Saskatchewan Looking to Launch with British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s PlayNow.com

Saskatchewan is the sixth-largest province in all of Canada with a population hovering around 1.1 million people. So, it makes sense that many are curious about online sports betting in the Saskatchewan sports betting market. Now, it looks like the province is one step closer to bringing online sports betting into the area by the end of 2022.

Canada changed its criminal code last summer in August 2021 to allow for single-event sports betting, when before it only allowed for parlay betting. Since then, the option has been up to each province to regulate and/or offer sports betting how they see fit. Many provinces began to allow sports betting through provincial run lotteries, either in person or online or both.

At the moment, there is a very limited sports betting market in Saskatchewan. The only legal option in the province is through the Western Canada Lottery Corporation’s Sport Select game. With Sport Select, bets are capped at $100, plus sports bettors must place these wagers in-person at a participating location.

Right now, gray market betting operators have been able to flourish with such little competition in the province from the niche legal offering. The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, SIGA, is hoping to bring more offerings into the province to compete with these gray market sports betting operators. And, it looks like more sports betting options will be coming soon.

The government-owned Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation, SaskGaming, as well as the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, SIGA, have made a big move for Saskatchewan online sports betting. They announced they have signed a vendor agreement to create an online gaming platform.

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation have signed the vendor agreement to allow the BCLC to start their development for a site for online sports betting in Saskatchewan. There was an extensive request for proposal process in the province before the British Columbia Lottery Corporation was chosen to create the online sports betting option for Saskatchewan. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation has a platform known as PlayNow.com.

The turn-key online gaming portal option from the BCLC with PlayNow.com will now be customized for online sports betting in the province. This will include offering the casino games that have proved popular with Saskatchewan bettors at casinos in addition to offering single-event sports bets.

At this time, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation already has provided PlayNow.com to offer sports betting to Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. The BCLC is also already tasked with conducting and managing commercial gambling in the British Columbia province, as its name suggests. In both British Columbia and Manitoba, the BCLC’s PlayNow.com is the only regulated legal gambling website that is offered.

The BCLC touts that PlayNow.com offers a playing experience that is both safe and secure and offers casino gaming, live casinos, and poker in addition to sports betting.

Written by Allie Nelson, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert.