Lottery lays off 61 employees due to COVID-19 and increasing demand for digital play
By Kate Northrop
As the coronavirus continues to linger in varying degrees around the world, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation is the latest lottery in the gaming industry to react. On Wednesday, the Canadian lottery laid off 61 employees, citing problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a shift in digital demand for gambling.
The cut represents a little over 9% of the corporation's workforce before the layoffs. According to the lottery's official website, ALC employed about 650 people.
The majority of those who lost their jobs live in the province of New Brunswick (43), where the lottery headquarters are located. Among the rest reside in Newfoundland and Labrador (7), Nova Scotia (7), and Prince Edward Island (4).
It is unclear what sorts of roles and responsibilities those 61 employees held before their termination.
During this unprecedented time, Chris Keevill took up the position of president and CEO of the interprovincial lottery corporation on April 1. This layoff was one of the first major decisions he made as head of the company.
"Atlantic Lottery is facing business challenges requiring the organization to urgently transform," he said in a statement. "The global COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this need."
ALC first began to feel the negative economic effects of the growing pandemic when provinces began implementing regulations and restrictions in March to impede the virus' spread. Provinces banned the sale of lottery tickets in stores and restricted the use of video lottery terminals in bars, but the corporation really took a hit when retail outlets and bars completely closed across the entire Atlantic region not too long after that.
While ALC uses the layoffs as an opportunity to highlight its push for digital gaming, it is still unclear exactly how the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in influencing the decision to terminate 61 employees.
In its latest annual report, the company boasted a $422 million profit for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the fourth year in a row the corporation brought in more than $400 million.
"We are transforming our business to be a customer intimate, digitally centered organization, to meet player expectations and compete against new entrants in the gaming industry, whom operate from offshore and do not adhere to regulations," Keevill said.
These former employees deserve a generous severance package. Because "the fourth year in a row the corporation brought in more than $400 million. CAD Canadian Dollars.
I hope they win big with future tickets.
This behavior is reminiscent of the Toll Takers for the bridges in the Bay Area. Management often decides to remove the human factor by displacing these hard workers with machines & technology. They already have machines doing knee surgery, just you wait till they decide to have machines do brain & open heart surgery while the doctor is having a sandwich & catching up on yesterday's soap opera. Blame it on something, great way to cover your A**
Good point!! So I Googled
Atlantic Lottery Corporation
and on their webste it says the following -
Did you know 100% of the profits go back into the community? to help fund essential services like healthcare, infrastructure and education.
It then mentions that over 400 mill went back last year.
I think they need a new plan. Everybody's broke these days in the cities.
For the life of me and too lazy to Google it we did not have robotic heart surgery where I retired from (PICU). Where I had my heart surgery they did and that was almost 10 years ago. Luckily with my disease I had a world famous heart surgeon work on me--and my employer that did adult hearts right across the street---approved and paid for it. May never win the lottery, but my health is worth all the lottery wins in the world!
Jeff: l was thinking of the day when surgeons would show up, simply program the machines to cut you open, fix what's not right, sew you up and get you on your way while the surgeon goes over the paperwork & signs off on the procedure. Kinda like the machines that put Lord Vader together after he's failed duel with Obi Wan..
Anyways have an outstanding weekend and win something, something big. As Van Halen sang " That's what dreams are made of."
My Surgeon said he doesn't even use laser guided OR tools; he uses good old 'feel' technology. Went to a seminar years later @ Cleveland Clinic where he works/had my surgery and he said that then. Some kids @ work had the same disease and I'd tell parents that though there is no cure, you feel better, much better after surgery. One in 500 have it and most don't know it.