Saskatchewan’s new online gaming platform PlayNow.com generated $31.8m in wagers in its first two months of operation.
The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) was given exclusive rights to establish the province’s first regulated website for online casino games and single-event sports betting, and turned to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) to design and launch PlayNow.com in early November.
Figures provided by SIGA indicate the amount of money bet on the website has been growing, from $14.8m in November to $17m in December. SIGA said the site had 8,015 registered users by the end of December.
SIGA said the average deposit of registered users’ own money over November and December was $67. Users made 55,000 total deposits amounting to $3.7m over those two months. After winnings were paid out, the platform netted $1.6m over those two months.
Of the $31.8m wagered on the site in November and December, $30.6m was from online casino gaming, with sports betting accounting for $1.2m.
Paul Burns, President & CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, says that single-event sports betting typically makes relatively little for online platforms.
“What you get is a knowledgeable sports fan, a fan of a certain sport or certain team, they can bet just on that game or just on that sport. And they know it well and so they may bet a few dollars to win a few more dollars.”
