Province feeling out online gambling project

A Canadian provincial government is considering a move to create online gambling Web sites for poker, blackjack and sports betting.

Alberta's Gaming and Liquor Commission, the government agency that regulates gambling in the province, is in the early stages of player research for the initiative.

The commission has hired a research firm to cast two polls aimed at gauging Albertans' stance on the project, reports local broadcaster Global TV.

A spokeswoman for the Gaming and Liquor Commission told the news organization Tuesday that the plan is embryonic and that the agency is moving forward slowly and steadily.

Nonetheless, the initiative has already drawn criticism from the government's Liberal opposition, with one member of legislature calling the plan one of the Conservative government's "dumber ideas."