Moves to regulate online gambling in Canada have been moving quickly over the past year, and many are seeing this as a new era for the country’s online casino industry, which, financially, is far outpaced by online gaming in the U.S. and Europe.
One of the reasons why these new online gaming channels are attracting more Canadian players is because, since they’re designed for Canadians, they accept payment in Canadian dollars, as PR Carbon points out. In the past, most sites made Canadian players use American dollars.
This turn by the Canadian governments is a big change in direction, compared to the 1990s, when the government tended to crack down (harshly, too) on all forms of gambling, as Saskatchewan’s Leader-Post explains.
Last week, Loto-Quebec, Quebec’s official, government-run gambling division, launched “a new online casino, aimed at giving Canadian gamblers a safe place to play without having to worry about corruption,” according to CasinoGamblingWeb.com.
The new services by Loto-Quebec follow closely in the footsteps of the B.C. Lottery Corp., offering games ranging from blackjack and baccarat to craps, roulette, and slots.
“The online casino is expected to generate millions of dollars for the province, and the comfort given to gamblers is already appreciated.”
As the U.S. struggles to figure out a new stance on online gambling, it’s reassuring to see that another North American government seems to be taking the issue seriously.