Canada has recently seen a number of rapid and important developments regarding various aspects of the gambling industry, and another important landmark in the industry was reached by the province of Manitoba, which lies right in the very heart of North America. The government of Manitoba has decided to consider allowing its citizens the opportunity to gamble online.
Manitoba’s Lotteries Minister, Steve Ashton, speaking from the provincial capital of Winnipeg, stressed that although the provincial government was looking into the issue no final decision had yet been made.
The reason that the Manitoba government is looking at developing the online gambling industry is that it wishes primarily to offer players alternatives to the many offshore sites that they will be able to trust with confidence. Ashton’s government group is looking into either setting up a website of its own or forming a strategic partnership with other provinces with regards to setting up a common multi-provincial site that would provide online casino games for gamblers.
There is little doubt that extra tax funds from the venture was a pull, and this was indeed mentioned, although the overriding concerns stated by most were in regards to the need to ensure that such an official site would ensure that players seeking online entertainment in Manitoba would have access to a site that had inbuilt safeguards such as transfer limits, secure payments and age checks.
There is no question that government-run gaming web sites are gradually becoming legal in other Canadian provinces, with Quebec allowing Loto-Quebec the opportunity to offer online gaming, including poker and sports betting. In addition, British Columbia Provincial Lotteries has been running online games for more than five years and will soon offer such casino games as poker, blackjack and roulette. Additionally Ontario, Manitoba’s neighboring province, is exploring legalizing online games with a view to offering them to gamers. The Federal government has yet to comment on the issue, although the case would appear to be growing.
According to Ashton, most people involved in online gaming would prefer to have a well-regulated and official site. The CEO of the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, John Borody, concurred stating, “Let’s not put our heads in the sand. It’s out there, so let’s look at opportunities. There’s definitely an opportunity to intervene and that can only been done through a government site.” He added that the only remaining issue was just how the government should intervene when someone experienced problems.
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