B.C. Relaunches Gambling Website
(CBC News) - The B.C. Lottery Corporation was set to re-open its online gaming website Thursday evening after a security glitch prompted officials to shut the site down just hours after it was launched in mid-July.
The security breach was what lottery corporation officials called a "data crossover" that allowed some gamblers to access others' accounts.
The corporation says the problem affected the accounts of 134 players, 12 of whom had some personal information viewed by others.
Officials did not specify if any money was misappropriated during the breach.
A security audit has given the PlayNow network a clean bill of health, the corporation said Thursday.
Launched with much fanfare July 15 by B.C. Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman, the website suddenly became inaccessible later that day.
Officials at first blamed the site's overwhelming popularity for the shutdown, but later admitted they were dealing with an embarrassing security lapse.
Revenue losses amounted to an estimated $150,000 a day, lottery officials said at a news conference, putting the total loss at about $5.4 million for the 36-day shutdown.
The site is the first in Canada legally to offer casino gambling. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation plans to launch an online casino gambling site in 2012.
