While Canada is known to be one of the most attractive countries in the world, it is also one of the countries where gambling was first conceived. However, we are not talking about how attractive the country is or how gambling it first entered the country. Instead, we will be talking about the history of gambling activities that happened over the last two centuries.
The Prohibition of Gambling: The Canadian Criminal Code
Although gambling is now a common theme in the country today, would you have believed that the first time gambling was officially recognized in the country was in the Canadian Criminal Code that was created in the 19th century? At the time, the Canuck were not too interested in this activity and thus, it was made illegal. No legal gambling operations happened in the country for the most of the 20th century till it was finally legalized in 1969.
Following that were several amendments that were made to the Criminal Code by the Canadian lawmakers to legalise gambling operations which included lotteries at the time. This brought forth a new stream of revenue for the country as the gambling industry slowly started to prosper in the country, with luxurious land-based casinos being established across the North American country.
The popularity and rise of land-based casinos back then meant the industry was strict and fierce due to competition. However, in the 90s the first online casino was established and available to all gamblers.
The Evolution of Online Casinos in Canada
With the online casinos in Canada back then still in their infancy era, most of them only have a handful of games, like slots, baccarat, roulette, and blackjack, available to their customers. However, the advent of online casinos quickly became a problem not only in Canada but also across the world due to its lack of regulation. This led to many countries across the globe creating different laws to regulate the online gambling industry operating within their borders, Canada included.
Online Casinos Regulations In Canada
At first, the lawmakers in Canada couldn’t quite get the hang of regulating the online casino market, as there were still many things that were overlooked in the process. In turn, this made people confused, for a long time, as to whether online casinos are legal in Canada or not.
Playing online casinos is completely legal in the country as the country has its own regulated and state-owned online gambling sites available for its residents. However, most of these sites are usually meant for regional funding and the number of games being offered to their customers is quite limited, unlike other reputable online casino sites. Due to this, not many Canadians enjoy visiting them as their go-to site for favourite online casino games.
Although private online casinos cannot operate within the borders of Canada, the Canadians turned their attention towards the offshore operators for their high-quality casino games, and they are free to join any offshore-licensed online casino site for their games.
Offshore Operators In Canada
Offshore casinos are also online casino platforms, just that their license was acquired from reputable international regulators. This also means that the Canadian regulators have no power over them like their state-owned casinos.
The offshore operators became the go-to for most Canadian gamblers as they can easily get their hands on a wide variety of games, amazing bonuses and promotions. But with Canadian gambling laws have evolved over the years, we all know it’s only a matter of time before the North American country takes the same route as Sweden and the UK, who are incorporating offshore casinos by offering them their license to operate fully in their country. Canada already has the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.
