The BC Lottery Corp. has become the first government-run corporation to operate a legal online casino, and, to nobody's surprise, proponents of both sides of the issue are coming out to trumpet their respective

positions.

"After some deliberation, the choice was very clear," BC Minister of Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman said in a press conference. "And that choice is that British Columbia today must become the first jurisdiction in North America to operate and regulate online casino gaming where revenues generated stay here in British Columbia and support provincial and local programs and services."

"The government now is radically expanding internet gambling -- an area where they acknowledge is the most problematic when it comes to problem gamblers," said NDP Housing and Social Development Critic Shane Simpson.