The Legalization & Rules on How to Play Free Slots in Australia, Canada, and UK

February 22, 2019 | 0 Comments



Before we drill down into the minute legislation details for each of these jurisdictions, let us have a wider rundown of the entire valid and complex online casino world. This will help you understand the significantly young industry that has dominated most of the world economies.

Over the last 5 years, the online casino industry that features services such as slot games, poker games, card games, table games, and sports betting has known no backing down. It has experienced bewildering growth with some jurisdictions such as Australia, Canada, and the UK drawing heads due to the hard-to-believe statistics that are coming from them.

 

Online slots, in particular, have been the huge reason for the industry growth. These free slots with no download no registration & instant play alone have accounted for the largest contribution by all means. This can be attributed to the huge number of online slot machines and the fact that they have the largest fan base in virtually all online casinos.

Let us now compare how these countries regulate their play.

1. � Australia


Australia takes up only about 0.3% of the entire world�s population. But quite interestingly, the country holds over 6% of the land casino gaming machines in the entire world. Far from the land casino dimension, the free online slots industry in Australia is even more vibrant.

There have been recent developments responsible for how things are currently in the online slots world. On 2001, a bill introduced by Senator Alston and later assented by parliament prohibited interactive gambling services from being offered in Australia, the advertisement of interactive gambling services to Australian residents, but did not prevent Australian residents from accessing interactive gambling content from authorized overseas companies. Despite numerous attempts to amend this bill, the rules recommended by this bill have remained in act since it was passed.

The responsibility of regulating free slots gambling activity in Australia has always been the responsibility of the provinces. Each region has its own regulatory body as follows:

  • ��������The ACT Racing and Gambling Commission: Australian Capital

  • ��������The NSW Department of Gaming and Racing: New South Wales

  • ��������The Racing and Gaming Authority: Northern Territory

  • ��������Queensland Office of Gaming Regulation: Queensland

  • ��������Office of the Liquor and Gaming Commissioner: South Australia

  • ��������Tasmanian Gaming Commission: Tasmania

  • ��������Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority: Victoria

  • ��������Office of Racing, Gaming, and Liquor: Western Australia


 

2. � Canada


Gambling has become a relentless pastime activity for nearly 50% of the adult population in Canada. New laws and regulations are continuously been put in place to ensure a safe gambling environment for gamblers.

Overall, Canada is very hesitant to completely legalizing the participation of free slots to its residents. A criminal code established in 1985 which remains unchanged till today prohibited a Canadian from operating or even be found in a betting house. Although it does not mention online casinos, this reform left a lot of uncertainty felt until today but the residents of Canada have had a reputation of not conforming to the rules when it comes to the online slot industry.

Kahnawake, situated right outside of Montreal has been the salvation of most online slot services providers in Australia. The nation claims to be a sovereign country on its own and, therefore, does not feel the need to conform to the rules of �outsiders�. This is totally absurd as the Indian reserve is located right within the Canadian borders.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, a regulatory body established in Kahnawake, has licensed so many casinos in the land without breaking the criminal code of 1985 because of the claim that it is not part of Canada. As it is, this gaming commission just gets away with it, licensing online casinos within the Canadian borders without being prosecuted by the Canadian authorities.

Whether illegal or not, Canadians have taken into the online slots industry. Better yet, without the question of government taxes getting in their way.

With thousands of offshore online casinos also targeting the Canadians, it is certainly the duty of the government to ensure a safe gambling environment for Canadians by coming up with clear changes on legislation relating to free slots.

3. � The UK


According to figures released by a recent study, online gambling accounts for 35% of all gambling activity in the UK. In 2016, the online gambling industry alone raised a Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) of �4.5 billion, of which �1.8 came from online slots.

Unlike the other two jurisdictions that we have talked about, the laws relating to online slot gambling are quite straightforward in the UK. All forms of online gambling are legal and well regulated to ensure a safe gambling environment for the residents of Great Britain. This is made possible by the UK Gambling Commission, a body given its powers by the Gambling act of 2005. The UKGC reports directly to the government.

The UK Gambling Commission has the mandate to license all gambling operators that want to venture into their market. �Any casino that hasn�t obtained a license from the UKGC is in contempt of the law and can be levied with huge fines.

The UKGC was established to:

  • ��������Prevent gambling from becoming a form of money laundering or any other illegal activity

  • �������Protecting minors from being exploited by gambling- Any person below the age of 18 years old is a minor and not allowed to access gambling services.

  • ��������Protect adult residents from being exploited by gambling operators


The UKGC is, however, not allowed to issue licenses to companies whose operations are not based in the UK. Operators from overseas can obtain operating licenses from other regulators as long as they are approved by the UKGC to do so.

Residents in the UK also do not have to worry about government-imposed taxes. This is because the government does not consider gambling as a commercial activity.

0 comments on “The Legalization & Rules on How to Play Free Slots in Australia, Canada, and UK”

Add a comment

(Gravatar is based on your e-mail address)