It appears that the statement of the Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority Donna Harpauer that any online casino would be deemed illegal in Saskatchewan did not deter the White Bear First Nation in pursuing its plan to launch its Northern Bear Casino on the GEOBet Tribal Gambling Network and offer local punters sportsbook, poker room and casino services.
Regarding the launch, Bernard Shepherd, chief executive officer of Northern Bear Casino, governed by the newly developed Wapi-Maskwa iGaming Act, stated: “After almost 20 years of successful First Nations owned and operated Casinos in Saskatchewan, I decided to become an owner/operator because I believe First Nations need to ‘Occupy the Field’ of online gambling.
"I’ll be operating under the same Inherent, Treaty, Constitutional and Sovereign rights as when I opened the first Indian Casino in Canada on February 26, 1993. Our Forefathers traded globally 100 plus years ago and Entrepreneurship has been in our DNA for 10,000 plus years, this is what November 6, 2012 is going to stand for.”
On behalf of GEObet Network, its CEO Gerry Gionet declared: “In addition to operating one of the finest online casinos in the market, GEObet Network’s goal is to unite tribal gaming in the virtual world by offering a turnkey, live online casino to First Nations and Tribes in North America.”
