Is Online Poker Coming to Quebec
Written by Renee K | Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Are we going to see regulated online poker in Canada by next year? If all goes well, Loto Quebec believes it will be able to convince the provincial government to okay a law that will see a secure, government regulated poker site up and running by summer, 2010.
The President and CEO for Loto Quebec, Alain Cousineau believes that the proposal submitted to the government will get the green light and he explained that the proposal was made as a joint initiative with another five provinces – the four Atlantic regions and British Columbia.
Cousineau wants to see an end to what he deems unsupervised online gambling which, according to him has “negative consequences for players and the general population”.
Reports show that Canadians wager at 2000 different offshore gaming sites, and the number of those wagering online grows with each passing year. Canadians bet around $675 million online in 2008 alone, and this number could reach as much as $1 billion by 2012.
“All the efforts we’ve made in the last 15 years to control gaming risk being obliterated by this diffuse, almost underground network that operates completely without supervision or control,” said Cousineau.
Online poker per se is not new to the region, with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission operating from the Mohawk Reserve that is situated not too far from downtown Montreal. The Commission has issued over 200 permits and the news of potential online poker room was welcomed by the Chairman of the KGC, Dean Montour.
“The fact that Quebec is now entering the online gaming business in partnership with the Atlantic provinces and British Columbia is an indication that the industry is thriving and is gaining wider acceptance,” said Montour said. “For over 10 years, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission has had a positive working relationship with online gaming regulators throughout the world and looks forward to sharing its knowledge and experience with the Regie des alcools des courses et des jeux.”
Loto Quebec is yet to receive a response from the Quebec government to its proposal, and it is expected that it may take some time before one reaches the lottery group.
Check Out Other Related Articles
· Written by Renee K · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
