Montreal November 19 2010 &8211; Loto&8209;Quebec takes an important step in its history today by launching its espacejeux.com Web site. The site went live this morning for the preregistration period that will last until December 1 at which timeregistered online members will be able to begin play.
&8220;We&8217;re offering Quebecers a highperformance entertaining and enjoyable Web site that fits into our vision of becoming aworld leader in the responsible marketing of games of chance&8221; stated Loto&8209;Quebec President and Chief Executive Officer Alain Cousineau.Espacejeux in fact offers a full range of control and prevention measures that are among the most innovative in the industry.These features are part of a remarkably user&8209;friendly interface that players will enjoy.
In January 2010 Loto&8209;Quebec asked the government for a regulatory amendment that would enable it to develop an online offeringof games of chance. Senior Vice&8209;President of Corporate Affairs Marcel Croux was then given a mandate to put together a workinggroup to bring the project to fruition.
That multidisciplinary team has been working hard these recent months to create the Web site that was launched today. &8220;I offermy congratulations to everyone who participated in this project including the new business unit&8217;s General Manager FrançoisPoulin&8221; declared Mr. Cousineau. &8220;Their unflagging teamwork has made it possible for us to offer Quebecers a site that isentertaining and competitive and that faithfully reflects Loto&8209;Quebec&8217;s public image.&8221;
Espacejeux
The name Espacejeux not only evokes its product category&8209;online gaming&8209;but also the wide range of products that are on offer.Using Loto&8209;Quebec&8217;s own horn of plenty logo the visual identity of Espacejeux associates the new brand with the public corporationand the values of security and trustworthiness for which it has stood for some 40 years.
Poker will be offered on a platform that the British Columbia Lottery Corporation will partner with at the beginning of 2011.This joint platform will be hosted in Montreal and is provided by G2 a subsidiary of GTECH. Customer account management softwarewas designed by OpenBet Ltd which also supplies some of the table games. Moreover OpenBet has opened its Canadian officesin Montreal.
In addition to the eight variants of poker that are on the menu Espacejeux will offer Quebecers 24&8209;hour&8209;a&8209;day table gameslike Baccarat Sic Bo and Red Dog as well as various types of Blackjack and Roulette. Other games like sports betting andbingo will be added to the offering at a later date.
Only adult Quebec residents are eligible to register and play on Espacejeux. There is a simple four&8209;step registration processand online members will be able to make transactions in three ways credit card debit card and online bill payment.
Background
Quebec citizens are currently exposed to more than 2000 online gaming sites that are illegal unregulated and often of questionableintegrity. It became more and more evident that it would be necessary to channel and provide oversight for this activity inQuebec especially with observed revenue growth in Canada of 30% between 2003 and 2008 and anticipated 2012 revenues of onebillion dollars for owners of illegal sites.
This is why following the lead of Scandinavian and other European nations the Government of Quebec authorized Loto&8209;Quebecto create a site aimed at channelling the gaming offering in a controlled circuit and inside a secure environment characterizedby many responsible gaming options.
In addition to providing Francophone and Anglophone Quebecers with a Web site that rises to the level of their expectationsEspacejeux&8217;s arrival in the marketplace also means that the profits earned from this activity will be returned to the Government of Quebecand contribute to the State&8217;s ability to fund its programs.
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Loto&8209;Quebec&8217;s mission is to responsibly manage games of chance in a controlled and measured fashion in the interest of allQuebecers.