BCLC signs exclusive license agreement with Light & Wonder

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is excited to announce an agreement with global gaming leader Light & Wonder Incorporated, which exclusively licenses the BCLC’s intellectual property in its popular and commission-free Ruyi Baccarat game to Light & Wonder so that the game can be played in casinos throughout North America.

“The BCLC is used to bringing vendors’ games to British Columbia, so to be the organization that’s providing a made-in-house table game to a licensee is a nice change and speaks volumes about our quest to be a leader in the casino industry,” the Chief Operating Officer for the BCLC, Dan Beebe, said. “We are always seeking out new ways to be an innovator and challenge the status quo and by partnering with Light & Wonder, a world-class gaming company, we have full confidence that Ruyi Baccarat will grow in popularity across North America.”

The BCLC first launched Ruyi Baccarat at British Columbia casinos in early-2020 and today it continues to grow in popularity among players, available on both tables and electronic gaming devices.

“Ruyi Baccarat combines time-honored cultural traditions from the origins of baccarat with a more traditional non-commission gameplay approach to deliver a truly elevated player experience,” the Global Table Gaming Senior Vice-President for Light & Wonder, Mike McKiski, said. “Partnering with the BCLC and being named the exclusive licensee of Ruyi Baccarat reinforces our commitment to ensuring our customers have access to the best games available for their casino floors.”

Ruyi Baccarat is available in 14 British Columbia casinos with plans to bring the game to the BCLC’s PlayNow.com in the future. Ruyi Baccarat will be available to Light & Wonder’s players beginning September 9, 2023, pending regulatory approvals.

The BCLC is a social purpose company offering lottery, casinos, sports-betting and online gambling and has proudly conducted and managed responsible gambling entertainment that generates income to benefit British Columbians. Since 1985, more than $28 billion in net income has been delivered to the province to support British Columbia communities, provincial programs and services.

Evolution announced that it has furthered its partnership with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) with the launch of two new high-limit live casino tables for online players in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

The two new tables –VIP Blackjack and VIP Baccarat – are now streaming live from Evolution’s Vancouver studio. They join the existing line-up of Evolution-powered live casino games and live game shows on BCLC’s PlayNow.com Lottery, Casino, Sports, Poker, Bingo, and Instants platform.

As with Evolution VIP tables in other markets, the high-limit games are presented in opulent surroundings and include features such as higher minimum bets.

Jeff Millar, Chief Commercial Officer, North America at Evolution commented: “Our initial agreement with BCLC, over five years ago now, was instrumental in Evolution creating its Canadian live casino studio – our first major expansion outside of Europe back in 2018. Since then our relationship with BCLC has gone from strength to strength. We are proud to launch these new VIP tables and confident that VIP players will be attracted by this premium online gaming experience.”

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) will implement enhanced identification requirements at British Columbia casinos on Monday, June 26, to support people enrolled in its Game Break self-exclusion program.

British Columbia casinos will require every individual to present government-issued photo identification for entry. This identification will be scanned by security staff and automatically checked against the database of individuals restricted from entering gambling facilities, like those enrolled in Game Break.

During this process, the system does not save any personal information for those who are permitted to the casino.

The BCLC announced on May 16, 2023, that enhanced identification requirements at British Columbia casinos were coming this summer. More information including a list of acceptable identification is available at www. CasinoBC.com/ About/ID-Required.

“Since announcing last month that these changes were coming, the BCLC has been working to build awareness with our players about the new entry requirements and why they matter in helping us to support individuals who have asked for our help,” the President and Chief Executive Officer for the BCLC, Pat Davis, said. “We believe that British Columbia is the first jurisdiction in North America to require identification at the casino door, an example of the BCLC’s continued work towards our ambition of having the healthiest players in the world.”

Comprehensive third-party reviews of the BCLC’s self-exclusion program show that participants believe identification checks at gambling facilities are the best way to support their choice as they prevent them from gaining entry. British Columbians also continue to have access to free prevention, treatment and support services through Gambling Support BC.

Players are reminded that even prior to June 26, 2023, identification is required for the processing of jackpot and large prize claims and may be requested to verify age and/or identity.