Report ALBERTA - CANADA ALBERTA TRUE GAMING SPIRIT
A VLT replacement programme combined with a diverse gaming offer means that Alberta punches above its weight
Alberta is the most populous of Canada’s three prairie provinces with a population of 3.6 million and is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (fourth daughter of Victoria who was Queen of Canada until 1901).
Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada and is a landlocked region located in western Canada and shares a boundary with British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, Northwest Territories to the north and the US state of Montana to the south.
The capital of Alberta is Edmonton which is in the heart of the province and is also the supply and service hub for Canada’s oil sand and other resource industries. Around 300 kilometres south is Calgary, which is the largest city and a major distribution and transportation hub. Population for both these cities exceeds one million.
The Edmonton-Calgary Corridor is one of the most urbanised and densest in the province and one of the fastest growing regions in Canada. Alberta’s economy is one of the strongest in the country and is supported by a petroleum industry and then agriculture and technology. The province is a large producer of crude oil and natural gas. It has made a recovery from the recession and has an average annual growth rate of 3.4 per cent. Unemployment is around 5.5 per cent.
Tourism plays a huge part and in 2010 almost 23 million visited Alberta. Outdoor attractions like hiking, skiing and camping are big pulls and the state relies heavily on Southern Ontario tourists.
GAMING SECTOR The gaming sector is governed by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission which is a government agent consisting of a seven member board and a corporation which was formed in 1981.
Gaming activities in Alberta are divided into two models – charitable gaming which includes bingo, casinos, raffles,
February 2013 PAGE 104
pull tickets and provincial gaming – VLTs, slot machines, ticket lotteries and electronic bingo. The sector is governed by the Gaming and Liquor Act which was established in 1996.
Revenue from the gaming sector is returned to the state through licensed charities and to the Alberta Lottery Fund. The Lottery Fund receives a share of net revenues from the VLTs, slots and ticket lotteries and these revenues total more than $1.5bn each year and support community based initiatives.
In 1938 an amendment was added to the Criminal Code of Canada to permit charitable bingo operations and in the 1960s casino gaming was introduced to annual summer fairs in Alberta.
There were very few changes up until 1970 and in that year the authority to licence and regulate gaming was transferred from the federal government to the various provinces who could authorise lotteries and then other types of gaming such as bingo, casinos, pull tickets and raffles.
The first charitable casino in Alberta was opened for one week at Edmonton’s Klondike Days annual fair in 1967. By 1974 some 158 casino event licences were issued in the province and total drop in that year was $4.4m.
In 1975 the first non profit casino venue was set up by the Kinsmen Club in Edmonton and was quickly followed by further casinos in Edmonton and Calgary. Slot machines however were not introduced into casinos until 1996 and at this time 225 slots were permitted in the permanent casino facilities in Alberta with a maximum limit of 25 slots for Edmonton and Calgary casinos and 10 for facilities in other locations.
Initially they were standard three reel games with a 25c play and $1000 maximum payout. In 1997 the law changed and the number of slots permitted was doubled.
In 1975, the first non profit casino venue was set up by the Kinsmen Club in
Edmonton and was quickly followed by further casinos in Edmonton and Calgary. Slot
machines however were not
introduced into casinos until 1996.
Up until 1980 only short term casino events were permitted and this changed to permit permanent casinos. The province’s first permanent privately operated casino opened in Calgary in 1980 followed by a second in Edmonton by Casino ABS. In 1996 when the Gaming and Liquor Act was introduced poker was also permitted.
Today there are currently 24 casinos (19 traditional and five First Nations) across 13 towns and most are privately owned facilities. The AGLC has two distinct licences one for a traditional casino facility and a second for First Nations casinos.
Of the 24 casinos there are seven in
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140