Email from Paddy Power this a.m.

[cdomi66]

Important stuff in quotes:

"It has come to our attention that you are using a Canadian bank card. In accordance with Canadian law we will now be unable to take bets from Canada. Due to this, we will unfortunately have to block your debit/credit card and in turn close your account. You will still be able to withdraw any outstanding funds from your account for the next seven days. Please contact our support team if you require any assistance.
From 12pm GMT (Monday 14th February 2011), we will no longer be able to accept payments from Canadian sources."

Now I've not actually played there, I toyed with idea but have pretty much been sticking with 3 or 4 that treat me well.

What the hell is up with this? Did Canada suddenly change their laws and I missed it?

As far as I know, it's still legal to gamble online...and my BMO reloadable MC is still useable for Moneybookers etc...

 

[thebizb]

They use the wagerworks software, we're not allowed to play at them for as long as i can remember. Go to the accredited section and scroll down to wagerworks you'll see all the ones we are a no go for.

It sucks i'd love to play though their games look like a ton of fun!

 

[jetset]

This is a real conundrum, on which we have yet to receive clarity from industry companies reportedly involved in this 'unofficial' style ban.

By way of background there has been no law specifically banning online gambling, or online gambling transactions, in Canada....afaik.

What has happened (and this may be the motivation for Paddy Power's caution) is that provincial governments in British Columbia and Quebec (and soon Ontario) have started their own online gambling sites, run by the respective provincial lottery companies.

As far back as mid-2010 some online gambling companies started warning players that they may be pulling out of the Canadian market, presumably anticipating new laws.

The list included several Boss Media-powered companies, causing speculation that pressure may be coming from Boss Media, which is working with at least one provincial authority. However, in some cases players were assured that they could still play no-download games...and Boss Media has never clarified the position.

In the case of Casino Club, Canadian players were told: “We regret to inform you that due to the new regulations of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Loto-Québec and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, online gaming products in Canada are prohibited. Unfortunately we are required to add Canada to our list of excluded countries. Players from Canada will no longer be permitted to play at Casino Club starting September 24th, 2010.”

No such laws have come to light, however and the matter remains clouded in uncertainty.

 

[vinylweatherman]

This is a real conundrum, on which we have yet to receive clarity from industry companies reportedly involved in this 'unofficial' style ban.

By way of background there has been no law specifically banning online gambling, or online gambling transactions, in Canada....afaik.

What has happened (and this may be the motivation for Paddy Power's caution) is that provincial governments in British Columbia and Quebec (and soon Ontario) have started their own online gambling sites, run by the respective provincial lottery companies.

As far back as mid-2010 some online gambling companies started warning players that they may be pulling out of the Canadian market, presumably anticipating new laws.

The list included several Boss Media-powered companies, causing speculation that pressure may be coming from Boss Media, which is working with at least one provincial authority. However, in some cases players were assured that they could still play no-download games...and Boss Media has never clarified the position.

In the case of Casino Club, Canadian players were told: “We regret to inform you that due to the new regulations of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Loto-Québec and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, online gaming products in Canada are prohibited. Unfortunately we are required to add Canada to our list of excluded countries. Players from Canada will no longer be permitted to play at Casino Club starting September 24th, 2010.”

No such laws have come to light, however and the matter remains clouded in uncertainty.

The companies are using "new laws" as a scapegoat for what are really INTERNAL policy decisions, the reasons for which they want to keep secret.

It looks like they have ANTICIPATED some likely FUTURE developments, in this case the start of formal legalisation in Canada. Most likely, they want to "clean house" of any "grey area legalities" that they are currently a party to so that they have an advantage if it came to Canada issuing licenses to PRIVATE companies offering online gambling to Canadian players.

It follows a recent trend where countries start to make "noises" about introducing regulation, and this gets quickly followed by a blanket BAN on players from that country ahead of any possible legislation.

They are probably concerned that "revenge" from the politicians post-regulation would scupper their chances of being one of the first to enter a newly regulated market.

If this was an ORDER from Boss Media, it would be followed by ALL the sites, and in the same way, as has been the case when other software providers ordered certain countries to be blocked. This looks like some kind of "advisory", that some sites are following, and others are currently ignoring or delaying. They don't want to admit this, so deflect questions by invoking the "due to recent changes in the law....." explanation.