Alberta Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis (ALGC) has published its annual report for 2018-19 showing yet another decline in gaming revenue. During the period, the organization revealed that the province’s 18,013 charitable gaming licenses yielded circa $331m through charitable gaming activities. The take was down from more than $336m in 2016-17 and $353m in 2015-16.
A breakdown of that overall figure shows that bingo contributed $19.4m; casinos $239.3m; pull tickets $10.9m; and raffles $61.6m. Currently, Alberta operates 19 ‘traditional’ casinos, four racing entertainment centers (RECs), five Host First Nation casinos, 22 bingo halls, and 2,731 lottery ticket centers. There are 14,160 casino gaming terminals in casinos and RECs with 5,984 video lottery terminals operating in 837 retail locations.
The ALGC also confirmed that casino modernization projects had continued over the year with the goal of rejuvenating the gaming experience to meet player expectations and grow revenue from casino gaming terminals.
The report went on to confirm that more than 165,000 network updates, installations and upgrades were completed to upgrade existing infrastructure and develop innovative gaming options.