The Future Of Online Gambling In Canada

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Monday, June 29th, 2015 | Written by Stephen Smith

Over the past few years, numerous websites have sprung up offering online gambling opportunities, and even though the first online casino appeared 20 years ago, the trend has caught on quite nicely with the online gambling market becoming increasingly more popular. In fact, more than 85 countries are now OK with online gambling, with these sites generating around $528 billion in annual revenues, therefore its fair to say there is a huge demand for online gambling products. These days, there are numerous opportunities to gamble online right now, all you have to do is to find out the legality of iGaming in your own country, and the best websites in which do it.

Legal Side Of Canadian iGaming

According to a survey from 2010, more than 77% of Canadians thought that gambling online was legal, while more than 55% believed that online gambling should be permitted as long as the government agreed. In fact, up until 2009 online gambling was prohibited in Canada, even though players still continued to gamble on off-shore sites. However, the rules were subsequently changed to allow each Canadian province to create and manage its own online gambling rules, if needed, with the practice not illegal unless it falls outside recognized areas of the country’s
Criminal Code. As a result, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) launched the province’s first online casino in 2010, followed the same year by Loto-Quebec, and by 2013 Manitoba Lotteries joined the bandwagon, with the three operations subsequently forming North America’s first regulated poker network, called the Canadian Poker Network.

No Player Yet Prosecuted

The only grey area of the present system, however is that unregulated gaming sites are based offshore and may not observe provincial boundaries. However, up until now no Canadian has ever been charged with illegal online gambling, so it’s quite safe to gamble in the country. As Dickinson Wright gaming lawyer, Michael Lipton explains:

“As far as I’m concerned, you as a player aren’t committing any criminal offense by being in a position where you are engaged with an offshore operator playing poker, playing slots, or whatever the case may be.”

Nevertheless, its a good idea to research your particular provinces online, as this is the best way to find if it’s OK to gamble on a certain site or not. Most of the time it will be safe, but it’s better to avoid any issues.

Offshore Sites May Face Future Problems

While no player has yet been prosecuted for illegal online gambling in Canada, the legal status of offshore companies offering their products is open to interpretation. After all, it is up to the individual provinces themselves to determine whether such companies are violating Canadian law, especially if they knowingly accepts Canadian gamblers on their sites. Expressing his opinion, Michael Lipton explains:

“I don’t think [the law] is grey. You may want to call it anything you call it, but I think I can point to a particular provision in the Criminal Code and I can tell an offshore operator, under the circumstances, that if you do such and such then you could be prosecuted under that particular section of the Criminal Code.”

Lifestyle Of Gamblers

In Canada, the average online gambler has a household income of around $74,000 and a household debt close to $78,000, according to the University of Lethbridge (uleth.ca). These gamblers, whose average age is around 35.5 years, are then content to take advantage of the numerous gaming opportunities inside the country’s relatively secure iGaming environment and , as you would expect, younger Canadians tend to gamble more, whereas adults tend to be a little more conservative in this regard.

Online Gambling’s Future In Canada

The online gambling industry in Canada has managed to grow exponentially over the past few years, and it generates quite substantial revenues right now. In the future, Canadian provinces are likely to collaborate further in order to create a safer and more reliable gambling environment for players. In the end, it’s all about bringing in the best possible results, and this is where the online gambling market in Canada manages to deliver astounding results. Sure, there exists no federal online gambling legislation up until this moment, so there might be some shady websites here and there, but in the meantime the country’s political entities are working round the clock in order to create a safe, fun and reliable gambling environment for everyone to enjoy.