Earlier this year, the online gaming community in the province of Ontario, Canada, changed. Instead of having unfettered access to an array of online gaming options from around the world – sports betting, daily fantasy sports (DFS), casino gaming, online poker, and other gaming choices – Ontarians became the only residents of Canada that were “ring fenced” from being able to access gaming offerings. Instead, Ontario residents had to take their gaming dollars to government approved – and Ontario-only – gaming outlets.
It is something that has been seen across the spectrum and in many different countries. In the States of America, the decisions regarding gaming have been left to the states, resulting in a hodgepodge of laws, regulations, and options varying from state to state. In Australia, online gaming regulation has resulted in a near-ban on ANY online betting. Many nations of Europe, including Spain, Italy, and France, have dipped their toes in the restrictive regulatory waters, with varying degrees of success.
Now that some time has passed since the regulations were implemented in Ontario, Poker News Daily wanted to assess the thoughts of the province’s residents. What we found is a province that was happy with the way things were. While they are not against governmental regulations on gaming, many feel that there should have been more thought put in before enacting any regulations. And yes, some people are angry.
What Happened?
Prior to September 2021, the entire nation of Canada had a very pleasant relationship with online gaming. One of its Indigenous tribes, the Kahnawake Indians, even ran a gaming server from its reservation that catered to many popular online poker rooms. By Canadian law, however, online gaming was technically illegal – it just was not enforced by any entity in the Canadian government.
In 1985, the provinces were given the power to govern gambling in their particular areas. This led to several casinos being opened (Casino Windsor opened in 1994) and, in 2001, a creation from a Canadian, Isai Scheinberg, resulted in the birth of PokerStars. Although Scheinberg would eventually take his creation outside the country, PokerStars originally […]
Click here to view original web page at www.pokernewsdaily.com
