Who might Canada Online Casino Laws copy?

Canada is one of the few nation’s in the world where online casino laws continue to remain murky. Such jurisdictions are deemed a “grey market” by legal analysts. A few attempts have been made to clarify Canada online casino laws, but so far nothing has worked to change the turbid legal climate.

It’s been predicted that Canada will, one day, follow in the legislative footsteps of one country or another. In order for that to happen, the government must agree on a direction to take, and choose a legislative framework that’s proved successful.

There are several prominent jurisdictions in which they could mold new Canada online casino laws from. We’ll take a look at a few of them now.

Canada Online Casino Laws – Mirroring the UK

For internet gaming fans, this would be the most positive direction Canada could take. Online gambling has been legal in the UK for many years, but in 2014, new regulations were passed to licence both homegrown and international operators, and it’s proved highly successful thus far.

The UK Gambling Commission regulates all licensed operators, while the government collects a 15% point of consumption tax on all wagers (plus all those hefty licencing fees). In this way, the operators are forced into compliance with local laws, players are protected, and the UK’s coffers are constantly overflowing with iGaming revenue.

Canada Online Casino Laws – Mirroring the US

In the United States, the federal government gives individual states the right to legalize and regulate online gambling, just as Canada has given its provinces. However, instead of operating a single, state-run iGaming website, Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey allow operators to apply for a licence and compete within their respective markets, so long as the servers are located in a land-based casino.

This would be a vast improvement on the current Canada online casino laws, but not something provinces are likely to do. The iGaming markets in those three US states failed to produce much revenue. Thus the framework does little to entice mimic.

Canada Online Casino Laws – Mirroring Australia

Australia is in the process of passing new laws that will prohibit international operators from accessing Australian players without a licence. Those who obtain a licence must abide by the nation’s gaming laws.

In essence, Australia is following the path of the UK, but in a much more restrictive manner. Aussies are only permitted to play casino games and poker in licenced, land-based gaming establishments. Online casinos and poker rooms are – or will soon be – strictly forbidden. Internet wagers are limited to sports bets, horse racing and lottery only.

Canada won’t take this route, since several provinces are already making millions of dollars off provincially-run, multi-channel gambling websites.

Canada Online Casino Laws – Mirroring South Africa

Like Australia, South Africa is in the process of implementing new laws in regards to online gambling. However, the goal here is to prohibit the activity once and for all. Internet wagering is already illegal, but the nation has failed to stop online casino operators, or to stop players from accessing them.

Last year, SA took a new route, scripting laws that would allow the nation to intercept withdrawals of South African players. Government bodies have been organized to investigate all angles of internet gambling, including the operators, players, and the financial institutions that facilitate payments between the two.

SA took the official stance that, while they can’t stop players from making wagers at illegal gaming sites, they can confiscate the withdrawals of players en route to their bank account.

While Canada online casino laws won’t be altered to criminalize provincially-run operations, there’s always the possibility that – if SA’s new laws prove successful – the nation could begin intercepting player withdrawals from illegal gaming websites.