Theoretically Canadian gambling falls under the provinces’ jurisdiction, and this online activity is depriving provincial governments of revenues, more importantly, these overseas gambling operators are unregulated by Canadian law.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford (pictured) is among those calling for “modernization” of gambling laws, making it legal for Canadian-based gambling sites to take sporting bets.
This would make corporations like Loto-Québec or https://gamblerino.com/en/ better able to compete against foreign operators who are unregulated.
It is unclear if federal authorities will follow up on this request. If they do, a complete review of online gambling—beyond single-event sporting bets—might also be in order. As noted earlier, there is a lot of money involved.
Specifically, gambling and betting are covered by Part VII of the criminal code under the section heading: “Disorderly Houses, Gaming and Betting.” Although gambling falls under provincial jurisdiction, the legality of it is governed by the Criminal Code of Canada under federal jurisdiction. That is why Ford is calling upon Ottawa to modernize gambling laws.
