SIGA’s exclusive online gaming agreement extended to 2029

The Government of Saskatchewan and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations have extended an agreement that will maintain the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority’s status as the province’s exclusive provider of online gaming.

On Monday, the province announced that the Gaming Framework Agreement, which lays out the terms for First Nations gaming developments in Saskatchewan, was amended to extend SIGA’s exclusivity to September of 2029, while also including provisions for a new gaming centre pilot project on Flying Dust First Nation.

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The provincial government said SIGA’s online platform playnow.com – the only legal online gaming site in Saskatchewan – has been “steadily growing in profitability, despite heavy competition from illegal platforms” since it was first launched in 2022.

“Our government has built a successful gaming industry in Saskatchewan in partnership with the FSIN through good-faith negotiation and incremental change,” Jeremy Harrison, the minister responsible for Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, said in a statement.

“Through the (Gaming Framework Agreement) and its various amendments, the gaming sector provides significant First Nations employment and supports economic development on- and off-reserve, while funding education, housing and many other priorities. Revenue-sharing arrangements agreed to in the GFA mean that both the province and First Nations in Saskatchewan have a vested interest in the success of the gaming sector.”

“We welcome the three-year extension of SIGA’s operation of Saskatchewan’s only licensed and regulated online gaming platform, which reflects SIGA’s strong leadership and successful operation of the platform,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron added, quoted in a statement from the provincial government.

The Provincial government and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations have extended SIGA’s online exclusivity and announced a gaming centre pilot project on Flying Dust First Nation. (Roman Hayter/650 CKOM)

The pilot project for the new gaming centre on Flying Dust First Nation, located just north of Meadow Lake, will be home to up to 49 slot machines, the province said, and will be part of a larger commercial development that includes plans for a strip mall, hotel and conference centre.

“The project will be an important part of a new hotel development that will better serve the people of Meadow Lake and northwest Saskatchewan,” Cameron said.

“Importantly, the benefits of this growth will extend beyond the host community, with the First Nations’ share of gaming profits distributed equitably among Saskatchewan First Nations throughout Treaty 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 territories.”

As a result of the pilot, the amended framework added 49 slot machines to SIGA’s allocation, bringing the total up to 2,619 machines.