Nova Scotia has made up its mind that, starting this spring, it will host online casino games in an attempt to help ailing finances and liberalize a market long dominated by illegitimate players. Last year, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation launched a website for New Brunswick, but the provinces of the Atlantic are next.
However, before Atlantic Corp. would roll out its online gaming product, a final endorsement by local governments will be needed, and this is exactly what Nova Scotia did on Friday, confirming that it will host a casino website, signed off by the council.
Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, clarifying the development of a casino website, confirmed that development costs would be distributed among all provinces willing to participate in the production of such a product.
There has been pushback from gambling worrywarts, understandably, who have claimed that the New Brunswick website invites reckless gambling. Although the rest of the world has placed strict limits on the amount players can stake online, New Brunswick operations have permitted $100 bets per slot and $500 bets per blackjack hand.
The concern is that financial chagrin coupled with isolation and lockdown could lead to reckless spending behaviors and financial ruin.
The Atlantic Lottery Corporation has said in presenting its claims that an estimated $100 million is now leaving the Atlantic provinces due to offshore gambling that is not blocked, monitored or controlled in Canada.
Since the early days of online casinos, the phantom of offshore gambling has been haunting Canada, with no strict regulations in place. However, Atlantic Corp. claims that when it comes to dealing with problem gambling issues and managing the pace of gaming in the first place, having a controlled website is the safest bet.
Nova Scotia has no gambling organization to address the problem, but Nova Scotia was shut down last year after Gambling Awareness.
Nova Scotia is not the only province that has chosen to expand online gambling. Prince Edward Island announced earlier that, in collaboration with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, it will aim to launch an online gambling website.
