In the last couple of years, the online gambling industry and its sectors throughout the world have recorded significant growth. Its value is in the billions of dollars and it increases every year. The situation isn’t much different in Canada either. We expect that this sector will grow even more in the future because of the changes in the online gambling law regulations. So, what are the terms and what has changed over the last couple of months?
In the summer of 2021, a bill was passed in the Canadian Senate. Each province was given the autonomy to regulate online gambling and betting within their territories. The provinces welcomed these changes with open arms because allowing online casinos and online gambling can provide the provinces with an extra stream of tax money into their budgets.
Since the Covid outbreak, the provinces were struggling, and their economy was shaken, so it is expected that more and more provinces will issue licenses to online casinos. Until that happens, Canada will still be in the gray zone, since it isn’t forbidden for players to place bets in offshore casinos.
Offshore casinos
Since placing bets online hasn’t been forbidden or officially illegal for Canadian players, they often used the services of offshore casinos. It was important that these operators were based outside Canada because online casinos couldn’t operate from Canada directly.
The situation was a bit confusing and it was considered a gray area and it wasn’t beneficial for either the players or the province. The province didn’t regulate the market with offshore casinos, so it couldn't collect taxes. On the other hand, if any Canadian player was deceived in any way, Canadian authorities couldn’t protect them.
The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory
As mentioned, online casinos can’t operate directly from Canada, but Canadian players can place bets with offshore casinos. Until each province legalizes online gambling and issues licenses for the most suitable online casinos, they will be able to play online games offshore, and they won't have to pay taxes on their winnings.
Speaking of the offshore casinos, there is one exception, the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. As you may know, it is located near Montreal and online casinos are legal there. Although it is in Canada, this reserve is considered to be offshore. This is why many operators based their gaming servers on the Kahnawake territory. The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory has its own regulating body, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.
This commission regulates the market of its web-based casinos and sportsbooks and gives licenses for ones that meet the requirements. They take care of secure and regular payouts, and make sure that players personal information is kept safe and that those players that are not of legal age can’t participate in any online casino with their license.
Conclusion
Having all considered, the online gambling market in Canada is in transition but everything implies that online casinos will get permission to operate from here and that the market will be regulated in the near future. This will happen as the provinces legalize placing bets online within their territories. The provinces will be able to collect taxes from those casinos, and the players will be able to gamble safely without any possibility of being deceived.
They will be able to address any problems to the Canadian authorities, who should have more ways to help them with solving their troubles. If you are from Canada and you can’t wait for these changes to go through, you can look for entertainment in offshore casinos. Canadacasinohub.com is one of the leading sources of information for Canadian casino players. Visit to get the latest news about legal online gambling in Canada.
