After announcing the selling off of government-owned liquor stores during the Throne Speech yesterday (Wed), the province is now also announcing new crown corporation changes to the structure of lotteries and gaming. A new crown corporation called Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan is expected launch at the beginning of April to consolidate the management oversight for casinos, VLTs, lotteries and online gaming.

The current Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation will be reconfigured as a wholly owned subsidiary of LGS, while continuing to operate Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw. Minister of Crown Investments Corporation, Don Morgan, says management of VLTS moves from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority to LGS, as does online gaming from SaskGaming. Lotteries will continue to be operated by SaskLotteries and Western Canada Lottery Corporation but will be overseen by the new crown corporation. SLGA will continue to license charitable gaming.

Morgan suggests these changes will be increasingly important as digital gaming changes the lotteries, gamining and entertainment landscape in the province.
He emphasizes that the new crown corporation will not make changes to the province’s gaming and lottery operators and all beneficiaries of net gaming and lottery income will remain unchanged.