Where does Canada stand in the light of the opening up of certain US states for online gambling?
Recent legalizations in the US
Online sports betting, lottery, casino games, poker and many other games that involve staking money on a win were illegal everywhere in the USA. If you were to break that rule, you would get either a misdemeanor offense or a felony, depending on state law, with a high chance of spending up to a year in jail. But recently, we’ve seen the US legalize this kind of activities in several states, most notably New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, Pennsylvania, so now you can try some things that were unimaginable in the past, like online sports betting in California.
What is the situation in the rest of the world?
In the rest of the world, the legality of Internet Gambling is very complicated, with some countries having no laws at all while others have fully legalized gambling, both domestic and foreign. Most casinos and companies go by the “as long as it’s not forbidden, it is allowed” motto.
What are the laws like in Canada?
In Canada, land-based gambling is generally permitted everywhere, but it is different in country’s 10 provinces and 3 territories. Depending on where you are, different laws apply to you. Sadly, the entire country is undecided about the legality of online gambling, and it sits in an uncomfortable gray zone.
As current law says, you can not lawfully operate an online casino or poker room in Canada. Here comes the gray zone part: most of the casino hardware is actually located in server farms in the Kahnawake.
Am I going to jail for playing a slot?!
Don’t worry, while the law says nobody can operate an online casino, it doesn’t say anything about Canadian players or residents breaking the law. The mentioned motto applies on this situation as well. No online gambler has ever been arrested in Canada. To stay on the safe side, you should be 19 or older to bet, in the same way as it is the case with other games of chance.
What will the future bring?
In 1985, gambling was made pretty much legal in Canada. This was the year when Gambling Machines, such as Slot Machines, were legalized. As this new digital age rushes us forward, we’ll probably be right behind our southern neighbours and completely legalize online gambling.
Online gambling is a big industry, earning $51.96bn annually. Compared to the global film industry that is worth $136 billion, online gambling saw an amazing boom in revenue, and it kept growing to a staggering $59.79bn.
Who’ll legalize it?
Canadian lawmakers and companies, such as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, won’t waste any time and will make rightful, fair and just laws to govern online gambling and pull it out of the economic gray zone, allowing the country to tap into the big, almost $52bn market.
