Canadian Gambling Laws Remain Murky

An article which ran in the Vancouver Sun last week highlighted the fact that the law in Canada surrounding online gambling remains murky. The newspaper asked, in light of the American authorities’ crackdown against foreign operators of online gambling sites, why Canadian authorities have not done the same.

The article points out that despite the fact that there are an estimated 2,000 offshore gambling sites accessible in Canada, and millions are spent by Canadian players each year, police do very little to counter the issue, simply because it is not sure whether these sites are breaking Canadian gambling laws.

The issue of online gambling was in the news again this week, when the US authorities indicted the Canadian founder of the Bodog brand, Calvin Ayre, and three of his associates, for running an illegal sports gambling business and conspiring to commit money laundering.  The Canadian authorities, however, have not even mentioned the indictment and their silence is seen as accepting the fact that Canadians are allowed to play at these offshore sites.

The cold letter of the law states that only provincial gambling authorities are allowed to offer online gambling, but the VP of the Canadian Gaming Association, Paul Burns said that the authorities don’t pursue offshore operators since “there hasn’t been a huge public outcry.”

“There’s a high level of acceptance of offshore operators in Canada,” he said.

In the meantime, Canadians continue to play at top quality, safe and secure casinos such as Casino.com and LesACasino, where they enjoy excellent entertainment and payouts.