Canadian racetrack owners speak on online gambling
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Racetrack owners have gotten into the recent conversation on online gambling in poker. Earlier this week, the Canadian Minister of Justice suggested steps may be taken to stop online poker and gambling sites licensed by the Kahnawake nation, along the lines of a U.S.-type UIGEA bill.
Racetrack owners have told the government that they would like to see online gambling stop altogether in Canada, or they would like be allowed access to the market.
According to pokerpages.org:
Track owners say that while they add to local employment and pay taxes, they labor under many restrictions. Most important, they are allowed to take online bets only in their local areas, while offshore operators can take all sorts of sporting bets from anywhere without supporting the local industry.
“It’s having a severe impact on our business,” said Jane Holmes, vice-president of corporate affairs for Woodbine Entertainment Group, whose holdings include Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack. She estimates it has lost about $200 million to other sites.
Liberal MP Roy Cullen, whose Etobicoke North riding includes Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack, said he plans to follow the Minister of Justice’s lead by introducing a private members’ bill that would require financial institutions and credit card companies to block Internet betting transactions.
Joe Delaronde, spokesperson for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, said it has no objection to other segments of Canadian business entering the online gambling fray. “If the Canadian government changes their laws and allows that, it’s free enterprise, it’s a competitive market,” Delaronde said.
