The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has signed a contract with SCCG Management that will see the advisory firm review the lottery corporation’s operations.

The advisory company says the partnership aims to undertake “a comprehensive assessment and strategic enhancement” of BCLC’s work, including a study of the corporation’s technological infrastructures, market strategy, and gaming integrations.

Stephen Crystal, founder and CEO of SCCG Management, said in a company statement that the collaboration represents “a remarkable opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation within the gaming industry.”

“We are committed to deploying our resources and expertise to enhance BCLC’s operational efficiencies and customer engagement strategies,” added Crystal. “It’s an honour to partner with an organization that has a robust impact on the community through its support of public initiatives.”

BCLC declined to comment on the story to Canadian Gaming Business.

BCLC’s PlayNow.com platform is the only legal avenue for online gaming and sports betting in British Columbia and is also used as the online platform provider by the provincial lottery corporations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan after striking deals with first Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and subsequently the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) and SaskGaming.

Its portfolio of technology partners includes OpenBet, whose omnichannel Player Account Management platform and sports betting technology are used by PlayNow.com in all three of those provinces.

The lottery corp. also offers players in all three provinces access to its slate of player protection safeguards and resources through its flagship responsible gambling program GameSense. That platform has also been adopted by leading third-party operators, including BetMGM.

As well as its digital ventures, BCLC also operates 36 casinos and community gaming centres across British Columbia, including venues under the Chances, Elements, Cascades and Great Canadian Entertainment brands.

BCLC coming off record year

BCLC’s contracted review of its operations is an attempt to build on the record year it reported last September.

The corporation’s 2022/23 Annual Service Plan Report showed a record-breaking net income of $1.64 billion in its first full fiscal year of post-pandemic casino and community gaming centre operations. The rise in revenue was largely attributed to the opening of the new Cascades Casino Delta, Lotto 6/49 game enhancements, continued high Lotto Max jackpot roll patterns, and PlayNow.com’s expansion to Saskatchewan in November 2022.

However, particularly notable with hindsight and in the context of the SCCG partnership is the lottery’s note that the launch of the regulated Ontario market “created challenges for PlayNow.com to continue to maintain its significant market share.”

“This shift has had effects across the Canadian online gambling landscape and resulted in a significant increase in advertising for sites which are licensed in Ontario but operating unregulated in other provinces,” read September’s BCLC report. “This is blurring the line between those sites and provincially regulated gambling sites that create revenue and jobs for their respective provinces. This has caused confusion for players who may be unaware that PlayNow.com is the only legal gambling website in BC.”