Online Gambling in Canada: New Interesting Facts and Events
Internet gambling is the most commonly chosen form of online entertainment for those living in Canada. This article will explore the Canadian gambling industry from a closer perspective and explore several facts and events related to the online casino market in the Great White North.
The Gambling Industry In Canada Is Growing
Gambling in Canada keeps evolving and growing. By the year 2023, online gambling in Canada has been projected to generate over $500 billion in revenue. Considering the elements that brought online gambling to be so popular in Canada, it makes sense. In addition to Canada’s diverse network of reliable internet providers, COVID restrictions on brick and mortar casinos required Canadians to find alternative ways to gamble.
The lottery is available nationally and regionally, but if you prefer blackjack or slots, lottery tickets won’t satisfy your cravings. Furthermore, online casinos outside of Canada heavily market themselves to Canadians, so it is not hard to see what Canadians are doing from the comfort of their homes.
The Senate Approved Bill C-218
On June 22, 2021, the Senate approved Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, thus making single-event sports betting legally permissible once royal assent has been received. Despite multi-party support in the upper chamber, the private member’s bill introduced by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh was adopted by a vote of 57-20.
The C-218 bill represents Canada’s third effort to legalize single-event sports betting. Currently, the Senate has approved Bill C-218 in its current form to limit prohibitions on bookmaking, pool selling, or putting money on a horse race, thus legalizing single-event sports betting.
Men Gamble Just a Bit More than Women in Canada
According to research, the highest percentage of Canadian gamblers is male. The stats indicate that 57% of gambling Canadians are men and 43% are women. The picture is reversed when it comes to online and mobile entertainment. The results show that over 55% of women gamble online, while just over 45% of men do so.
Thus, one can understand why the internet is such a significant communication tool in Canada. Through it, one can communicate and entertain themselves at the same time. In terms of age, 18-34-year-olds make up a majority of online gamblers-making up 16%.
Canadians Can Gamble Online
However, it is somewhat complicated. It is the provinces and territories that regulate gambling in their territory, not the federal government. In addition to this, the provincial or territorial gaming/lottery commissions established their own online gambling portals. There aren’t all of them in every province or territory and, for those that do, the options aren’t great. Canadians, therefore, prefer offshore online casinos. Offshore online casinos tend to offer bigger, better bonuses, prizes, promotions, and other benefits.
Canada Does Not Issue Licenses to Offshore Gambling Sites
To add to the difficulties associated with offshore casinos, the Canadian government does not have a mechanism for licensing offshore gaming sites. Various provinces and territories have the power to license. Obtaining a licence from a province or territory government is not likely since Canadians are breaking the law by going to offshore casinos.
But there is one exception. Based in Canada’s Mohawk Territory, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission runs gaming operations. Established in 1996, it granted licenses to offshore sites. Over 50 online casinos and over 250 offshore betting sites had been licensed at the time of the last report. Technically these sites are legal for Canadians to access, but the Criminal Code of Canada would not allow that.