Gambling is a part of most cultures across the world. The excitement of placing a wager on a game of skill or chance is something that people have enjoyed for centuries. Now more than ever, gambling is increasingly legal throughout the world. Governments eventually realized that whether they outlawed gambling or not, millions of people were going to do it anyway and if they were, it regulating it and taxing it were going to be a great way for governments to raise revenues.
Even though most countries now have several forms of legalized gambling, the laws differ from country to country across the world. Some nations are more lenient and open minded about gambling while others are more restrictive. The laws in each country affect things like lotteries, brick and mortar casinos and resorts, sports wagering and also betting sites, to name just a few.
Not only do laws differ from country to country, but in some nations, they differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For example, in the United States, you can place wagers on professional sporting events like American football online in the state of New Jersey. However, in neighboring New York, online wagering on professional sporting events is prohibited. In fact, even if you are a resident of New Jersey, you must be physically present in New Jersey to place a legal wager on a professional sporting event.
In the U.K., there are different rules for different types of gambling. For example, you only have to be 16-years-old to place a wager in a football pool or to play the lottery, but you need to be 18-years-old to wager on horse racing, play bingo or to play casino games whether you do that online or at an actual physical casino or resort.
Like the United States, Canada’s gambling laws vary depending on which province you are located in. There is an Interprovincial Lottery Corporation which has five provinces in the eastern part of the country cooperating to create bigger jackpots and more unified rules for lotteries. A similar group of six provinces and territories exists in the Western part of the country.
Online gambling is legal in Canada and they even allow for offshore casino gambling so Canadians have choices as to where they wish to play.
It is always important to understand the national, regional and local laws of your jurisdiction when you decide to gamble online. That way, you will be able to gamble safely and not run afoul of the law.