Online Gambling Was a Hot Topic at the Canadian Gambling Summit

April 29, 2010 | News Category: Gaming Law

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The Canadian Gaming Summit recently took place in Calgary, Canada. Workshops covered a very wide range of topics in the gambling community, including that of online gambling.

The Canadian gambling industry is now worth around Cdn$ 14 billion, and it employs around 135,000 Canadians. Gathered at the summit were 1,200 delegates, as well as speakers that had been invited to discuss various topics related to gambling.

Internet gambling was quite a hot topic, with those who are for it, and those who are against it, as there inevitably will be in a large group. One of the issues that was discussed was how essential it is to ensure that gaming is carried out in a responsible way.

Gambling safety measures were discussed, and the new responsible gambling tool, SafetyCheck, from the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, was even on display. Margaret McGee, from the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, said in a newspaper interview that "Teenagers are three times more likely than adults to visit offshore gaming websites." She continued to explain, "Our mandate is to build a responsible gaming industry."

As with so many other countries, the time eventually arrives when some kind of official discussion needs to be held regarding online gambling. Although discussing and debating this issue at the Canadian Gambling Summit is not exactly what one would call official, there were certainly a lot of industry insiders who had strong opinions to voice.

Paul Burns, the vice president of the Canadian Gaming Association, rather amusingly said that online gambling is “the elephant in the room that needs to be talked about, and fast."

Mr. Burns noted that the revenue of around Cdn$1 billion that Canadian citizens are spending on online gambling each year is simply leaving the country’s borders, and going to the offshore online gambling companies instead of back into the economy in one way or another.

Mr. Burns is of the opinion that recent polls have shown that "The customers are way ahead of government and regulators." Burns continued: "We think it's high time Canada has that debate, so that is why we're talking about it here."

Those who argued against online gambling mostly cited a possible increase in gambling addictions because online casinos are available 24 hours a day, and there is no pressure to leave if you do not wish to.

Others feel that the time is ripe, and would prefer that online gambling revenues stay in Canada in the form of taxation and fees.

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