(Newswire.net — September 10, 2020) — Like most countries around the world, Canada has its individual legislation regarding casinos, and this can often be a little confusing if you are watching from outside.
Online casinos for Canadian players have become more and more popular in recent years, especially since there are so many providers based offshore that can be easily accessed. This has presented challenges for different regions such as Ottawa and Quebec and the legislation seems to be constantly under review.
In the past, it was illegal for online casinos to operate in Canada without a licence and there was not much provision or innovation in this area. This view is beginning to change as governmental bodies see the potential for raising revenue and private businesses start to see the advantage of applying for a gambling licence.
Bricks and Mortar Casinos in Canada
Most regions in Canada have several bricks and mortar casinos. The country has some of the most liberal gambling laws in the world and this is reflected across all the provinces. As with any form of gambling, a real money casino needs to have a licence to operate.
Many of these are currently either First Nations or government-owned, used primarily to raise money for local causes. Some in several provinces are privately owned, however.
Ontario, for example, has about 25 real casinos while Quebec has nine. Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province that doesn’t have a land-based casino.
Online Casinos for Canadian Players
Online casinos are a little more of a grey area when it comes to legality but that hasn’t stopped the nation’s gamblers signing up for various offshore sites. Card games such as blackjack and poker are popular as well as slots.
Because any operating casino needs to have a licence to operate in Canada, most of the sites accessed by players in the country are offshore. In recent times, however, the government has started to see the benefits of building homegrown online casinos.
The most populated area of the country is Ontario which has no online gambling facilities. This may well change as many provinces begin to evaluate the benefits of such operations locally.
While it is illegal to operate without a licence, there are currently no laws that tackle the issue of offshore casinos which is why it can be such a grey area. That means players in any of the provinces of Canada can access online casinos and play games without much fear of being prosecuted.
The situation can be a little confusing from province to province. For example, in Quebec, online casinos and gambling have been allowed as long as the site is willing to accept players from Canada. There are rumblings, however, that this might soon change and that Quebec will introduce a law to ban any online casino that isn’t licensed, irrespective of where it is located.
As in many provinces, in Nova Scotia players can access any offshore casino without fear of prosecution. Places like Manitoba and British Columbia have introduced their own, local online casinos that players can access.
In truth, any confusion is more about a lack of appropriate legislation rather than a distrust or plan to ban online casinos per se. As online gambling becomes more and more popular, you should expect this to change, not just from province to province but across the country as a whole.