Calvin Ayre likes Ontario Lottery And Gaming’s online plans, doesn’t like baseless accusations

Calvin Ayre
Calvin Ayre
August 12, 2010
9 Comments

Calvin-Ayre-Ontario-Lottery-GamingIn general, I find little fault with the way the Ontario Lottery And Gaming Corporation is proceeding with its plan to launch its own online gaming site. OLG are consulting experts and delaying the launch date until sometime in 2012, both of which should help them avoid the pitfalls experienced by their counterparts in British Columbia, who charged in blindly without apparent consideration that exposing their player’s private financial data might be a bad idea. I hope the experts OLG is consulting, as well as the technology providers they ultimately choose to build their platform, are Canadian. There’s a ton of homegrown expertise out there, although much of it has been forced to go abroad to make use of their skills (the result of previous governments failing to appreciate these techies’ talents).

That said, Ontario’s move has prompted the usual suspects to issue a few hyperbolic quotes that are simply too outrageous to ignore. These people seem unaware that the online gaming industry is rapidly approaching its 20th anniversary, and the security and underage gaming issues that were once a valid concern have long since been addressed by the (mostly) European-run private online gaming companies. As for the accusation that problem gaming is somehow more of a problem depending on the manner in which one accesses one’s digital entertainment, Harvard studies have conclusively established otherwise.

I also take issue with Ontario’s government referring to their online offering as ‘legal’. All the major international online gaming companies are legal, but by tying this term to their own product, Ontario is implying that these other companies are somehow illegal. This is the equivalent of the Chinese government referring to Time magazine as an illegal publication because Chinese authorities don’t want their citizens accessing Time’s website. When someone opens an account with an international company that is legally operating within its home jurisdiction, the transaction is considered to be processed where that company is located, making it a perfectly legal transaction. Would Canadian banks – which allow foreigners to open accounts and issue transaction instructions from their home territories – consider themselves more bound by the regulations in place in that customer’s home territory, or by the regulations in the bank’s home jurisdiction? I think the answer to that question is fairly obvious, don’t you? Read more.

If you have any further information related to this story that you would like to share with us privately please click here.

Can't get enough CalvinAyre.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, then you'll never miss out on the latest gaming industry news.

Share
Tags: Article, BCLC, Calvin Ayre, OLG, Ontario Lottery and Gaming
Views and opinions expressed are those of the Author and do not necessarily reflect those of CalvinAyre.com
  • http://calvinayre.com/2010/08/12/legal/new-canadian-crime-laws-apply-to-online-gaming/ How will new Canadian crime laws be applied to online gaming sector?

    [...] have built thriving legal businesses connected to the online gaming sector? Or, given the recent entry of provincial governments into the online gaming biz, is this an effort to choke out international competition? Could Canada really be so stupid as to [...]

  • http://CalvinAyre.com Calvin Ayre

    All these moves are great for the credibility of the industry in North America however. It is safe to say that our long standing position of online gaming being a legitimate form of global entertainment is now confirmed.

  • http://topsy.com/calvinayre.com/2010/08/12/legal/calvin-ayre-likes-ontario-lottery-and-gaming-online-plans/?utm_source=pingback&utm_campaign=L2 Tweets that mention Calvin Ayre likes Ontario Lottery And Gaming’s online plans, doesn’t like baseless accusations — Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Calvin Ayre, Raven Mark Cortez. Raven Mark Cortez said: LOOKKKK!!! http://calvinayre.com/2010/08/12/legal/calvin-ayre-likes-ontario-lottery-and-gaming-online-plans/ http://ff.im/pc2nm [...]

  • http://calvinayre.com/2010/08/14/business/people-in-ontario-want-online-gambling/ Ontario politicians approved online gambling because “people want this”

    [...] officials make decisions? If you ask Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan why the province decided to enter the online gambling arena, it’s because he saw five poker shows on TV one weekend, which led him to the conclusion that [...]

  • http://calvinayre.com/2010/08/14/sports/mixed-martial-arts-coming-to-ontario/ Mixed martial arts coming to Ontario

    [...] dumped into Ontario’s water supply? Just days after provincial officials revealed they were getting into online gambling, Sophia Aggelonitis, Ontario’s Minister of Consumer Services, has announced that the province is [...]

  • http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com/bb/41561-ontario-will-start-offering-online-gambling-with-lottery-and-gaming-corp-in-2012-a.html#post221353 Ontario will start offering online gambling with Lottery and Gaming Corp. in 2012

    [...] point of no return on the credibility of online gaming globally, but especially in North America…Calvin wrote a nice article about his opinion on OLG if interested! [...]

  • http://calvinayre.com/2010/08/18/press-releases/ontario-to-launch-online-casino/ Ontario to launch online casino

    [...] offering ‘increased player protections, secure transactions and data privacy’.Check this out Calvin Ayre likes Ontario Lottery.Views and opinions expressed are those of the Author and do not necessarily reflect those of [...]

  • http://calvinayre.com/2010/08/19/sports/former-nfl-coach-embraces-betting/ While NFL fights betting, former NFL coach embraces it

    [...] place on the TV dial and in the minds of North American sports fans. As we’ve recently seen with cash-strapped governments switching from anti-gambling stances to full-on “let’s party” mode, practical need can be a [...]

  • http://calvinayre.com/2010/12/09/casino/asia-to-overtake-us-by-2014-resorts-1920s-makeover/ Asia to rival US by 2014; Resorts AC gets 1920′s makeover; Ontario casino losses

    [...] of Ontarians’ pockets last year. But just wait until 2012, when Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. hangs out its own online shingle. Then all of Ontario’s online gamblers – seriously, all of them — will automatically [...]