The Casino Gaming Industry in Canada
Canada's history in relation to betting activities begins well before the advent of the British in the country.
However, after their arrival all forms of betting in Canada were banned and it took several centuries to make betting legal again.
In fact, the Canadian Criminal Code made all betting activities illegal in 1892 due to moral concerns.
Later, from 1900, it became possible to play Bingo for charity purposes and gradually more and more gambling possibilities were added.
In 1974, a lottery was organized to subsidize the Montreal Olympics, while in Winnipeg, the first gaming establishment opened in 1989.
Approaching the modern era, Canada kept the development of the casino gaming industry stable until the legalization in 1999.
In that year, the authorities officially defined the possibility of organizing traditional lotteries and some forms of online gaming.
But although casino gaming is currently legal throughout the country, regulation of the online sector is decided independently by each province.
Obviously, to operate online, a casino must obtain the appropriate license from the local government, and as of now, every province has an online casino, except Saskatchewan.
Under current Canadian laws, only British Columbia, Québec, Ontario and Manitoba are allowed to grant remote gaming licenses.
However, it was necessary to wait until 2010, when British Columbia opened its first official online casino. At the same time, Quebec inaugurated an online poker room.
At present, online casino gaming in Canada is booming: citizens are very fond of sports betting, slot machines, bingo and lotteries.
The same cannot be said of land-based gambling establishments, which, also due to the pandemic, have seen a reduction in revenue.
Summarizing the historical stages of the legalization of casino games in Canada:
(1900) Bingo allowed only for charity;
(1910) Horse racing became legal;
(1925) Casino gaming permitted during events such as fairs and exhibitions;
(1970) Legalization of lotteries to help local and national government bodies subsidize initiatives such as the Montreal Olympics.
Casino games currently permitted in Canada
Some of casino games currently permitted in Canada are Poker, Sports Betting, Lotteries, Bingo, and slot machines.
Among the most popular slot machines in Canada are Cleopatra by IGT; Nirvana by Yggdrasil and Reactoonz by Play'n GO.
The most popular gaming titles in Canada change according to taste and the innovations that are frequently introduced by the major providers.
Apart from the provinces, only charitable and religious organizations can set up Bingo and Lotteries: slot machines and casino games are not provided for by charitable organizations.
Who are the bettors of casino games in Canada?
Although casino gaming is notoriously more popular among men, it is particularly popular among women in Canada.
In fact, statistics reveal that almost 50% of bettors are female.
Online casinos are more popular because they offer greater convenience and higher rewards when winning, as well as truly advantageous Casino Bonuses.
The Future of Online Casino Gaming in Canada
Thanks to new technologies, Canadian online casinos are also easily accessible from mobile gaming.
The advent of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality has offered the possibility of implementing more and more exciting games such as Live Game shows with live dealers.
The future scenario of online casinos in Canada is likely to increasingly include such games that offer more social and interactive features.
In addition, players' winnings are not subject to taxation in Canada, except for professional gamblers who bet for work.
To distinguish occasional from professional winnings, you consider:
regularity of gaming activities;
regularity of rewards;
expectation of payouts.
If you only play occasionally, you can get the full amount without deductions, unlike for professional bettors.
The player protection system in Canada
The current gambling regulations in Canada pay special attention to the protection of bettors.
Essentially, the authorities are responsible for:
Protect gamblers from the possibility of falling into addiction and pathological gambling;
Promote responsible gaming;
Monitor the location and size of land-based casinos;
Keeping track of the types and quantity of games offered;
Carrying out financial controls;
Control, monitor and supervise online gaming sites.
More specifically, horse racing is managed together with the Federal Department of Agriculture, through the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency, which is responsible for horse racing betting (CPMA).
Lotteries are usually managed by the provinces, as in the case of the Western Canada Lottery Corporation and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
In addition, some provincial governments delegate regulatory authority to law enforcement agencies.
Conclusions about the Casino Gaming Industry in Canada
As you may have observed, in this article we have discussed the casino gaming industry in Canada from beginning to the present time.
The betting industry in Canada is booming, although the country is classified eighth in the global rankings.
However, several studies indicate that Canadians like to spend more money on casino games than, for example, Americans or Britons.
At the same time, Canada has one of the most outstanding programs in the world when it comes to the protection of casino players, safeguarding society from the possible negative effect of betting activities.
For these reasons, data show that the number of gamblers with addiction problems is quite small in this area of the world.
In short, Canada is an example of responsible gambling, done wisely and without excess: a model that should be considered and imitated by other countries where gambling shows higher rates of addiction.
