Finding an online casino in Canada is quite difficult because internet gambling is not always legal in the country. At the same time, the number of users of such resources is constantly growing.
According to Canadian law, gambling is under the jurisdiction of certain regions, according to CBC. Consequently, online casinos in Canada can operate if the provincial government allows this activity. The online casino can legally accept bets only from people from this province, and for users from other Canadian regions, the game is prohibited.
How Canada Regulates Online Gambling?
The provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec can all operate in the online gambling industry. Ontario has a single legal website for this and is run by the provincial government, CalinAyre.com reports. The regional government plans to allow private online casinos in Ontario. Plans to establish such sites in the province are still under development. Quebec has similar plans to scale up the internet gambling industry.
Online casinos are in a gray area
Online gambling is legal in a certain area, but it is still kind of a gray area in Canada because federal law enforcement is ignoring online betting, CBC notes. Regulatory resources are limited, so law enforcement is focusing on more serious threats such as terrorism, banditry and drug trafficking.
Lawyers believe that allowing online casinos will require parliament to revise part of Canada’s Criminal Code. Therefore, parliamentarians are turning to the national government to resolve issues with the gambling industry.
In March 2019, Ontario Treasury Secretary Vic Fedeli asked Canadian Treasury Secretary Bill Morneau to “amend the Canadian Criminal Code to legalize betting on certain events in Canada,” reports The Toronto Sun. If parliament approves this amendment, online casinos will have the right to accept sports betting in Ontario.
Fedeli wants Ontario to allow sports betting so that the province can levy taxes on this activity from private firms. In particular, the official believes that Ontarians are betting on American sites that deprive the province of tax profits.
