Prince Edward Island favours online gambling

One of Canada’s smallest and least populated provinces has become the latest to join the list of those in favour of local governments running their own gambling websites in a bid to raise revenues.

According to a report from the All Headline News global news service, the province of Prince Edward Island, which is located off the nation’s east coast and has a population of only 141,500, is looking into following the examples of British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia by establishing an online gambling service.

Wes Sheridan, Finance Minster for Prince Edward Island, revealed that the province’s governing Liberal Party was looking into the possibility after receiving an offer from the Atlantic Lottery Corporation to include online gambling on its PlaySphere.ca interactive games website.

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation estimates that Prince Edward Island, which made $14.7 million last year in lotto earnings, could bring in up to $48 million annually by adding online gambling but Sheridan stated that the province would ensure that any such site would be regulated and policed if it accepted the offer.

British Columbia made Canadian history in July by launching its own gambling portal at PlayNow.com. However, the site was closed only hours after opening due to security concerns before re-launching last month. Ontario, which is the nation’s most populated province with over 13 million people, launched a consultation process that is seeking to discover residents’ opinions on Internet gambling while Nova Scotia is about to initiate a similar move.