SIGA signs with B.C. lotto corp. to develop online gaming platform this fall

A platform for online casino games and single-event sports betting could be in place for Saskatchewan by the time Regina hosts the Grey Cup in November. 

The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) said it signed a vendor agreement with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) on June 2 to begin development.

SIGA president and CEO Zane Hansen expects it could be ready for launch by October. 

"This is a great step forward. There's no other First Nations organization in Canada that has had the opportunity to get engaged," Hansen told CBC News Monday. 

"We're really going to make the most of it and generate a lot of returns ... and the benefits go back to our beneficiaries, our First Nations and the provincial government." 

SIGA's online gaming platform will only be open to Saskatchewan residents who are at least 19 years old. 

Hansen explained the online portal will have measures to verify the player's age and geographical location to ensure the process is legal. 

Player health tech built in

SIGA said BCLC was selected to develop the site and mobile app after an extensive request for proposals process. 

The organization's Play Now platform will be customized for the Saskatchewan market. BCLC already provides the service to Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. 

Hansen said one aspect of the BCLC product that really appealed to SIGA is the focus on player health, including features to limit playing time and money spent.

The platform is also the only one in North America to currently include "game sense advisors" — real people who are trained to offer gambling resources via chat. 

"They're there to discuss anything that players feel they would like to talk about to get more information on," Hansen said.

According to the BCLC website, the advisors are trained to educate people on the risks associated with gambling. 

Advisors are also equipped to inform and assist players with voluntary self-exclusion, which would temporarily cease the online gaming account.

Hansen anticipates that online single-event sports betting will account for a large percentage of activity on the platform.

He said while sports teams do not benefit directly from betting revenues, the additional exposure is exciting for leagues and their advertisers. 

"It creates is a much more active and engaged player base ... because people will watch more often and, just as importantly, they will watch longer," Hansen said. 

"All the sports betting companies have to pay the leagues for data, which then gets distributed down to the teams."

SIGA will be the official operator of the new online gaming portal, as per an operating agreement with SaskGaming.  

"Online Gaming will modernize the gaming industry in the province and will complement the casino entertainment options available at land-based SaskGaming and SIGA casinos," said Susan Flett, SaskGaming president and CEO, in a news release Monday. 

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations entered into an agreement with the provincial government in September 2021 that allowed SIGA to bring online gaming to the province.