Lotto Quebec Offering Poker Licenses?

Monday June 23,2014 : LOTTO QUEBEC LOOKS OUTWARDS
 
Lottery and online gambling operator wants to offer licenses to international online poker partners.
 
Loto Quebec, which operates online gambling facilities for the Quebec province in Canada, is looking at the possibilities of contracting in international online poker providers, according to an interview published in the Huffington Post.
 
Lottery spokesperson Marie-Claude Rivet told the publication that the possibility of licensing large, reputable and well established companies was being considered, and hinted that preliminary talks have involved Amaya Gaming, the prospective new owners of Pokerstars' parent group Rational.
 
The rationale behind the move appears to be a desire to ensure compliance by operators in the market in all respects with the Canadian Criminal Code.
 
Montreal-based Amaya seems to be the front-runner in the initiative, particularly in view of its Canadian – Quebec roots and its new prominence in the industry following the Rational Group acquisition deal.
 
The company already supplies e-gaming technology the lottery's online operation Espace-Jeux, which is delivering a positive business performance, albeit not on the scale of international rivals like 888 and Pokerstars.