Gamers in New Brunswick have been enjoying a great new surprise: they’re now allowed to bet $100 per spin at the province’s only regulated online casino, run by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. This is 40 times the amount allowed by law at land casinos, which has caused some eyebrows to be raised. Bets are limited to $2.50 per spin on physical video slot machines. The ALC says this limit should not apply to the new virtual casino.

The new online casino was launched in August 2020 and since then, has gone on to grow rapidly. Only residents of New Brunswick are permitted to access the site.

The Atlantic Lotto has allowed players to place bets which are sometimes as much as 40 times greater than their physical counterparts. According to sources, there are numerous games which allow players to place wagers up to $100 on a single spin when playing the online slot machines. The Atlantic Lotto has argued the rules which are applied to the virtual lotteries should not be enforced on the online casino games.

Spokesperson for the Atlantic Lottery Corporation had a few words to say in an email. He mentions that the Atlantic Lottery’s online casino games regulations are set apart from the regulations on lottery. He also mentions that the corporation says that they are not in the wrong.

According to Molly Cormier, she says that the product mix and online casino games rules is similar to that of a brick and mortar casino in New Brunswick. She went on to say that the products and standards are consistent with other regulated platforms online which are run by lotteries across the country.  A spokesperson for the New Brunswick Department of Finance made a statement on Thursday that they’ll be reviewing the issue.

Physical Video Lottery Terminals Endure Stricter Rules In Comparison

It hasn’t been an easy road for the Atlantic Lotto Corporation. Since 2016, they have been seeking the approval of the four Atlantic Canadian governments. Unfortunately, their requests have been denied countless times until being authorized in August of 2018.

In August of 2020, after a solid two years of development and planning, the casino site of New Brunswick was finally launched.

There has been much deliberation regarding the betting limits being offered by the online casino since launch. With most online slots offering bets of around $40, there are a few which allow players to place bets of $80, and even $100 per spin.

The views on whether or not large bets are detrimental or beneficial vary, depending on who you ask of course.

On one hand, there is a general consensus among professionals that large betting allowances entices a player to bet big, this in turn amounts to bigger losses. However, should you speak to a gaming enthusiast, their view is slightly different. Apparently the speed with which players can play makes all the difference, this is due to the fact that the speed or rate of the games seems somewhat increased which allows for a more exhilarating experience.

Losses Being Considered the Gateway To Addiction

This is exactly where the discrepancies come in though. The recent statistics show that a large portion of residents are currently unemployed. Large bets entice players by virtue of the fact that they are able to win bigger amounts at a faster rate.

The head of University of British Columbia’s Centre of Gambling Research, Luke Clark, is under the impression that even though the risk of large bets may pose a problem to gambling addiction, the results show a very small portion of players actually participate in placing higher wagers.

Clark says the link to gambling problems is not really that certain.

Online Casino Sites Set For Exponential Growth In The Future

Although the jury is still out with regards to whether or not the existence of bigger bets is detrimental to the residents of New Brunswick, the current statistics speak for themselves.

The revenue projected to be garnered by the province, will allow for the continued support and growth of many educational and health facilities which all stand to benefit from this.

With the Atlantic Lotto claiming the region could procure well over $100 million in just the first year of operation and in light of the economic effects of the COVID pandemic, it’s easy to see which way the government will swing if they seek to boost revenue into the province.

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