History of Casinos in Canada
Entertainment, Gambling
Did you know that the online casino industry in Canada is one of the biggest forms of entertainment in the country? Millions of players log in to their online accounts nationwide daily. And internet-based sites report an increase in registered members each year.
But the answer to the question of why this is so is where things get really interesting.
The history of gambling in The Great White North is a rich and storied one, with many venues now operating across the three territories and ten provinces. Each one offers premium real money entertainment. And the online casino Canada sites that players have access to are in the very same business.
Online casinos not only feature amazing real money entertainment, but they also don’t have to factor in limitations on size and location the way their land-based counterparts do. This makes it possible for these operators to have game catalogues that are a lot more diverse. Thousands of games are the norm, rather than the hundreds even the biggest brick-and-mortar venues provide.
In this blog post, we are going to look at the history of land-based casinos in Canada as well as what the contemporary gaming industry looks like. And we will pop in some fascinating historical anecdotes and give you an overview of land-based and online venues, too.
By the end of this article, you will know exactly how gambling goes down in Canada, be it at the best online casinos or prime brick-and-mortar ones. You may even get the answers to some questions you have been holding on to for a while!
Where it All Began
When John Cabot arrived on the Eastern Coast in June of 1497, the card games he and his crew had with them were not the first forms of gambling Canada had ever seen. Evidence has been found to suggest that, for thousands of years before that, Indigenous people were enjoying their own versions of what we would today term Games of Chance. Most famously in a game known as Slahal which had huge significance for the community as well as spiritual importance.
Sometimes called Lahal, the roots of this game can be traced to the Pacific Northwest. The Indigenous tribes of this area can broadly be classified into four groups, the Haida, Haisla, Tlingit, and Tsimshian.
Two opposing teams take part and there are two pairs of bones involved. One has stripes, one does not. Slahal also uses a set of scoring sticks, usually ten, and, in certain areas, a Kick or King Stick. This is an additional stick and whichever team wins it starts the game.
Lahal is generally accompanied by drumming and singing, which boosts team morale. The team that has the bones is the one that sings while their opponents have to guess where they’ve hidden the bones. The musical aspect also occasionally turns to taunting the opposing team.
Players and spectators alike are allowed to wager on teams as well as individual matches unfolding within the game. Each group is trying to guess where the other one has hidden the bones.
While the details are vastly different, it is easy to see the comparisons between Slahal and the kind of games online casino Canada-based players enjoy today.
Even more closely associated is Faro, which rose to prominence during the Yukon Gold Rush in 1896. Europeans swarmed to the region, bringing with them a card game called Faro, Farobank, Pharao, or Pharaoh. This title originated in 17th century France and uses a banker and multiple players. You win or lose according to whether or not the cards turned up by the banker match those already exposed.
A memorable movie scene featuring this game can be found in Tombstone, the 1993 Western starring Dana Delaney, Kurt Russell, Michael Biehn, Sam Elliot, and Val Kilmer. Lawman Wyatt Earp, played by Russell, takes over the role of Faro dealer at the Oriental saloon shortly after arriving in town. He boots a crooked dealer played to perfection by Billy Bob Thornton out in order to do so, too!
Unfortunately, when the Gold Rush ended, so did the popularity of Faro although you may still find it at certain online casino Canada-facing sites that players can sign up with.
Gaming Gets Banned
As is true in almost all countries around the globe, the relationship that Canada has had with casino games has a chequered past. It has not always been legal to bet on them, for example. In 1892, all forms of gambling were banned outright. What has gone on to be known as the Canadian Criminal Code forbade any kind of gambling activity. The government deemed it an inappropriate form of entertainment and decided it was best if people were not able to do it at all.
But not only did this ensure that the activity simply went underground, making it that much more of a perilous situation for players, but it also didn’t last long. By 1900, it became possible to legally enjoy certain types of wagering again.
Bingo and raffles were the first games to make a comeback into the Land of Legality and Horse Racing betting followed suit in 1910. Then, in 1925, you were allowed to make real money wagers at exhibitions and fairs, too.
The government stepped in to officially make changes to the law again in 1969. After that, Lotteries were permitted, as long as they were platforms for raising money for charitable causes. The first big success story unfolded in 1974, with a fundraiser for the Olympic Games going incredibly well.
Canada Legalizes Gambling
The government of Canada passed a new law in 1985 which moved gambling from state to federal jurisdiction. This allowed hundreds of land-based venues to finally open their doors legally and the provinces saw many owners establishing new ventures as a result.
To this day, each Canadian province has its own individual laws regarding gambling. In certain areas, the state owns casinos, and in others they are privately owned.
Game Regulation
Did you know that the Mohawk Territory’s Kahnawake Gaming Commission was not just the first gambling regulator body in Canada?
It is still in operation, after being established in 1996, and oversees many of the top online casino Canada-facing sites players can access. And it is also one of the first-ever gambling authorities on earth!
Recent History
The intermingling of online and mobile casino action and land-based gameplay history is impossible to overlook in the more recent past. The gambling scene in this part of the world is one of the wealthiest anywhere, with thousands of brick-and-mortar and virtual venues in existence to cater to players’ preferences.
The most popular casino games in The Land of Maple Syrup include Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Poker, and Roulette. There are many more options to choose from nowadays, however. Even niche tastes are catered for and available 24/7 via desktops, smartphones, and tablets.
As marvellous as making a trip out to a land-based gambling venue is, especially in Canada, there is a lot to be said about enjoying games in the comfort of your own home!
Online Casinos In Canada
Online gambling in Canada can be said to have begun in 1996. This is the year that the first-ever virtual game venue became available. And while minimal casino games were provided, it proved to be a resounding success anyway. This year is an important one for the iGaming industry because several other sites also began operations.
It took players a little while to get used to the idea of opening a browser window instead of strolling in through the doors of a land-based casino, but it is safe to say we have caught on! Things actually changed surprisingly quickly.
Just four short years later, the online casino Canada scene saw significant expansion. By 2000, a proliferation of operators was online and the evolution of one of the world’s most inventive industries became a sure thing.
A Billion-Dollar Market
These days, the Canadian casino game market is one of the world’s most productive and it generators billions of dollars every year. Renowned software developers are lining up to sign distribution deals here because of this. This means that the quality of online and mobile casino content is exceptionally high.
And isn’t the story of how we got to where we are today a singularly impressive one? This country is an ideal gaming destination and there is no doubt the popularity of gambling online and off will only grow in the future.
Our rich history means that players from this part of the world enjoy a wide range of different types of games. And so, it follows that we are a focus for the creativity and innovation of some of the best game creators in the world today!
And the world’s best online casinos have undertaken a great initiative. Responsible gaming helps you ensure that your gambling never gets too risky. There are many tips, tools, and important information about it online.
