Online gambling and sports betting will soon be legal and available in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) announced in a press release last week that PlayNow.com, Saskatchewan’s first and only legal online gaming operator, will launch in the province on November 3.
The announcement is timely as the small province that’s home to roughly 1.2 million Canadians is set to host this year’s Canadian Football League (CFL) Grey Cup championship game on November 20 in the city of Regina. Now residents will be able to wager on the big game.
PlayNow also announced it has partnered with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and will be the team’s official online casino and sportsbook. The PlayNow.com logo will be featured on team jerseys and there will be other brand activations around the stadium.
SIGA President and CEO Zane Hansen said in a release that money from gambling will not leave the province.
“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 in the release. “Similar to the existing brick-and-mortar casinos in the province, all net proceeds from the PlayNow.com site are reinvested back into Saskatchewan.”
The agreement was made possible last year when the Saskatchewan government and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) amended the Gaming Framework Agreement. That deal was originally signed in 1995 for SIGA to operate a digital gaming enterprise.
SIGA runs seven retail First Nations-owned casinos in Saskatchewan. They have a 50-50 revenue-sharing agreement.
SIGA touted the benefits of having online gambling and sports betting in the province. They pointed to the “gray market” or offshore sites that have been operating in Canada for many years. The Canadian Gaming Association estimated that those sites collect nearly $10 billion in the country annually. They also allege that some offshore sites are run by organized crime.
SIGA is confident they can lure gamblers away from the gray markets and to their sites. In regards to sports betting, officials said they will be setting up sportsbooks at the seven casinos to enhance the experience for bettors.
