Canadian States Continue on Legal Online Gambling Quest
While states in the US fight practically hand to hand in order to get gambling legalized or expanded, the same thing is happening on a similar level in Canada.
A number of provinces in recent months have expressed their interest in introducing online casino gambling, and the latest to do so is Manitoba.
The minister responsible for lotteries in the province, Steve Ashton told the Ottawa Citizen that powers-that-be would "decide over the next few months whether to wade into the multi billion dollar global business of internet gambling."
Although no decision has been made yet, Ashton said that the government was "looking into it". He said that he anticipated "a decision sometime over the next few months."
Canadian gambling usually falls under the responsibility and regulation of individual provinces.
Examples can be seen around the Atlantic seaboard and British Columbia which have already moved into the realm of online gambling.
Quebec is also in the final stages before the regulation and legalization of its own internet gambling industry.
Manitoba's interest in online gambling has prompted the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to start discussing their future role in a legalized industry.
"I think we'd be open to learning more about it to see what our position is once we have that information," said Grand Chief Ron Evans. "Obviously it's happening and it's not being regulated. I think it would be good for us to know what impact it's having on the existing casinos and gaming operations."
