The Atlantic Lottery has undergone a “rigorous process” in an attempt to implement online casino games in all four provinces it serves in.

Online casino games are already live in Atlantic Canada, but the Atlantic Lottery is determined to protect consumers from the presence of the unregulated and offshore gambling websites that are currently operating illegally in this market, and instead make them available on a safe and regulated platform.

Currently, the Atlantic Lottery is the region’s only lottery and online gaming and sports betting provider that is 100% legal and government regulated.

Writing on The Ticket, Patrick Daigle, CEO of the Atlantic Lottery, highlighted the advantages of his company offering online casino games in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, where an estimated $100m is lost every year through play on illegal gambling websites that are not regulated by these provincial governments.

He said: “A regulated alternative can provide those players with extra protections and tools to help them keep their play responsible, while keeping those funds in our region to reinvest in services essential to all Atlantic Canadian residents. That sounds like a win-win to me.”

A number of independent expert reviews have been conducted to ascertain the suitability of such a service which, according to the Atlantic Lottery, have “found no substantial evidence that the introduction of online casino gambling would have a measurable impact on vulnerable players, nor that problem gambling became more prevalent in the other Canadian provinces where regulated online casino games are already available”.

The lottery’s goal is to shift some of the existing player base from these offshore sites back to its alc.ca website, which returns all of its profit to the four Atlantic provinces.

Daigle added: “In practical terms, this means players are offered protection in the form of age and residency verification, built-in responsible gaming features, email alerts of winnings, and automatic deposit of winnings.

“Our site also contains features such as a self-exclusion option, customizable deposit and wager limits, time displays, and a personalized risk rating based on their online play, as well as several other tips and links to help players gamble responsibly.

“These features combine to offer the best-in-class player protections that were recommended by experts.”