The IGC believes that governments need to play an important role in setting standards and regulating gaming activity.
While a handful of provincial governments are now introducing their own online gaming products (to date British Columbia, Quebec, and soon Manitoba and Ontario), serious questions are being raised by a number of stakeholders:
While the IGC views the launch of Canadian provinces into the Internet gaming space as a positive step, attempts to enforce a monopoly over online gaming in any particular jurisdiction would be impossible because no government can effectively control the supply of products and services from offshore competitors beyond their jurisdiction.
In contrast, rather than wasting enforcement resources in a fruitless attempt to censor the Internet, resources in an open regulated marketplace can be used efficiently to ensure an effective regulatory regime. There is immense value in having a properly licensed site that is regulated in a first tier jurisdiction. The fact remains that many such jurisdictions exist and are embraced by operators such as IGC Members.
Moreover, instead of having governments trying to compete for players against well established and well-capitalized brands and garnering only a partial market share, creating an open regulated market allows regulators to capture almost the entire market. It extends their ability to protect all consumers, and to review the fairness and legitimacy of all service providers.
An open and competitive market also drives product improvements and provides the maximum choice for consumers, and the IGC submits that Canadians are in favour of this exact development.
