A coalition of five provincial gambling corporations in Canada has called on the federal government to work with the provinces and regulators to clamp down on illegal gambling websites in the country.
The Provincial Lottery Corporations coalition comprises the British Columbia Lottery Corporation; Alberta Gambling, Liquor & Cannabis; Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation; Loto-Quebec; and Atlantic Lottery Corporation.
“The members of our coalition return their profits back to the province in which they operate. These profits help fund important programs and services like healthcare, education, and community programs. Illegal gambling websites advertise to Canadian players but often operate outside of Canada, taking the profits with them.” Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation president and chief executive Manny Atwal added.
Commercial gambling is illegal in Canada unless controlled by a provincial government, but offshore operators are active and promote their websites by advertising mirror “free-to-play” sites, in particular during popular live sporting events. The coalition said this blur the line between provincially regulated gambling sites and illegal operators.
Due to the concern over the rapid increase of such advertisements, the coalition will work to raise public awareness. It will advise media platform owners of their duty to comply with existing laws and regulations by refusing to accept misleading ads for illegal sites. It said it will also encourage the federal government to enforce laws and regulations to shut down these operators.
Atlantic Lottery Corporation president and chief executive Patrick Daigle said: “Research shows that the majority of players are unaware of whether an online site is legal in their province or not. This is a significant amount of money that could be staying right here in our region to fund public services, but instead continues to be taken away from helping our communities to the sole benefit of illegal operators.”
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