New Brunswick Bill Would Allow Atlantic Lottery to Offer Online Casino Games

Key Highlights

New Brunswick is moving toward legalizing live online casino games, but unlike Ontario and Alberta, the province plans to give Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) exclusive control of the regulated market rather than license private operators.

Online Casino Proposal & Operator Restrictions

The proposed changes to New Brunswick’s Gaming Control Act would expand upon the ALC’s current services, which include lottery draws, instant win games, and online sports betting via Proline Stadium. Atlantic Lottery already offers live online casino games in the other three Atlantic provinces, but New Brunswick has not approved the expansion.

The proposal would grant the ALC authority to expand upon its regulated online casino platform in New Brunswick, introducing live casino table games like blackjack, baccarat, and roulette. Private companies will still not be eligible to receive licenses under the proposed changes, keeping ALC’s monopoly over legal gambling in the four Atlantic provinces intact. 

“If we put a framework into place, then we can regulate what we have as territory. And some of those revenues will also come into the government coffers,” explained Finance and Treasury Board Minister René Legacy. The ALC estimates it loses roughly $250 million annually to unregulated betting sites. Adding live casino games to its regulated platform may reduce some of those losses.

Atlantic Lottery Expansion & Player Safeguards

If approved, the legislation would allow Atlantic Lottery to add live online casino games to its current selection of gambling products. The corporation already operates lotteries such as Lotto Max and 649, and its live casino products are available in Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland & Labrador. Currently, New Brunswick online casino players can only access a handful of slots on ALC’s online platform.

Atlantic Lottery spokesperson Greg Weston notes that the corporation returns its profits to provincial governments and that the addition of live casino games may help increase provincial funds for public services and projects, making the potential financial benefits a key part of the government’s case for the bill.

Provincial officials also point to safety features offered through Atlantic Lottery. The ALC online platform can identify early signs that a player may be developing gambling problems and provide support. Self-exclusion is another available tool, allowing people to block themselves from gambling when they want to stop or limit their activity.

“Somebody who starts playing and it starts to become a problem being in a regulated area, there will be early signals that come out that we can offer some help or we can try to catch it,” said Legacy.

Private Casino Markets & Gambling Health Concerns

Brock University sports management professor Michael Naraine cautions that New Brunswick must carefully consider how much it wants to expand online gambling. Ontario has opened its market to numerous private operators, and there are now Alberta regulated online casinos following a July 13 market launch. Naraine describes those more open systems as the “wild west.”

Under New Brunswick’s proposal, private online casino companies would not receive the same opportunity to enter the regulated market. Atlantic Lottery alone would provide the new games under provincial oversight. This would create a different system from models in Ontario and Alberta, where the governments have granted licenses to a range of operators.

Public health physician Daniel Myran warns that offering more online casino games could encourage additional people to gamble. He co-authored research identifying nearly 1,000 gambling-related emergency department visits in Ontario since 2012. Myran says policymakers should consider the effects on individuals, families, and communities alongside any expected government revenue.