Can you play online casino games in Canada? For example, is there a website where you can play Fishing Frenzy free online? Even so, how legal is this? Canadian gambling laws have an interesting history, and we'll talk about them in detail below, discussing the latest situation of legal gambling in the country. If you're wondering if it's legal to gamble in Canada, keep reading.
Basic Facts About Gambling In Canada
Let's start by giving basic information about gambling habits in Canada. Which types of gambling do the players in this country prefer the most? In other words, what do the gambling habits in the country cover? A study by Jason J. Azmier, director of Gambling Studies, contains interesting information on this subject. You can see them in the table below.
Compared to the population, the number of Canadians interested in casino games and sports betting is quite low. Just to give you an idea, let's say that this rate can vary between 20% and 40% in European countries. 57% of Canadian citizens claim they have never gambled once in their lifetime. The same research, interestingly, shows that slot machines are most popular in Ontario. However, this table shows us that although the number of players is small compared to the general population, Canadians mostly prefer slot machines when it comes to casino games. We can now return to our main topic: How legal is this? Can slot machines or other casino games be played legally in Canada?
Legality Of Gambling In Canada
The issue of legal gambling is a bit complicated in Canada, and this is due to the country's unique political structure. Canada is a country of provinces. Each province is free to make its own special legal arrangements on many issues. Federal laws serve only as a guide and leave states free to make their own laws on many issues. In this context:
• There is only one federal law on gambling: the Criminal Code of Canada.
• This law underwent some changes in 1969 and 1985. The first of these changes made land-based casinos legal. Currently, there are close to 90 land-based casinos in Canada, the majority of which are in Ontario.
• The second amendment made pari-mutuel horse racing betting the only legal type of sports betting allowed at the federal level. It banned other types of bets but stated that provinces could make their own regulations.
• There is no legal regulation on online gambling (online casino & online sportsbook), but they are also considered to be subject to the general ban.
If you are confused by these explanations, we can simply state that all gambling activities that are not offered by an official institution (federal government or state government) are prohibited in Canada. A state can decide to make gambling legal within its own borders if it wishes. That's what's happening in practice anyway. Currently, every state in Canada has legalized gambling within certain limits, although the extent of this varies from state to state.
The Difference Of Legal Gambling In Canada
In European countries where gambling is legal, you can establish a company and obtain a license from the relevant government agency to open a website and offer online casino or online sportsbook services. In Canada, the situation is quite different. First of all, it is not possible to open a website that serves all of Canada. Because each state is subject to different regulations on legal gambling, and if you want to accept members from all states, you need to get a separate license from each one. These are the state agencies that can issue a license for gambling:
As can be guessed, this is not possible in practice. No operator will think about getting a license from each of these agencies. This situation causes global companies to stay away from the Canadian market. There are online casinos and online sportsbooks in Canada, but they are both very limited in number and are official services offered by local provinces. So technically, real money gambling is legal, but you have to make do with what your state offers. This leads to very low service quality and diversity.
Fortunately, there are no regulations preventing Canadian players from playing on international sites. While technically not allowed, neither the federal government nor the states are doing anything to prevent it. As a Canadian player, for example, you can play at any casino or sportsbook licensed by the MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) or Curacao, which means you have thousands of options for placing big bets.
