Atlantic Lottery Corporation urging online gambling talks

The report showed another decline in video lottery earnings as well as a struggle to sell lottery products to adults under the age of 30.

“In recent years, we've seen an explosion in gaming technology and accessibility,” the corporation said. “Along with it came the introduction of more than 2,500 unregulated online gaming providers from places like Malta and Gibraltar.

“Atlantic Canadians are spending millions of dollars annually on these gambling sites that operate outside of any regulations established by our governments. Unlike Atlantic Lottery, those sites' profits don't stay in the region to support our communities.”

The corporation handles legalised gaming activities for the provincial governments of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador while government-run lottery organisations in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec provide online gambling options, according to the CBC news website.

“We face a growing challenge in attracting younger adults; those players who grew up in the digital world playing games of strategy and skill, with leaderboards and player profiles who will continue to game online, often with off-shore illegal gaming providers,” the corporation added.

"We have to do a better job, as an industry and a company, of providing younger adults with entertaining options. That means new styles of games and new experiences unlike what we offer today."