Is Internet Gambling Legal In Canada

Before opening an online project, every operator primarily asks the question: what market to choose? Where can I operate freely, and where do I need to go through the licensing procedure?

Canada Online Gambling
Is Gambling Legal In Canada
Is Internet Gambling Legal

Technically this would make it not legal to gamble online in Canada, unless of course you’re playing at the Provincial casinos currently running online. There have been no laws written, as far as I know, specifically outlawing or allowing online gambling. This puts it in a “grey area” since it’s not really legal. Gambling can become a dangerous addiction that can damage lives and social relationships. If you feel that signing off is becoming an issue, refer to our dedicated Problem Gambling page, or to some of the resources listed below or: Problem Gambling – an Ontario organization that offers help to gamblers who need it.

Slotegrator examined this question. Our experts prepared a list of countries where online gambling operation is legal.

To make it even more convenient, we sorted them by continents. It includes not only those countries subject to certain requirements and where online gambling is regulated by law. There are also those countries where online gambling is neither regulated nor prohibited.

Online gambling availability in the World 2021

Depending on different approaches to gambling regulation in the world, all countries are divided into 4 groups.

Countries where foreign online casinos are not blocked:

Africa	Asia	Europe	North America	South America	Oceania
Eritrea Nigeria	Azerbaijan Brunei Hong Kong Japan Kyrgyz Republic Laos Malaysia Qatar Singapore Uzbekistan Yemen	Cyprus Bosnia and Herzegovina Czech Republic Iceland Luxembourg Serbia Slovakia	Cayman Islands Salvador Mexico	Brazil	American Samoa Australia Guam New Zealand

The local regulators do not apply any legislative requirements in these countries. Foreign gambling sites can be licensed in any jurisdiction or generally operate without it.

However, it should be noted that gambling is not necessarily legal in these countries.

For example, the Cayman Islands completely prohibit gambling, while the local residents are liable for participation in gambling. The fact that foreign online casinos are not blocked now can only be explained by the inability of regulator to do this. And if the online gambling is not legalized, blocking of foreign sites is just a matter of time.

Countries where gambling websites must be licensed by the local regulator:

Africa	Asia	Europe	North America	South America	Oceania
Ethiopia Mayotte Reunion Island	Georgia Sri Lanka	Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Italy Netherlands Poland Romania Spain UK	Antigua and Barbuda Guadeloupe Martinique Panama Saint-Barthélemy Saint-Martin Virgin Islands (USA)	Falkland Islands French Guiana	French Polynesia New Caledonia Wallis and Futuna Islands

These countries use the most competent approach to online gambling regulation. Each operator (whether it is local or foreign) must acquire a license and fulfill certain legal requirements. Conditions are equal for all. Everyone is obliged to pay taxes to the budget. Only in this case, the operator has the right to work legally. Otherwise, the online resource will be blocked.

The following countries require a license of the local regulator only for the local gaming sites. Foreign platforms can work without it:

Africa	Asia	Europe	North America	South America	Oceania
Comoros Gambia Guinea Mauritius Rwanda Seychelles	Armenia	Greece Hungary Ireland Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Moldova Monaco Norway Montenegro Portugal San Marino Slovenia Sweden Switzerland	Aruba Belize Canada Curacao Dominica Dominican Republic Greenland	-	Fiji Vanuatu

As in the first group, these countries do not apply any legal requirements to foreign sites. A foreign operator may be licensed in any jurisdiction and, in some countries operate without it at all. However, all local casino owners are required to undergo the licensing procedure of the local regulator and to pay taxes to the local treasury.

Slotegrator offers licenses for legal operation in different markets. We help to obtain gambling licenses from Curacao, Malta, Isle of Man, Kahnawake, Belize, Gibraltar, and Alderney.

The following countries have no restrictions for the gambling sites at all:

Africa	Asia	Europe	North America	South America	Oceania
Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Congo DR Congo Egypt Equatorial Guinea Gabon Ghana Guinea-Bissau Côte d'Ivoire Kenya Lesotho Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Sierra Leone South Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Western Sahara Zambia Zimbabwe	Bangladesh Macau India Mongolia Myanmar Tajikistan	Albania Andorra Belarus Faroe Islands Gibraltar Isle of Man Kosovo Liechtenstein Malta	Bahamas Barbados Bermuda Costa Rica Djibouti Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Nicaragua Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Turks and Caicos	Argentina Bolivia Chile Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay Venezuela	Cook Islands Kiribati Micronesia Nauru Northern Mariana Islands Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands East Timor Tonga

Canada Online Gambling

This is the largest group of countries. Many of them do not regulate gambling activities at all.

Online gambling laws around the world

Today almost every country has its own rules regulating the land-based gambling. However, the situation with online gambling is more ambiguous. As can be seen, the attitude towards local and foreign operators differs fundamentally from country to country.

In the European Union, for example, the operators of the foreign gambling sites are subject to the requirements of the EU law. However, not all countries agree that foreign operators don’t pay taxes to the local treasury. Contrary to the requirements of the EU, they put the foreign operators under own regulations forcing them to obtain a local gaming license and pay taxes to the local budget. Among these countries France, Germany, Italy, etc.

The second reason for the different attitudes to local and foreign operators is that many countries (especially those not technologically advanced) simply do not have the resources or tools to prevent foreign companies from operating in their territories.

Follow the Ukrainian gambling industry legalization and development. Find more about the legaization process, roles of gambling lottery commission and how to start your own casino in Ukraine.

Summing up the availability of online gambling around the world:

Is Gambling Legal In Canada

32 countries prohibit the local operators from working without a license, but those gambling sites that operate from abroad can easily offer their services to local residents. Among them, the following countries: Seychelles, Armenia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Monaco, Norway, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.
32 countries allow online gambling only with the local license. For example, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, the UK, the Netherlands etc.
28 countries prohibit locals from gambling and block sites of local gambling operators. However, foreign platforms can work freely, even if they have no license. These states are either unwilling or are not able to prevent them. For example, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Nigeria, etc.
93 countries do not prohibit online casinos and do not license them. They include Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bahamas, Argentina, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Kosovo, Gibraltar, etc.