intention of generating up to $100 million a year in revenue by 2014, reports the CBC. The new gaming features will be integrated into the company's existing PlayNow site and will offer games such as poker, blackjack, and roulette.
It’s a decision for which the province is taking some criticism, partially because it closely follows related news that the lottery company is also raising the weekly limit on its online gaming site from $120 to almost $10,000.