Canada doesn’t get as much respect as the US when it comes to gambling. After all, cities like Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City are all south of the border. However, Canada’s gambling laws are much more relaxed, with both online gambling and offline gambling more accessible in this country. That’s why many professional gamblers from the US have moved north, taking advantage of these relaxed laws to enjoy their hobby full-time.
When the British claimed large parts of Canada as their own, they brought with them some laws that the locals didn’t take too kindly too. These included the criminalisation of gambling games. Dice games and other games of chance were common at the time, and the British believed they depleted the focus of their soldiers, eating into their training, which is why they were outlawed.
Those laws stuck for many decades, before they were gradually overturned in the early 20th century, with charitable gambling and then lotteries being legalised. A few decades later, with more and more gambling games becoming legalised, casino licenses were dished out and before long, Canada became a gambling mecca, with many many cities rivalling the best gambling destinations south of the border.
Running an online gambling site in Canada is no simple task. For one thing, you need strict permission from the authorities, and that’s not easy to acquire. Without that permission, such a site would be breaking the law, which is why they are so rare. However, there are no laws against International sites offering online gambling to Canadian residents, and many Canadian gamblers do their gambling online these days.
Casinos and poker are the most popular forms of online gambling, but some sportsbooks are also legal for Canadians. This applies across all of Canada, despite the minor differences that alter the laws of individual states and provinces. So, if you’re worried about the legality of online gambling, then don’t be, because as long as you’re dealing with a non-Canadian site, or with a licensed Canadian site, then you’re okay.
If you want to gamble in Canada, the best place to do it is in a casino. There are many of these available across the country, including the Niagara Fallsview casino, which is situated next to the famous waterfall. Many of these casinos are huge, offering all forms of gambling, as well as restaurants, entertainment and accommodation. All of this gambling is legal across Canada, so there are no concerns there. There are some restrictions in place outside of the casino, but gambling here is generally well tolerated on all levels.
Some of the most popular forms of gambling in Canada are VLT machines, which is short for Video Lottery Terminals. These are a form of slot machine, with big jackpots on offer. Lotteries are also popular in Canada and these two forms of gambling generate around $15 billion a year outside of casinos. If you include the machines found inside casinos, then that figure is considerably higher.
In 2006, just 2% of Canadians used the internet to gamble. Since then, that figure has climbed exponentially, and these days most Canadian gamblers have used to internet to place bets. Canadians also make full use of online poker rooms, and many US players actually crossed the border to live in Canada, just so they could continue to play online poker after the game was banned in the United States a few years ago.
Traditionally, lotteries, bingo, raffles and other such games have been the foundation of Canadian gambling. That’s perhaps why their electronic equivalent, Video Lottery Terminals, are so popular in the modern age. Sports gambling is not hugely popular in this country, but racebooks are, as horse racing and dog racing has a long and rich tradition in Canada. Canadians, like their US cousins, are embracing esports as well and with more players coming out of Canada, and with more fans watching them and gambling on them, it seems it will only be a matter of time before Canada matches the rest of the world for esports gambling.
There is an interesting trend in Canada, which shows a decline in popular gambling pastimes. For instance, the last official figures released regarding horse racing revenues were in 2008, where it was recorded that the industry had generated nearly 40% less than they had taken back in 1992. When you consult recent figures, albeit unofficial ones, the trend continues, with horse racing declining in popularity. Online gambling has increased massively in this time, which suggests that the people who were devoted to horse racing have taken their money away from the casino racebooks and the track, and over to the online sportsbooks.
In 2004, it was reported that whilst internet gambling had increased, it was still the least popular form of gambling. In 2015, however, it had climbed to be one of the most popular forms of gambling, albeit still someway behind lotteries and Video Lottery Terminals. Judging by the rate of growth, it is only a matter of time before that changes and before online gambling rules the way in this country.
Gambling addiction is relatively rare in Canada, affecting just 3% of adults and 2% of people aged between 15 and 24, which tends to be the biggest demographic for gambling.
