If you’ve been paying attention to casino news in recent months, you’ll know that Germany has had some troubling times with online gambling being banned, un-banned, and potentially partially legalized thanks to ongoing court battles. Luckily, other countries around the world have much more simple guidelines. Find out how Canada’s gambling laws work once and for all – and then enjoy some more great games at Lucky Nugget casino.
How do gambling laws in Canada work?
Canada is divided into 10 provinces and three territories. Each of these provinces are responsible for looking after gambling in their own area – gaming, both in land-based casinos and on online sites, comes under local jurisdiction.
The provincial governments decide what kinds of gambling are legal in their provinces. Most kinds of land-based gambling are legal in most places: bingo, casinos and so on are under state authority, while horse racing is an exception and reviewed by the federal government. The gambling providers in different provinces have to get agreements from the provincial government, and this is all that’s needed for casinos to operate. The gambling laws are designed to protect players by making all casinos register. This in turn means that they will have to comply to fairness and transparency laws or face the consequences.
Is online gambling in Canada legal?
Canadians cannot be prosecuted for using online gambling because it is legal. Companies who are not based in Canada also cannot be prosecuted for operating without a license, but companies who are located in a specific Canadian province without being licensed there can and have been prosecuted.
Many provinces, such as British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba have legalized most forms of legalized gambling. But Canadian online casinos can only offer their services to players in different provinces if there is an inter-provincial agreement existing to permit it. However, companies registered in foreign countries and offer games to Canadian players cannot be prosecuted – so long as they have a valid license to accept Canadian registrations.
The only case of an online gambling company being prosecuted under Canadian law is Starnet, a company that was licensed in the Caribbean but had an office in Vancouver. The courts ruled that the business had sufficient links to Canada, and thus should have had a license in order to operate in the country.
Many reputable casinos operate in Canada, both as land-based establishments but also as online casinos. Obviously, Lucky Nugget are fully licensed to operate in Canada, bringing you great games online which you can play with total peace of mind.
