The Legality Of Online Gambling In Canada
Added on April 26, 2024, in Gambling Articles by Gambling Gurus
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Given the expansion of online casinos that cater to Canadian punters, we feel the need to dwell on some key aspects that define the current situation in this North American country in terms of the iGaming industry.
The legal gambling landscape in Canada began to take shape in 1969 after the adoption of some important changes to the Criminal Code: from then on, all provinces and territories could raise funds through regulated lotteries.
Today, more than 100 land-based casinos across the country are a major source of entertainment for both tourists and locals alike. The exceptions are New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador, which entirely lack splashy Vegas-style venues.
Fun Within The Law
Generally speaking, betting activities in one form or another are permitted all over the Great White North but their availability varies greatly from place to place being subject to the regulations of each particular province or territory.
In other words, your offline or online gambling options mainly depend on your whereabouts.
For instance, in Ontario, besides an array of splendid casinos, punters have at their fingertips numerous racetracks loaded with slot machines. On the other hand, in Newfoundland & Labrador, the land-based playing houses are currently banned, and VLTs run by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation are intended to substitute for brick-and-mortar atmosphere.
Some provincial governments …
… have entered into agreements with First Nations letting them operate casinos on their native land, as one of the measures aimed at economic development.
Many of these striking venues scattered across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta became very popular among the gambling community due to a rich offering of various games from all types of slots to different versions of roulette and blackjack.
Apart from Quebec, Alberta, and Manitoba where you should be at least 18 years old to enter a casino, the legal gambling age is 19 elsewhere in Canada.
Is Online Gambling Legal?
Just as it is the case with many countries that do not have specific legislation for iGaming, in the Land of the Maple Leaf placing bets on the internet remains in a grey zone.
There is no legal definition of online …
… mobile, digital or electronic gaming, and there is no uniform licensing regime. Again, provincial governments are given powers to decide what type of services they want to conduct and manage within their jurisdictions.
Canadian law doesn’t prohibit the providing of internet gaming by private companies given that they are licensed within its boundaries.
However, the situation with offshore operators is not that clear: although the authorities at all levels definitely frown upon the idea of digital gambling, to date neither the federal government nor the provincial institutions have taken efforts in order to limit access to international websites.
Taking into consideration the absence of ISP blocking, as well as any restrictions on payment processing, it comes as no surprise that over a thousand web-based gambling platforms fight for the thriving Canadian market.
So, what does the best casino online Canada look like?
You’ll recognize it immediately because such a wondrous place simply bursts of action-packed one-armed bandits and vibrant tables run by skilled multilingual Live croupiers.
Needless to say, all the glory of the state-of-the-art HTML5 releases can be delivered straight to your smartphone or tablet thanks to the rapid development of the internet and dedicated work of the top-tier software providers.
Still, first and foremost, it should be tailored for the needs of punters that live here, which means accepting Canadian Dollars and offer perky payment solutions like InstaDebit, iDebit or Interac, to name just a few.
While a massive game lobby is definitely a big plus, the availability of relevant banking options is hard to overestimate – a proper way to fund your account or net out winnings is a must, right?
Kahnawake
One of the pioneers of the legal interactive market, Kahnawake is home to a number of gambling websites.
Since 1999 …
… the Kahnawake Gambling Commission has been involved in licensing and regulating sites from all over the world attracted by a 0% tax rate and reasonable fees.
What’s more, striving to provide Canadian players with the smoothest possible experience, some really big names in the industry decided to complement their Malta- or the UK-issued licenses with the one granted by the KGC.
