Committee Set to Oversee Quebec Online Gambling Venture
Despite criticism of the idea, Quebec is going full steam ahead with its plans to launch online gambling and poker online by the fall.
The government announced that it has appointed a five member committee that will oversee the establishment of these sites and carry out studies on their operations.
Quebec's provincial government is adamant that any foot dragging in the launch of these sites would only benefit what they terms "illegal sites", which continue to attract Canadian online gamblers.
Opponents to the idea of online gambling in Quebec had hoped that any study on this issue would have been carried out before the actual launch.
They also believe that easier access to gambling, ie. through the internet, could lead to higher rates of compulsive gambling.
However, the chair of the new government-appointed committee, Louise Nadeau disputed any link between internet gambling and a rise in problem gambling.
"It's not because there's an increase of prevalence, because there's more accessibility that there are more pathological gamblers," she said.
"It is true that those who are playing online have a higher probability of being at risk gamblers or pathological gamblers but these numbers are very, very small," she added.
The study on the new online gambling sites in Quebec will be carried out over a 3 year period.
At the end of this period, the findings will be made public, although the government is not bound to accept them or act on them.
