Saskatchewan extends SIGA online gaming exclusivity to 2029
The amendment also green-lights a 49-slot pilot and lifts SIGA’s province-wide machine cap to 2,619.
Canada.- The Government of Saskatchewan and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) have amended their Gaming Framework Agreement to extend the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority’s (SIGA) exclusive right to operate the province’s licensed online gaming market to September 2029.
The agreement also approves a gaming centre pilot of up to 49 slot machines on Flying Dust First Nation, north of Meadow Lake, and raises SIGA’s slot allocation by 49 machines to 2,619. The planned pilot venue is a 6,000-square-foot centre with a lounge, attached to a hotel by a breezeway.
Jeremy Harrison, minister responsible for Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, said: “Our government has built a successful gaming industry in Saskatchewan in partnership with the FSIN through good-faith negotiation and incremental change. Through the GFA 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.”
He added: “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.”
Bobby Cameron, FSIN chief, said: “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.
“We also welcome the creation of the gaming centre pilot project on Flying Dust First Nation. The project will be an important part of a new hotel development that will better serve the people of Meadow Lake and northwest Saskatchewan. 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.”
Launched in November 2022, SIGA’s PlayNow.com remains the only legal online casino and sports betting platform in Saskatchewan. SIGA’s 2025-26 annual report showed CA$804m (US$582m) in wagers and more than CA$31m (US$22.4m) in gross gaming revenue, with net revenue of CA$12.4m (US$9.0m), up 38 per cent year on year. The platform had more than 59,000 registered users.
SIGA, a First Nations non-profit operator launched in the mid-1990s, also runs seven land-based casinos in the province. For 2025-26, it reported record gross revenue of CA$418m (US$303m) and a final income distribution of CA$167m (US$121m). Casino net income is split 50 per cent to the First Nations Trust, 25 per cent to Community Development Corporations and 25 per cent to the provincial General Revenue Fund.
The Gaming Framework Agreement, which sets the terms for First Nations casino development in Saskatchewan, was signed in 2002 and is reviewed at least every five years, with changes made through amending agreements. An October 2017 amendment extended the GFA itself to 2037. Online gaming was added by amendment in September 2021. The latest changes were approved by the provincial government and by the Chiefs in Assembly.
