Loto-Québec may soon benefit from blocking online gambling sites that compete with its espacejeux.com platform. The Committee on Public Finance looks at the record this week as part of discussions on the adoption of Bill 74.
This omnibus bill deals with the implementation of several measures announced in the second budget Carlos Leitao, in March 2015. The Minister of Finance, including amendments to the Consumer Protection Act to protect the sites of Quebecers online games.
Essentially, Quebec wants to impose bandwidth providers such as Cogeco, Videotron, Bell and Rogers, to block access to online gambling sites considered illegal, fines apply. A list of illegal sites are produced by Loto-Québec.
"We can not give a list of sites considered illegal at the moment because it is not completed. But if the bill is adopted, all the sites that are not owned by Loto-Québec could be on the list, "said Silver to Patrice Lavoie, Director of Communications and Media Relations Loto-Québec.
The representative of the corporation said that a tender will be launched to possibly invite the promoters of illegal gambling to legitimize their product by joining the espacejeux.com platform. In addition, only commercial sites whose address ends in .com and .ca, would be targeted by law.
Since launching its platform in 2010, Loto-Québec has remained a marginal player in the market for online games. Research conducted by Ipsos in 2012 revealed that the site espacejeux.com only held 20.6% market share of online games. The remaining shares are held by illegal gaming sites.
In the second quarter of fiscal 2015-2016, however espacejeux.com generated revenues of $ 28.3 million, up 28.2% from the same period last year.
Internet service providers have entered reservations against the Quebec government project.
In a letter to Prime Minister Philippe Couillard and his finance minister, Carlos Leitao, last November, Cogeco argued that the bill could jeopardize the principle of free access to the internet, so far respected in Quebec and elsewhere in the country.
"This legislation, if necessary, set a precedent, not only in Quebec but also for other jurisdictions in the country. The announced measures will effectively tilt the Quebec courts in the camp where free Internet access will be compromised, "it said in the letter Cogeco.
Twenty countries have established rules to require filtering of illegal online gambling sites. This is the case of France, Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Spain in particular.
)..but boy, they have some of the worst casino rtps going.
i hope the best for you Shaltar 
