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By Julia Lovett-Squires

Gambling

Still only one legal bet book in Saskatchewan

Dec 9, 2024 | 3:44 PM

Sorry gamblers, Play Now is still the only legal site in Saskatchewan.

“Sports betting seems to be something folks are much more interested in,” said Brian Miller, director of communications with Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan.

He explained that the site is operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA), management and conduct overseen by LGS and regulated by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA).

“The start of the NFL season two months ago in September appears to have boosted registrations and deposits on Play Now,” he said.

More than 37,000 registered provincial users and that compares with 30,000 in April.

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“In order to be legal in the province for sports betting and online gaming, you have to be managed and regulated by the provincial government,’ he said, adding it gets into criminal code provisions along with the regulatory bodies.

“It was just a decision that the one legal platform at the moment is playnow.com.”

According to Miller, there are advantages for people to stick with the site.

“They’ve got robust security and customer service as well as built in responsible gambling features,” he said.

“The gaming proceeds from Play Now Saskatchewan stay in Saskatchewan and for folks that are interested in sports betting, Play Now also offers a full suite of sport betting options, so there’s really for Saskatchewan residents who wish to bet on sports to engage with any illegal gaming operator.”

At issue is the grey market – effectively the Wild West of offshore betting – with little to no regulations. According to Play Canada, a site dedicated to reporting on the gambling industry, in 2022, through a regulatory sports betting program, Ontario allowed multiple sports books to become fully legal. This worked to combat the grey market’s offshore sites.

Alberta is looking at doing something similar. The fact remains that Canadians and in-province residents do still use the sites, but Miller said if they choose to play those sites, they may not be treated fairly as consumers.

“We sometimes get calls here about that,” he said.

“The only recourse in a lot of instances that folks have if someone from Saskatchewan thinks they have been defrauded by any illegal gaming operator, they should contact the RCMP.”

Miller added while he wouldn’t talk about specific companies, he has personally received calls from users who were playing with offshore operators.

“Everything seems fine as long as they’re losing, but if they win a jackpot, then suddenly their account is frozen, and the funds aren’t paid out,” he said.

Whether more operators will be added in the future will be up to the province, Millar said.

“There’s no advantage of having multiple platforms if someone wants to sports bet in Saskatchewan, Play Now has the full suite.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: juleslovett@bsky.social