Canada Gambling Law

Eventually, in the 1970s, a landmark decision was made to allow each area of Canada to decide for itself if gambling should or should not be legal.

But this created a new problem that has only recently developed, namely; did give a domain the right to decide if gambling should be legal also extend to online gambling? The question may seem like it has an obvious answer to many, but for others, it was not so cut and dry.

It was a debate that raged on for many years and still rages on, with many declaring that there is not a clear answer to the simple question. The quick answer to the question is that online gambling is enjoyed by many Canadians on a daily basis, and they certainly aren’t breaking the law.

The interesting truth is, however, that there is no law that declares online gambling officially legal, or illegal. It’s a conundrum that could be considered to be a sort of law limbo.

No one playing online casino games in Canada has ever been said to be breaking the law, ever, which more or less sums up that Canadians are allowed to gamble online.

There are still debates that go on to this day, but the only real enforced law is that minors are strictly forbidden from taking part on online gambling. This, of course, stands to reason, and it’s a good thing that this aspect of online gambling in the country is very specific.

One case that does stand out is that a Native American reserve in Canada was fined a large sum of money for hosting online gambling servers. The fine was appealed, however, and remains in the appeal to this very day.

The server continues to run, with the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve stating that running the server was their right, based on jurisdiction laws. The case has yet to reach a conclusion.