Most Canadians now live in areas where regulated online gambling is available to them. For example, Canadian gamblers can enjoy licensed Ontario online casinos. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the early years of the Internet gaming industry, few jurisdictions actually offered licensing or otherwise oversaw play in their countries or states: it wasn’t until recent years that this became commonplace.
But the government of British Columbia was rather forward thinking in this regard, jumping on the chance to take control of the web-based gaming a bit earlier than most other provinces, states, and countries. In 2004, the BCLC launched PlayNow.com, a site that – at the time – offered lottery ticket sales over the Internet, making it easier than ever for players to participate in drawings from their homes.
But that was just the start for the province. In 2009, PlayNow saw its offering expand dramatically, turning into a fully-fledged online casino. In both cases, this made BC the first jurisdiction in North America to offer regulated versions of these games online, making them something of a trailblazer: there are now eight provinces that have some form of online gambling. For example, Quebec residents can enjoy legal online gambling in Montreal.
Today, PlayNow.com is one of the leading gaming sites in all of Canada. The casino operation utilizes games from companies such as IGT, and there is now a second version of the site that is available to users in Manitoba. There’s also a poker room that shares a player pool with Loto-Quebec, creating yet another first for the BCLC: the resulting network (the aptly named “Canadian Poker Network”) was the first example of two jurisdictions sharing player liquidity in order to bolster traffic at cash game and tournament tables.
Other games are also available through PlayNow. There is sports betting available, though under Canadian law, you may not bet on the outcomes of any one single game: only parlays, prop bets, and futures are available. Bingo, keno, and other games are also offered.
However, while the BCLC has certainly put together an impressive site for users to play on, it is not the only option available if you’re in Vancouver. As in other countries, there are always foreign operators who are happy to welcome Canadians to play on their sites, even if they aren’t strictly allowed to operate in Canada. In fact, many groups have stopped allowing their software to be used in Canada, and quite a few site owners have decided that given the heavy regulation in place, they’d rather not test their luck here.
On the other hand, there are absolutely no laws that would make it illegal for Canadians to play on these sites, making them an intriguing alternative to PlayNow.com. Many of these sites offer promotions that are more lucrative than those on the officially regulated site, and their game selections may be better, depending on your tastes.
Of course, there are reasons why many people decide to play with the BCLC instead. The level of security, trustworthiness, and consumer protection that you get when playing on a site that is overseen by the government of British Columbia is something that’s hard to match anywhere else. And even if you lose, it might make you feel good to know that your money is going to be spent on projects that benefit you or your community, rather than padding the pockets of some executive living on a faraway island.