Big Impact
Donald Trump’s new trade tariffs have dominated the news cycle worldwide in recent weeks, and it seems nothing is safe from President Trump’s new agenda. The Alberta regulator for gambling, the Gaming and Liquor Commission, has confirmed that it has paused purchasing all US-made slot machines and video terminals.
The full effects of Trump’s tariffs have not yet been felt, but industries across North America are bracing themselves for some heavy blows. The Gaming and Liquor Commission has stated it will stop all purchases from the US, with Trump’s tariffs having a direct impact on them.
The President has imposed a 25% import charge on 1,256 items, including two entries that will impact casinos. These include playing cards and games that are ‘operated by coins, banknotes, bank cards, tokens, or by other means of payments’.
The impact of Alberta's making this move can not be understated. The province’s purchases represent 4% of all sales in North America, while Canada purchases around 16% of all machines across the two countries.
Leading by Example
This decision from Alberta will no doubt have a domino effect, with other provinces likely to follow suit. In Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe has ordered Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan to source video lottery terminals and slot machines from outside the US. While in British Colombia, David Eby has stated that the country will be buying Canadian first’.
Similarly, Manitoba has introduced the ‘Buy Canadian’ act, which will see government purchases take a Canadian-first approach.
The impact of this in the broader industry is difficult to quantify right now, but with further tariffs incoming, potentially in Europe, we could expect to see similar moves and announcements made there, too.
