Gambling is one of the industries that is getting quite the attention of Canadians nowadays. When it comes to statistics, Canada isn’t really on the list of the top countries that gamble the most just yet. However, it’s not impossible that it will happen in the future.
The gambling industry, including online casinos, sports betting, lotteries, and many more, is already worth over 13 billion dollars in Canada. It is found that the Canucks are found to enjoy casino games like baccarat, poker, blackjack, and the roulette. When it comes to sports betting, the locals enjoy wagering on NHL (hockey) and CFL (football).
When it comes to the legislation of gambling in Canada, Gambling both online and not, is permitted across the country. However, the operations of an online casino within Canada is still illegal without a license. The Criminal Code of Canada has no specific laws regarding online gambling sites that are based outside the country.
Online gambling is still in the grey area when it comes to legislation as there is no law that allows and prohibits it in the country. Basically, Canadians can freely place their bets online as long as the casino and bookies are based outside the country.
Despite the lack of laws regarding online gambling and gambling in general, each of the provinces in Canada still regulates gambling locally. There are different bodies and commissions that are in charge of the local regulation of gambling in each province and here they are:
- Ontario– Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
- Alberta– Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission
- British Columbia– BCLC
- Manitoba– Liquor and Gaming Commission of Manitoba
- Saskatchewan– Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority
- New Brunswick– New Brunswick Gaming Control
- Nova Scotia –Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division Service of Nova Scotia
- Quebec– Loto Quebec
- New Foundland– Service NL
- Prince Edward Island– Prince Edward Island Lotteries Commission
These commissions are responsible for licensing casinos to operate locally. However, most of these commissions have their own gaming portals as well. Currently, these groups are only responsible for licensing land-based casinos.
In some provinces, these commissions operate their own local casinos. There are also some sports betting outlets in Canada that accept bets online. Again, these are neither found legal or illegal and so such activities are still somehow good to conduct.
Generally, gambling still seems to be supported by Canada’s government. Laws regarding online gambling may eventually come up but for now, it doesn’t seem to be the priority of the country. After all, the Canucks are not yet faced with heavy gambling problems.
Based on statistics, there is only about 3 percent of Canadians who are reported to battle gambling problems. This isn’t exactly big compared to how things are in the US and in Australia.
Now, it does seem like Canada isn’t exactly too strict when it comes to gambling within its territories. This is why the locals are highly advised to make sure that they are playing on safe online casino sites and placing bets on reputable online bookies.
Thorough reviews about a specific website should be checked by the locals first before depositing any money in an online casino or bookie account. Casinowhizz.com has great reviews regarding online casinos outside Canada.
When it comes to the provinces that gamble the most in Canada, Ontario is at the top of the list. Based on the revenues that each province has, Ontario makes up 28.1 percent of the total gambling revenues in the country.
This is followed by British Columbia with 24.6 percent and Quebec with 20.3 percent. Efforts regarding blocking casino sites in Canada are unlikely. There was an attempt back then to do this in Quebec in July 2018, but it did not push through.
In fact, the gambling revenues in Quebec are quickly rising and it’s possible that it would overtake Ontario’s gambling revenues in the future. Based on a report, Quebec’s year-on-year gambling revenue increase is at 2.12 percent. This is almost double of where British Columbia is, which is at 1.36 percent.
Overall, since the existence of online gambling in Canada in 1995, there has already been a 300 percent increase in its revenue. The year 2017 was when this industry became strong. Its year-on-year growth is now at 5 percent, according to the Fantini Gaming Research.
With all these data, many still see that online gambling, in particular, will continue to grow in this country. This is also thanks to mobile technology. Online gambling is simply more accessible nowadays and of course, Canada is not behind when it comes to this.
