Canadian Online Gambling Growing

Published: Monday, January 26, 2009 Online-Casinos.com

Canadian online gambling has become a subject of debate. Lethbridge University academic Robert Williams, a name becoming synonymous with negative views on the subject. Canadian online gambling is growing, spending more online than those in land based casinos. Robert Williams, articulates there will be more problem gambling in Canada as a result of the growing interest. He claims that accessibility and better payout rates due to lower overheads are attracting more players.

Williams has produced useful information, claiming that free-play results at online casinos are better than real-money gambling in order to deceptively entice players and take their money are arguable, but his studies have shown that underage gamblers use free-play facilities extensively. His studies have also shown that half of North American high school and post-secondary students have played on free-play online gambling sites.

In Canada the average monthly loss of individual Internet gamblers is $541 compared to an $82 loss for all gamblers. Problem gambling stats are around 3 percent, but this is growing and the majority of online gambling revenue comes from this source. It is estimated that worldwide revenues from online gambling reached $20 billion in 2008.
This is based upon his report written in conjunction with the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre.

The Kahnawake First Nation online gambling licensing jurisdiction is an enclave hosting some 300 to 400 Internet gambling websites, despite Canadian restrictions confining gambling to provincially approved operators. Williams says "Online gambling is almost impossible to prohibit." " The Mohawks there are so militant in advancing their sovereignty issues and it's such a sensitive area for the Quebec government that they choose not to prosecute."

People are going to gamble anyway, it's better to regulate it carefully and reap the economic benefits while boosting services for problem gamblers. Online gambling is part of our entertainment culture now, regulation to protect and to better service gamers is the only solution.