Safe, regulated, and fair
Canada, a country of wonderfully diverse peoples and delightfully varied environments, has a special love affair with a somewhat unexpected pastime. If you are a Canadian, you might not even realise that it is surprising, but few countries have the same relationship with gambling that Canada has.
Sensible and pragmatic
Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission adopted what could be described as a sensible, realistic, and pragmatic approach, which has been a terrific commercial success. However, it takes the business of gambling very seriously, and enforcement is a major element of compliance. With remarkable advances in technology, it is now possible to place a bet without stepping inside any building.
With regulations covering the ‘bet anywhere, anytime’ phenomenon continually being updated, there are equally rogue operators out there who are always trying to get around the strict regulations. iGamingOntario’s mission is to ensure players are safe and protected from gambling harms. They also want to ensure that those operating in the territory have paid the correct levies so that revenues flow back into the provincial coffers. They are not necessarily concerned about which sites are fun or offer the best playing experience.
Safe and fun
Most players want a combination of fun and security when playing at online casinos in Canada or in licensed arcades and venues. Playing wisely is excellent fun, and it is good to know that entertainment providers have adopted codes of conduct to benefit their customers while making money for themselves. Expert review sites like Onlinecasino.ca can guide players, and their up-to-date advice and impartial ratings are invaluable.
Big glitzy options
Toronto has four top-rated casinos, so for those who fancy a full ‘night out’ experience, there is plenty of choice when trying to strike it lucky. The AGCO again regulates these to ensure that everything is as it should be. There is, however, the ever-present threat of unlicensed operators coming onto the scene. While setting up a bells and whistles casino might seem unrealistic, operating a shady gambling joint from a local store is a relatively easy thing to do.
Opportunities for the unscrupulous
Slot machines are an excellent option for the unscrupulous. In the right (or wrong place, anybody who fancies it can have a bet.. The machines are portable and relatively discreet. Slot machines can have uncontrolled profits heavily weighted in favor of the supplier. Tucked away in neighbourhood shops, these off-the-radar machines can tempt anyone to have a play, regardless of age, vulnerability, or self-control. Once embedded in the everyday street-level world of our city, the temptation to see them all over Canada could be too great for some unscrupulous traders.
It is easy to think that the only crime these days is of the cyber variety, but unlicensed physical gambling machines make easy pickings for rogue operators. Unlike their digital counterparts, which Random Number Generators control to ensure fairness, unregulated physical slots can be programmed not to pay out, or to payout only after a certain amount has been loaded into the machine.
Criminal operators know when the machines are about to ‘tip the jackpot’ and have been known to send in their man (or woman) at precisely the right moment to ensure the winnings remain in their cabal. While no one is suggesting that the machines the AGCO currently has in its sights are run by criminals, they are certainly being marketed disingenuously. Essentially, it is to do with whether the slots in question are games of skill or chance. The manufacturers are claiming the latter.
AGCO crackdown
Unsurprisingly, the AGCO is having none of it and has clamped down on these illegal gambling machines and the venues hosting them. The Chief Executive Officer, Dr Karin Schnarr, stated that unapproved gambling machines have no place in convenience stores or similar locations. There is particular concern about machines that are accessible to children and young people. Citizens can be sure that just as night follows day, a crackdown on physical machines will be followed by crackdowns on illegal online slots, because the two can go hand-in-hand and prey on the same victims.
What is the problem?
The physical machines, branded as Prime Slot, were games of chance like any slot machines. However, to circumvent the regulations, manufacturers claimed their games were skill-based, which ostensibly allowed them to be installed in convenience stores where gambling machines are not permitted. However, the crackdown by the AGCO did not end there. They also issued a reminder to all land-based casino and charitable gaming facility operators that any promotion, bonus, or credit described as “free” must be compliant with the regulatory standards
Retailers have been sent a Notice of Proposed Order to revoke their registration, but they do have the right to appeal the AGCO’s decision within 15 days to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an independent adjudicative body under Tribunals Ontario.
Keeping it clean
The AGCO is keen to preserve the reputation of its thriving commercial market, which benefits all. It has been proactively sanctioning operators and affiliates involved in promoting anything that it considers to be illegal gambling. It has been said that it intends to use ‘all available powers’ to safeguard the public from the risks unregulated machines (and in turn sites) pose to the public.
The AGCO has the full support of other government officials, including Ontario’s Attorney General, Doug Downey. He has recently confirmed that illegal gambling will be ended in the province. The vast majority (83.7%) of Ontarians now gamble with regulated operators, which was always the intention of creating the market that exists today. Before launch, less than 30% of gambling was taking place in legal licensed premises, and all online gambling was taking place at offshore.
