The Expansion of The iGaming Industry Across the US and Canada
By Space Coast Daily // November 28, 2024
While casino games have been enjoyed by people around the world for centuries, it’s only been in the past few decades that online casinos have boomed in popularity. Created during the internet boom, online casino gaming has entertained players across demographics and locations.
In the UK, it was found that over one third of British people play online casino games – a number that continues to grow over time. Over in North America in countries like the United States and Canada, there’s definitely an expansion of this market too – especially as more states and provinces legalise online casinos.
In this article, we explore the online gambling industries in these countries and how the changing of laws is relaxing attitudes and getting more people into gaming. Read on to find out more.
Online gambling in the United States
For many years in the US there was a complete ban on online gambling, meaning that no matter where you were in the country it was illegal to play at online casinos. This was due to what was called The Wire Act which was instituted in 1961 and prohibited certain types of betting businesses within the United States and was signed in by the 35th President John F. Kennedy.
Things began to change in 2011 when the Department of Justice reversed its opposition to many forms of internet gambling and any kind of online betting that doesn’t involve sports, leaving it for the individual state governments to decide. Within two years some of the first states including Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada legalised internet gaming.
Then in 2018, a Supreme Court ruling overturned what was the federal ban on sports betting, again leaving it to individual states to make the decision for themselves. There are now over 30 states that offer online sports betting, with only 8 states where online gambling is legal including: Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia.
Some of the states that are most likely to authorise online gambling sooner rather than later include California, Illinois, Indiana, New York and Massachusetts, and there’s likely to be more to come as time goes on.
What about in Canada?
The US’s neighbours to the North have different laws around online gambling. While land-based casinos have operated in the country since the first one opened in Winnipeg in 1989, the laws haven’t been so open towards their online counterparts. In general, across the whole of Canada, it’s illegal for either sportsbooks or casinos to operate online. However, legal loopholes have meant that many Canadians online betting and gambling on a regular basis.
In what’s considered a bit of a grey zone, Canadians legally can play at gambling websites that have been licensed internationally. As long as an online casino is operated from a foreign country, like Gibraltar, residents can win real money by gambling; with over 250 online casinos that currently accept Canadian players.
There is one province where you can enjoy Canadian online casinos and that’s Ontario. On April 4th 2022, Ontario became the very first province in Canada to regulate online gambling, opening up the iGaming market. Now there are many new online casinos for Canadians to choose from.
Online casinos as well as other forms of gambling in the province are regulated by AGCO and iGo, and players must be 19 years or older to participate, as well as being physically located within Ontario’s borders. So if you’re in a different province, like Alberta, you won’t be able to play on these sites unless you’re physically in Ontario. All online casinos and sportsbooks operators need to adhere to a specific set of rules and gambling measures in order for them to operate. They also have to meet strict criteria including game honesty, player protection, fairness and social responsibility to ensure that those who access the websites are kept safe.
What’s the future of iGaming in North America?
Both states in the US and the province of Ontario have begun to reap some of the benefits of regulating online casinos. And with more people than ever enjoying online casino games, and a more relaxed attitude in general towards them, it seems likely that more places will begin to legalise online gambling activities – both in North America and around the world.
