Overview of Gambling in Nova Scotia, Canada

The Gaming Control Act of Nova Scotia was created in 1994-95 and has been periodically amended. It was enacted to establish the Nova Scotia Gaming Control Commission and Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. The latter is a Crown corporation that falls under the responsibility of the Gaming Control Commission. The Act established a framework for managing and regulating casinos, lotteries and video lottery terminals (VLTs).

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) is tasked with operating video lottery and lottery ticket businesses on behalf of the four maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Newfoundland & Labrador. The Crown corporations of each of these provinces are shareholders in the ALC.

The ALC's product offering includes instant games, lottery draws, video lottery, sports betting and online gaming at the alc.ca platform. The ALC is a shareholding of NSGC, which exerts influence over its direction. Tickets can be purchased in Nova Scotia at 1,000+ retail locations.

The ALC has 100+ instant games with top prizes, typically ranging from $20,000 to $3,000,000. Ticket prices can vary from $1/$2 to $30.

Lottery draws are a daily occurrence, depending on the brand. ALC draws include Daily Grand, Atlantic 49, Salsa Bingo, Hit or Miss, Poker Lotto, Bucko, Lotto 4 and Keno Atlantic. The ALC works with the ILC (Interprovincial Lottery Corporation) to provide Nova Scotians with Canada-wide lotteries like Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Max.

Video lottery terminals (VLTs) are located at close to 270 establishments with liquor licenses. These include restaurants and bars all over Nova Scotia and the other Atlantic provinces. They are made up of 'reel games' and Keno and generally have an RTP of 93%, with a few exceptions.

Sports betting is available under the Pro-Line banner of the alc.ca platform. Nova Scotians can find markets on spreads, pools, props and over-under on professional leagues (hockey, basketball, baseball, et cetera) and events.

The alc.ca is the only licensed and regulated online casino in the province of Nova Scotia. It offers a limited selection of online slots (approx. 48) from the developer IGT plus four progressive jackpot slots from the same developer. Casino table games against virtual dealers are also available in a limited variety, including baccarat, roulette, poker, craps, blackjack and a video poker game.

Although there are no First Nation casinos in Nova Scotia, there are two licensed and regulated land-based casinos. Casino Nova Scotia is located in Halifax, while Casino Nova Scotia Sydney is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island. Both casinos are owned and operated by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, which also operates casinos in other provinces. Online gambling has adversely impacted the performance of the two commercial casinos over the last decade.

Pari-mutuel wagering falls under the remit of The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA) under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It is responsible for regulating and supervising pari-mutuel wagering in Canada. Truro Raceway is the largest harness racing track in Nova Scotia for off-track betting. Inverness Raceway and Northside Downs or the two other racetracks in the province.

Charity gaming by religious organizations and charities is permissible in several forms subject to a permit. These include ticket raffles, chance lottery licences (including casino events), bingo, lotteries and break open tickets.