Canadian citizens has the privilege and permission to gamble at online casinos that are hosted by other nations...
Canada is one of the few countries in the world that is considered to have the most unique approach to regulate gambling and gaming activities. Each provincial and territorial government controls the gambling market within their own territories. That means, that each province’s laws and regulations are different. For example, things such as horse racing, ticket lotteries and games are considered legal in all the Canadian provinces. But casino-style games are not offered in particular provinces such as Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Labrador and New Brunswick, even though those same casino-style games are offered in other provinces. The nation of Canada has gone through extensive approaches to legalize the different types of offline gambling methods. Online gambling, on the other hand, is a slow and gradual process that is becoming legalized according to each province’s preferences.
Steps Towards Legislation
The Canadian government has been diligently working towards the creation of a competitive gaming operation with other foreign gaming procedures. Regardless of the online gaming services that are offered in specific provincial governments, however, online gambling and gaming still remains illegal overall. An exception to this is the Kahnawake Jurisdiction where Natives still live in that reserve’s territory and have claimed aboriginal rights. This particular location of Canada can host and license online casinos. Even though this practice is still considered a debatable topic, hope still remains that Kahnawake will set an example for the rest of the nation.
Temporary Solutions to Online Gambling
Online gambling is a neutral and gray area in Canada. Regulations and licensing have not been set. This leaves Canadian citizens the privilege and permission to gamble at online casinos that are hosted by other nations, especially since Canadian law prohibits gambling through Canadian sites. There are even certain online casinos that still accept Canadian dollars. Studies show that millions of dollars in gambling and gaming is leaked out of the country when the nation’s citizens turn to foreign sites for leisure and entertainment. That being the case, there are many voices that favor the legalization of online gaming and gambling.
Pioneer Provinces
The province of British Columbia was the first to try online gambling in 2010. It opened the first website for pai gow poker and other casino games. Following that example, Quebec launched its own casino site soon after that same year, making the two provinces pioneers in the struggle for online gambling. Ontario and New Brunswick were two provinces that were still considering online gambling services to their citizens. They made a plan to launch their own sites in 2012. Although these gambling and gaming sites are available at this time, they are only able to be accessed by the Canadian residents that reside in each province. The complete liberalization of online gambling, betting, wagering and gaming is still a work in progress for Canada. Hope still lingers that the Canadian online gambling industry will eventually be available to all its citizens and to the rest of the world