Online Gambling Scenario in Canada

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The Global iGaming Summit & Expo (GiGSE) ended in Montreal in Thursday. One of the topics discussed on the last day was the online gambling scenario in Canada. It has been estimated that Canadians spent 800 million Canadian Dollars on online gambling in 2009 with most of it going to offshore operators.

Hence it is understandable that many Canadian provincial governments are considering offering regulated online gambling services. Bob Rybak, who is an online gambling consultant with the Atlantic Lottery, made a detailed presentation on this subject to the delegates at GiGSE. According to him Atlantic Lottery, Loto-Quebec and British Columbia Lottery were ready with a common Internet gambling platform, which could be launched as early as in the autumn of 2010. The provinces of Ontario and Manitoba were some way behind in their plans, but were pursuing them actively. They could be ready for a launch in the next 18 months. Rybak said that the projects were viable, the technology was available and the only issue was the timing of the launch. That would be a political decision based on the timing of the provincial elections.

In Canada, as in many other parts of the world that are just legalizing online gambling, online casinos will have to take a back seat to online sports betting and online poker. Loto-Quebec spokesman Jean-Pierre Roy said that their first online gambling product would be poker. This would be followed by sports betting. The French law on online gambling also proposes to legalize only online poker and online sports betting.

It was also pointed out that there is a reservation about online gambling among a significant section of the population because of the fear that underage players will be able to access these sites. Another concern cited was problem gambling. Hillevi Stuhrenberg, manager of responsible gaming for Betsson, responded by emphasizing that addressing these issues was not only a social responsibility for the online gambling operators. Their livelihood depended on their ability to do so. Hence he assured the delegates that these issues would be taken care of. Today advanced technology is available to the online gambling industry. Geo-locating software ensures that gamblers outside the permitted jurisdictions are not allowed to wager. Even more sophisticated software is available that can help determine the gambler's identity.

Problem gambling specialist Jeff Derevensky of McGill University's International Centre for Youth Gambling and High Risk Behaviors has been a staunch and vocal opponent of online gambling. Even he seemed to have accepted the inevitability of online gambling. He pointed out that the online gambling industry was better equipped to ensure player protection than other forms of gambling. The net conclusion at GiGSE seemed to be that online gambling in Canada was now a question of when.

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