Canada’s online casino market is one of the most mature in the world, but it is still plagued with something that many much younger markets are grappling to overcome, offshore illegal platforms. Canadians are seemingly unable to identify the differences between legitimate platforms regulated by Canadian authorities and to Canadian standards, and offshore platforms with no regulatory oversight.
With Canada having one of the most mature online casino markets in the world, it might surprise you to know that they are having similar issues to markets that are still in their nascency. If, according to a recent study, 60% or more of Canadians are unable to determine a legitimate platform from one that is an offshore platform operating illegally, what chance do consumers in newer markets have?
Thankfully, the answer is simple and lies in player education. By spending some time to educate its consumers, Canada can limit the appeal of these offshore platforms and instead drive consumers towards regulated platforms that offer free spins in Canada, keeping tax revenue within the Canadian ecosystem.
Illegal Offshore Platforms Can be Dangerous
Why does it matter? You might ask. Offshore platforms were serving the Canadian online casino market for over two decades before regulation, surely they can’t be that bad? While in some cases this might be true, playing at offshore and unregulated platforms is risky, and when there is a much less risky alternative, like playing at a platform like LiliBet Casino, why not take the safer road?
Playing at offshore platforms exposes players to issues that regulation is designed to stop, issues such as:
• Poor data privacy. When playing at unregulated platforms, there are no guarantees that any of your data will be handled with discretion.
• No responsible gambling measures. An important part of modern gambling is the acknowledgement that it can be a dangerous or risky activity for some, and that one of the best remedies for problem gambling is educating players about how to play responsibly. Offshore platforms are very unlikely to care about player well-being and thus unlikely to provide access to responsible gambling tools.
• Odds or payouts could be unfair. While all casinos are businesses that exist to make money, offshore platforms are much more likely to press their thumbs on the scale even harder.
• Consumer protections are non-existent. A huge benefit of playing at regulated platforms is that they have to abide by consumer protection standards; offshore platforms have no such limits.
• Lost tax revenue. While most players probably don’t care so much about this, it’s an important factor that money lost at offshore gambling platforms doesn’t contribute to Canadian tax revenue. That tax revenue is used for many things that make life better for all Canadians, and its loss is Canada’s loss.
These are only some of the main issues that players might encounter if they venture outside the bounds of regulated platforms. But how does a platform become regulated, and what makes one platform legal and another illegal?
How Does a Casino Platform Attain Legality?
An online casino platform can be considered legal in Canada if it follows the guidelines set out by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). Currently, only the province of Ontario offers regulated online gambling, and as well as abiding by the AGCO guidelines, private operators must register. Other provinces in Canada offer online gambling only through official lottery corporations. But how can Canadians determine if a platform is one of these few legal entities?
How to Tell if a Platform is Legal
There are a number of key indicators that an online casino platform in Canada is a legal platform, that is properly regulated and therefore safer to play at, such as:
• Offering responsible gambling services. Regulated platforms in Canada are required to offer players responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits and self-exclusion.
• Displaying clear licensing information. Any legal platform will advertise strongly that they are legal. These details should clearly state where its license derives and have links that are easily followable to check on this fact.
• Offering safe and secure payment options. Any platforms that are regulated will have a wide array of well-known and reputable payment options for players.
• Branding and domain listing. Online platforms in Canada will have the .ca domain and are also likely to be listed on the iGaming Ontario website. Other provinces have their own native websites and brands as well.
• Offering support services and being transparent. Reputable and regulated platforms will offer players access to a range of customer support services and will have easily understandable terms and conditions.
Why is it Difficult for Canadians to Determine if a Platform is Legal or not?
This is a double-edged question, really, or it has a double-edged answer. While it’s likely that there are some difficulties in determining the legality of a platform, it is also probably the case that many Canadians are willingly choosing to play at offshore platforms. The reasons for Canadians’ confusion, or desire to play at offshore platforms, are likely to be linked to some or all of the following:
• Offshore platforms advertise aggressively. These platforms go out of their way to try and attract the attention of as many Canadians as they can, and do a good job at presenting themselves as being legitimate.
• Lack of awareness. Other than Ontario, the Canadian provinces have not spent any time or effort educating the public that there are legal options available or how dangerous the offshore platforms can be.
• Differences by province. The confusion that can be caused by different provinces having different rulesets is profound. This same issue can be seen in Canada’s southern neighbour.
• Offshore platforms are good mimics. When they want to be, offshore platforms can do a really good job at masquerading as legitimate platforms. When some Canadians aren’t even aware that there are legal and illegal platforms, this only adds to the confusion.
Final Thoughts
It seems clear that one of the best ways to improve Canadians’ ability to determine legal platforms from illegal offshore ones is through education. Considering that many Canadians don’t know that there are legal options, or that offshore platforms are dangerous, spreading the word about the reality of the situation can only do Canada good.
If more Canadians are made aware of the risks of playing at offshore platforms, and at the same time shown that there is a legal option, then the offshore platforms are likely to see a drop in users, and Canadian consumers will be much safer.
