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Quebec Bill Would Force Internet Firms To Block Access To Online Gaming Sites (montrealgazette.com)
New submitter rotoblobule writes that in order to help Quebec's lottery service fight against illegal gaming sites, "the Quebec government is currently passing bill 74, which will impose mandatory banning by internet providers of a list of online gaming sites." Here's stories about the pending legislation in French and English, and a relevant excerpt from the bill itself: "To monitor online gambling, the Consumer Protection Act is amended to require Internet service providers to block access to illegal gambling sites entered on a list drawn up by the Societe des loteries du Quebec, which must report...if service providers fail to comply with the Act."
I do not mind the lottery's continuing existence as a tax on people bad in Math. But I do resent the government monopoly on this particular business. Those "gaming sites" are not inherently evil — they are only illegal, because they compete with the state's offering...
And while the private casino slot machines pay back between 82% and 98% of the money wagered by players, the state lotteries pay back from 49.5% to 73.6% (sorry, can't find a similar table for Canada)... If I ran such a racket, I'd try to smother the competition too, I suppose...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Gaming has long been used to refer to games of chance. Well before video games existed. Given the context of the rest of the article, I think this is quite clear.
You know, table games, numbers games, etc etc.
Can some editor do their job and fix this?
The Nevada Gaming Control Board would like to have a word with you. They would like to point out that "gaming" is the traditional word used in this context.
I'm originally from Alberta, lots of relatives in Toronto, live in Quebec. "Scandals" in the other provinces are cute compared to what goes on here. But don't take my word for it, here's a CBC correspondent with middle east and Washington experience, who recently returned to Canada to live in Ottawa, who says the same thing. Bonus, there's a little video of one of our "potholes."