Prior to the 2010 adoption of the online gambling jurisdiction by each province, Canadian gambling legislation prohibited the establishment of online poker or casino services by operators based in Canada. This same legislation allowed poker and casino gamblers to play online in complete peace of mind. They were able to go to online gaming rooms hosted outside Canada and play freely without breaking the law. This encourages the expansion of the illegal online casino and poker sector.
As a result, each Canadian province has been given the choice to establish its own regulations regarding these games. Several provinces have created their own online poker rooms, such as British Columbia, Quebec, etc. This was done to provide a fully legal gaming environment for Canadians and to ensure that the money spent by these players would come back to the province rather than going offshore.
This measure is not shared by all provinces. Other provinces prefer to allow players free access to sites run by foreign operators; Nova Scotia, for example, where online casinos are not liberalised.
Still, others prefer to license operators according to certain criteria. Meanwhile, other provinces are still divided as to which legislation to opt for.