Save Canadian Poker

What is this site about?

In late October, 2006, Ontario Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips introduced Bill 152, a consumer protection bill containing a section making it unlawful for businesses to advertise or sponsor gambling sites directly to Ontario residents.

This bill leaves off where a private member's bill introduced earlier this year by MPP Jeff Leal left off.

The original private member's bill was openly protectionist, with Leal overtly citing his concerns over online gambling competing with the Kawartha Downs Racetrack in his riding. Phillips is taking a different stance, saying the bill will protect against gambling addiction and accessiblity to underage players.

It seems rather obvious that the Ontario government is trying to protect their gaming interests: land-based casinos, lotteries and race tracks. The government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) has seen revenues drop by $335 million over the last three years. They regard online gambling as one of the biggest threats to their revenue.

What are you trying to achieve?

This site is devoted to giving Canadian online gamblers and civil libertarians a voice on this issue, ensuring that our elected officials are aware that we do not support restriction of our civil liberties, and instead are advocates of regulation and legalisation of online gaming.

We are NOT the 51st State, We are Canadian!

Fight for your rights; don't let anyone tell you how to live your life. Make an educated decision!

Facts:

You must be 18 years of age or older to play online poker.

Online poker sites must have a registered gaming license, which will be presented and accessible on the site.

All transactions with online poker sites are made through multi-national banks and corporations which ensure all of the player's money and information is safe and secure.

The online poker industry has grown into a multi billion dollar industry where great strides to legitimize and self regulate have been made to ensure the safety and security of players.

Barriers being put up by governments will only make it harder for online poker sites to regulate the industry, and in the end hurt the players.

We do not want Canada to go down the same path as the United States, and the current signs in Ontario are ominous.

Where do I get more information?

A good place to start is our legislation timeline. This shows how legislation advanced in the United States to the point where many of the major online gambling companies pulled out of the US market in October 2006. It also plots the current Canadian timeline. The similarities are disturbing.

Click here to view the legislation timeline

We have also put together all the pertinent articles we can find in two separate categories:

Articles pertaining to the legal situation in the United States - Click here

Articles pertaining to the legal situation in Canada - Click here

We are continually adding to this stockpile of information, so visit often, or sign up for our newsletter to stay informed!

What can I do?

As with all legislation, you have to voice your opinion. The best way to do so is collectively:

SIGN THE PETITION

If you have a website, you can add our banners to your site and direct your visitors to sign the petition. You can also use our banners in your online forum signature so that every time you post on a public message forum you are helping to get the word out without having to think about it:

Click here to view our banners

Online gaming, especially poker and bingo, is a very social activity. Many of us have friends, both online and offline, who play at online gaming sites. Or maybe you have friends who are passionate about civil liberties. For both these purposes we have created Save Canadian Poker cards. You can either print them out and send them to your friends, or you can send them by email right from our site, no technical knowledge required!

Click here to get 'Save Canadian Poker' cards