Loto-Québec's Espacejeux: Let the Games Begin

MONTREAL, Dec. 1 /CNW Telbec/ - Espacejeux, Loto-Québec's Internet gaming site, officially starts operations today after a pre-registration period that began on November 19. The time has come for fans of online gaming to experience the user-friendly and dynamic qualities of Espacejeux for themselves.

As of today, adult Québec residents can legally play 8 online kinds of poker, table games like Baccarat, Sic Bo and Red Dog and a variety of Blackjack and Roulette games around-the-clock. As of the beginning of 2011, Québec poker fans will also be able to compete with players from British Columbia in either French or English. Later on, other games including sports lotteries and bingo will round out the Espacejeux offering.

"Loto-Québec has succeeded in adding to the performance standards achieved by Espacejeux, a range of responsible gaming control and prevention measures that are among the most innovative in the industry," declared Loto-Québec President and Chief Executive Officer Alain Cousineau. This is also the conclusion reached by professor Richard Wood, the world-renowned consultant and researcher who was mandated by Loto-Québec to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the espacejeux.com Web site and suggest ways of improving it. He concluded that the Espacejeux gaming environment is a "more responsible online gambling environment than currently exists for Quebec residents, who already play (or may want to play) games of chance on the Internet." His analysis was made public when the site was launched on November 19.

Among some fifty preventive measures on the Espacejeux site are stringent age and identity checks to ensure that players are 18 years of age or older, a self-exclusion program and a gaming behaviour self-test, as well as personal time-of-play, deposit and expense limits.

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Loto-Québec's mission is to responsibly manage games of chance in a controlled and measured fashion, in the interest of all Quebecers.

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