A history of gambling in Canada
Gambling is not a new concept, in fact people were gambling long before money, dice and cards were invented. The history of Canadian gambling goes back as far as these times when people used to gamble with sticks and stones. It was a man called John Cabot who in 1947 discovered the first group of inhabitants who played games of chance in Canada.
Gambling ban in Canada
Back in 1892 all forms of gambling were banned in Canada. This however did not last very long:
- 1900 charitable gambling was allowed in the form of bingo an raffles
- 1920 horse racing was added to the list of acceptable gambling
- 1925 certain events were allowed to hold gambling events
- 1969 the government was allowed to run lotteries to raise funds for special developments
- 1974 saw the first lottery a fund raiser for the Montreal Olympics
Over time more and more changes were made and new activities were added to the acceptable gambling list. Today gambling is legal and you can find a land based casino in nearly every Canadian province.
Land based casinos in early Canada
Canada wasted no time in creating casinos to compete with the glitz and glam of Las Vegas. Land based casinos can be found all over Canada, each offering a selection of video slot games and table games like poker, blackjack, baccarat and more. One of the more famous land based casinos in Canada is Caesars located in Windsor Ontario. Over $400 dollars was sent renovating this casino.
Many of the land based casinos are owned and operated by the government, in some cases the government owns the casino but it is run by an individual enterprise. This type of control ensures the government is in charge at all times.
The growth of real money online casinos
One thing the government could not control was the online casino. There are thousands of online casinos all over the Internet, each offering hundreds of casino games that can all be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home. Locating an online casino to play at is easy, all you need to do is search for online casino and hundreds will appear. Players can pick and choose between casinos without ever setting foot out of their door.
The online casino industry has not taken away from the land based casino industry. In actual fact they thrive off of one another. New land based casinos are being built and older casinos are being refurbished all so they can compete with this every growing online industry. The online casino industry is highly competitive and players can claim excellent casino bonuses as well as pay new games on a regular basis. The online casino industry is here to stay, as long as they remain safe, secure and fair for Canadian players.
What is next for Canadian gambling?
As we mentioned more land based casinos are being built. But the online industry is also changing. Thanks to smartphones you can now carry a casino in your back pocket. Playing casino games on your phone is easy, all you need to do is download a real money casino app or play at the mobile version of your favourite online casino. Gamblers will never be bored again thanks to this move forward.