The online catalogue of products in Alberta has been enhanced with the launch of a bouquet of online lotto games in the province.
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission has launched an online lottery service that includes all-time favourite lotto games like Lotto 6/49, Western 6/49, Western Max, Lotto Max, and Daily Grand. Going forward, tickets for local players would be purchasable via the Crown corporation’s regulated platform, playalberta.ca.
The new offering has been in the pipeline for a while, with its launch announced some time ago. Subsequently, Alberta has been trailing behind several other provinces when it comes to its lottery services solutions.
Newly Launched Lottery Services
Kandice Machado, CEO and president of the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission, shared a few thoughts on the digitalisation of lottery sales. In her statement last Friday, Machado explained that with the launch of iLottery services, the company is able to enhance player convenience and generate additional revenue for the benefit of the local economy.
Steve Lautischer, the vice-president of the company, stated that the corporation took its time when launching the online lottery products to eliminate any potential glitches on the platform. According to Lautischer, the rollout took a little longer than expected since a great deal of coordination needed to occur with its partners and the Western Canada Lottery Corporation so that a faultless product could be delivered.
Lautischer also stated that players can now buy multiple tickets for several different draws in advance or just buy one ticket for an upcoming game draw. He explained that the service would not function like a subscription where players could purchase a large number of tickets for the future.
However, some voices of discontent have been heard in the province, with the online lottery tickets seen as being potentially detrimental for independent business owners. Naima Shahid, a convenience store owner, explained that the digitalisation would cost her many existing customers since a large number of them are predicted to start purchasing tickets online, resulting in a massive drop in revenue.
Shahid stated that the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission has not sent out any information about its new offering, and she found out the news from her customers.
