Remember the movie the Titanic? Remember those who stayed on the boat? That’s what I think of when I look at yet another Canadian province unwilling to jump into the lifeboat that is online gambling.
When you look at the way Canadian gambling laws are structured, and compare it to the United States, it’s night and day. They don’t have the UIGEA, in fact, the regulation of internet gambling doesn’t even happen at a national level for Canadians. Instead, each individual province has the authority to choose to regulate and license internet gambling sites or to decline entirely. British Columbia has jumped all over it with their PlayNow website, which is in full swing.
You would think that the obvious choice would be to regulate and license online gambling considering the numbers of Canadians that love online poker and already engage in online gambling with offshore operators, but Manitoba, like PEI, is tucking their tail between their legs and pumping their breaks when it comes to online gambling.
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger has made it clear that he is fully aware that Manitoba residents are already gambling on thousands of unregulated online sites that don’t have the so-called, protections in terms of addictions and supports, that a government run site would provide (whatever that means). Despite this knowledge, Selinger still has fears of the damage it will do to the public if the province starts its own single site?
Okay, I can’t be the only one who thinks that makes zero sense whatsoever.
