21/07/2010, Online casino

The British Columbia province has launched its first North-American online casino authorized and run by the government. 14,000 British Columbian players are already registered on the website.

Players can log on the website and play different casino games, including blackjack, baccarat, craps, poker etc, bingo and sports lottery. Users must be at least 19 or older.
Minister for Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman said the global online gaming industry is worth about $20 billion and that the British Columbia government wants to recover the estimated the $100 million their residents spend on illegal gambling websites which are operated offshore. “We want to ensure that money gambled in B.C. stays in the province to benefit B.C.,” said Coleman.

In 2009, the B.C. generated about $34 million in revenue from gambling operations. The website is expected to help at the raising money for social and health care programs or for education.
The famous website was launched on Thursday, but due to the overwhelming traffic, it had to be closed for maintenance. Michael Graydon, president of the BC Lottery Corporation said the company decided to close down the site for a half of day, to add new hardware and servers to the system.

The website offers a welcome bonus of $10 to gamble with, and if you spend $100 before the end of August, you will get another $100 free.