The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. have sent out a request for proposals from online gaming companies to seek help in running an online gambling operation in Ontario. The move could bring in an estimated $100 million over five years and says that $450 million is annually wagered over the web by Ontarians.
There are several provinces already in the online gambling market and according to lottery spokesman Tony Bitonti “we want to . . . get this right the first time.” It is the plan of the OLG to phase in online gambling within the providence starting as early as next year.
OLG promises responsible gambling with features such as self-control options that will pop up asking if they may be playing too much and maybe, according to Bitonti, online chats with counselors. There will also be an age verification system to help control minors coming onto the site.
Not everyone is in agreement however as Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak has said;
“The bottom line for me is (that) trusting Dalton McGuinty with a new revenue source is like giving the keys to the liquor cabinet to teenagers and going away for the weekend. The motivation is going to be to try to find another tool to take money out of our pockets. There’s a product out there that’s successful. How is the OLG going to trump that?”
The legislation that will allow people in New Jersey to gamble online at a virtual Atlantic City casino has taken another step forward. The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee voted 11-0 to advance the proposal.
Though unanimous, there were five senators who were concerned that horse tracks were not a part of the legislation. Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union who is the main sponsor of the legislation hopes that online gambling will be running in New Jersey by the fall.
New about U.S. refunds has been slow in coming from Full Tilt Poker after FBI indictments shut down there site on April 15th. Even after a an agreement was made with U.S. prosecutors to release the Full Tilt domain for the purpose of allowing U.S. online poker players to withdraw their money, nothing has been coming and very little has been said from Full Tilt.
With growing concerns from players and word coming that PokerStars has refunded more than $100 million to U.S.
On Saturday, The Star Canada’s largest daily newspaper, reported that Premier Dalton McGuinty’s administration is facing a $19.7 billion budget deficit. Due to this, McGuinty is looking into the possibility of Ontario expanding into the online gambling industry.
The government needs money, and sources say legalizing online gambling could bring in up to $500 million a year.
