As a purpose-driven organization, Atlantic Lottery doesn’t just provide our players with entertaining games – we go above and beyond to put the interests of Atlantic Canadians first and build stronger communities that benefit everyone. In fact, whether you choose to play or not, the impact of Atlantic Lottery is all around you.

In our recently released 2023-24 Annual Report, we outline how we’re taking steps forward on our social responsibility journey by developing a new ESG framework. The framework will help us evaluate our current environmental, social and governance practices, while also exploring new initiatives.

We look forward to sharing more details about this project in the year ahead, as we establish objectives and a reporting process for our five focus areas, which include Climate, Healthy Play, Community Impact, IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility), and Data Security and Privacy. We have created a Social Responsibility and Sustainability Board Committee to ensure sustainability is considered in our operations, decision-making processes and community engagement initiatives.

While the framework is new, our focus on social responsibility has always been at the heart of all we do at Atlantic Lottery. We put everything – including 100 per cent of our profit – into giving back to the region we call home. In 2023-24, we were pleased to return $487 million to the four Atlantic provinces. This contributes directly to vital public services we all use, such as health care, infrastructure and education. Our impact on Atlantic Canada’s economy extends even further than just profit returned, as 91 cents of every lottery dollar remained in the region last year, through prizes awarded to winners, commissions to retailers, regional operations, salaries and benefits to our employees and taxes.

Our support for the region also extends to partnering with grassroots community events. In 2023-24, we supported more than 100 events with important cultural, social and economic impacts throughout Atlantic Canada. We consider IDEA when selecting events to support and partner with, and we were thrilled to support several new events in 2023-24 that reflect the incredible diversity of our region, including the River of Pride Festival and the Esgenoôpetitj Powwow in New Brunswick; the Festival Bluegrass Évangéline on Prince Edward Island; and the Harvesters’ Gathering event and North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Nova Scotia, just to name a few.

Championing healthy play is another vital component of our purpose. As a regulated and responsible gaming organization, Atlantic Lottery prioritizes healthy play to ensure players have the support they need to enjoy our products responsibly. In 2023-24, we stepped up our healthy play initiatives even further. We expanded our PlayWise Rating program to provide additional features, launched contests and promotions to promote gambling literacy, and updated marketing materials that promote healthy play messaging. As a result, we exceeded our targeted uptake of discretionary healthy play tools by nearly 60 per cent.

Our focus on investing in our region and supporting our players with healthy play tools sets us apart from gambling sites that cannot legally advertise or operate in Atlantic Canada. In fact, Atlantic Lottery is the only legal provider of online gaming and sports-betting products in our region. Each year, nearly $200 million is leaving Atlantic Canada because of the illegal gambling market, benefitting private operators instead of our local communities.

Atlantic Lottery is proud to be able to share winning experiences with Atlantic Canadians while giving back to our communities for the good of everyone. We look forward to continuing to make a positive, game-changing impact for the people and places of Atlantic Canada.