Interactive
US – Saskatchewan to launch online gaming and betting in November
By Phil - 25 October 2022
Saskatchewan’s first and only legal online gaming and sports betting site, PlayNow.com, will be available to Saskatchewan residents beginning Thursday November 3, 2022.
SIGA will be the official operator of PlayNow.com in Saskatchewan as per an operating agreement with SaskGaming.
“We are excited to be the exclusive provider of Saskatchewan’s first and only legal online gaming site, which will provide a safe and secure option for residents to play their favourite casino games and bet on their favorite sports teams online,” said SIGA President and CEO Zane Hansen.
“The rollout of online gaming and single event sports betting opens up new casino entertainment options for residents,” said SaskGaming President and CEO Susan Flett. “The launch timing is also ideal with Saskatchewan hosting this year’s Grey Cup in November.”
“Residents will be pleased to know that when they play on the PlayNow.com site, the proceeds are reinvested back into the province” said Hansen, unlike other grey market sites. “Similar to the existing brick-and-mortar casinos in the province, all net proceeds from the PlayNow.com site are reinvested back into Saskatchewan,” he said.
Additionally, PlayNow.com, has partnered with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, in a sponsorship agreement for PlayNow.com. The Riders will be featuring the PlayNow.com logo on their jerseys, starting at the home game against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, October 22, along with other stadium activations, promoting the new online gaming and sports betting site, coming to Saskatchewan.
“We are excited to welcome PlayNow.com as a valued partner and newest member of our strong Rider Nation” said Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club President & CEO Craig Reynolds.
PlayNow.com in Saskatchewan is provided by BCLC and is based on British Columbia’s successful PlayNow.com business model, with many of the same entertaining casino and sports-betting products, supported by world-class vendors and their strategic partnerships with BCLC.
Saskatchewan will be the third province to use BCLC’s PlayNow.com platform, which is the only gambling website in North America and one of few in the worlds with dedicated responsible-gambling specialists – known as GameSense Advisors – available via live chat to support safer play online. PlayNow.com meets high standards for safety, security, technical integrity, age verification and responsible gambling.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and the Province entered into an innovative agreement in September 2021, which enabled SIGA to bring PlayNow.com to Saskatchewan. The agreement is the first of its kind in Canada and further strengthens the partnership between the FSIN and the Province in Saskatchewan’s gaming sector.
“This historical partnership, is the first of its kind, with a First Nations operator for online gaming with revenue sharing between First Nations and the Province,” said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron. “This will provide many economic benefits to the residents of the province and our First Nations communities.”
