Last February 2014, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) officially approved the proposed three-hour extension of operating hours for Alberta casinos, starting April 01, 2014. This denotes that casino facilities operating under AGLC’s jurisdiction now have the option to offer casino table games up to a maximum of 17 hours, which should commence no earlier than 10:00 am and wind up no later than 3:00 am.    

In 2013, the AGLC invited 513 randomly selected eligible casino operators, advisors and members of religious and charitable organizations to participate in the commission’s telephone and online surveys as part of consultancy procedures for the proposed 3-hour extension. The general opinion gathered from 264 survey responders indicated that majority supported the extension, since additional business hours could bring in more funds to charities, as well as enable casinos to provide enhanced and flexible services to patrons. To provide the public with comprehensive details about the feedback and other factors reviewed by the AGLC, the information gathered from the surveys and stakeholder consultations has been compiled into a document entitled “What We Heard”.

About the AGLC’s Charity Gaming Model

In order to carry out its mandate of “building a strong and sustainable charity gaming model”, the AGLC requires each Alberta licensed charity to deploy at least 39 volunteer workers in casinos over a two-day period. In return, each charitable institution that will do so stands to receive as much as $63,000 to $67,000 of Alberta casinos’ quarterly proceeds. In line with the recent changes implemented, volunteers are likewise required to be on site during the full 17 hours of table game operations.