New Crown corporation to oversee lotteries, gaming in Sask.

A new Crown corporation will be established this spring to oversee gaming and lotteries in Saskatchewan.

The new Crown — which will be known as Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (LGS) — will be launched April 1 and will oversee casinos, VLTs, lotteries and online gaming, according to the provincial government.

The Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation, which operates Casino Regina and Casino Moose Jaw, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of LGS. Likewise, the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) will continue to operate its own casinos, but oversight will be through LGS going forward.

Lotteries will still be operated by SaskLotteries and the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, the government said, but LGS will provide oversight.

Don Morgan, minister of Crown Investments Corporation, said the move is an important one as digital gaming becomes ever more popular and the industry changes.

“Creating a new Crown corporation to oversee lotteries and gaming management allows Saskatchewan to have a single view of the sector while maintaining separate, highly competitive business lines,” Morgan said in a statement.

“This will be increasingly important as digital gaming changes the lotteries, gaming and entertainment landscape in the province.”

Those benefiting from gaming and lottery income will not have to worry about changes from the new Crown, as the provincial government said LGS will not make changes to gaming and lottery operators, and offered the assurance that “all beneficiaries of net gaming and lottery income will remain unchanged.”

The gaming landscape in Saskatchewan is already preparing for major changes, with a new online gaming and betting site from SIGA set to launch Nov. 3. That project — PlayNow.com — will offer both casino-style gaming and sports betting through a single online portal.

Once LGS has been established, the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) will no longer manage the VLT program, but will regulate lotteries “to amalgamate regulatory oversight of the province’s gaming activities,” the government said. SLGA will also continue to license charitable gaming.

Lori Carr, minister responsible for SLGA, said the move to separate regulatory and management functions is a wise one.

“These changes will ensure SLGA is operating as an independent regulator of the sector in the province,” Carr said in a statement.