You can get gambling help to stop gambling but also to solve difficulties that arise from your gambling such as financial, social, relationship and/or psychological problems. You may be reluctant to ask for help. Sometimes you have to fight your own shame at having reached this point to dare to take the step.
However, you should know that the professionals you meet are not there to judge you but to help you and find solutions adapted to your situation.
Support from Your Family and Friends
You can turn to those around you. Talking to someone around you can allow you to take a step back and free yourself of great weight. Those close to you can be your allies in the steps you take to get help. When relationships have been complicated because of gambling, it can be difficult to talk to them about it. Most of the time, however, your family and friends will appreciate your openness and your desire to work through it.
Support from Other Gamblers
Other players are going through or have gone through the same thing as you. Experiencing similar situations and wanting to stop gambling creates solidarity but also a set of experiences that can be shared.
Taking Stock
If you need to take stock of your gambling and the possibilities for gambling help that exist, you can turn to professionals who are easily accessible to you.
In your immediate environment, you can seek advice from your family doctor, especially if you feel exhausted by the situation.
Sometimes it is easier to use the telephone or the Internet. The professionals at the special services are always available to you. They are there to answer your questions, help you think about things and give you an outside perspective. You can reach them in complete confidentiality and anonymity by telephone every day and by individual chat.
Psychotherapeutic Help
Preparing to stop gambling, being supported during this period of change, and being helped to mobilize resources to succeed not only in stopping gambling but also in finding the pleasure of living without gambling are the key elements of help. Different approaches exist. Some focus on expressing emotions, exploring the person’s particular history with gambling and the problems underlying this practice. Other approaches focus more on motivations for change and ways of influencing gambling behaviour. Whatever the approach, it is the quality of the relationship that develops between you and your therapist that is the best guarantee of success.
The major players in psychological help are psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists. Gambling help centres are free of charge and their teams are made up of professionals in the fields of care, psychological support and social and educational assistance.
Just as it takes time for gambling habits to take hold, it takes time to break them. Getting help to stop gambling is often essential when you have gone too far in your gambling. You must, above all, choose what seems to suit your best, knowing that your involvement in the process will be the essential driving force.
Demands
A liberalized gambling market requires measures to protect players. For the legislator, tax and casino revenues come first. This is questionable when one considers that it is precisely problem gamblers who generate the majority of gambling revenues. The expansion of online casinos could lead to an increase in gambling problems.
At the political level:
- It would be necessary to enshrine in law an independent expert commission to advise the authorities on the prevention, early intervention and treatment of problem gambling.
- Age control for the protection of minors is inadequate. Lottery machines and electronic lotteries must also have access control systems.
Gambling Laws for Land-Based and Online Casinos in Canada
All over the world, people sometimes feel the need to experience adrenaline-pumping thrills. And everyone has their own way of satisfying this urge. Some people bungee jump, and others like to swim with sharks. But the majority of people prefer to use a less risky but no less fun way: making bets and gambling.
Betting for money is a pastime as old as time, and Canada is no exception. The country has a long history with this type of entertainment and gambling laws have evolved over time. For example, in 1892, the Canadian Criminal Code prohibited all forms of gambling. But it didn’t take long for the authorities to change their minds. They began to see the industry as a way to raise money for charity. New gambling laws made horse racing, lotteries and bingo legal and very popular with fans.
Gambling in Canada: Laws Relating to Physical Casinos
In Canada, each province deals with gambling activities individually and has its own set of laws and regulatory bodies. Requirements may vary. For example, you must be 18 years old to gamble in Quebec, but in the Yukon, you can only visit casinos if you are 19 years old. As you can see, each province and territory has its own rules, and it’s not just about age restrictions.
The most common offences related to illegal gambling in the Criminal Code of Canada:
Section 201 – Keeping gambling or betting house; person visiting a gambling house or owner allowing it to be visited.
Section 202 – Betting, selling a pool, bookmaking, etc.
Section 206 – Offence relating to lotteries and games of chance.
Section 209 – Cheating in gambling.
In some jurisdictions, players can only participate in the state lottery; everything else is illegal. There are also provinces where you can choose to play any game you want: horse racing, poker, bingo – the choice is yours. It all depends on where you live, so be sure to check the laws beforehand.
It is no wonder that Canada attracts players from all over the world to its legal casinos. Especially since not many countries have licensing systems and state support for the online gambling industry. Many tourists, therefore, come to Canada to try to win big. Plus, do you know what’s particularly nice about this country? There is no tax on winnings unless that is how you make your living. If you’re not a professional poker player, the government won’t even take a cent from you!
Even though gambling is mostly legal in Canada, unfortunately, there are still illegal gambling houses throughout the country. There is a lot of money flowing through these places. But the irony is that the authorities don’t pay much attention to them! It turns out that this type of gambling house does not pose a threat to the legal part of the industry. And the police rarely receive complaints about them.
Internet Gambling Laws in Canada
There are no new online gambling laws that regulate a certain “branch” of the industry. The Canadian Criminal Code does not have a specific provision for online gambling, so the same rules that apply to offline casinos also apply to online casinos. Internet platform owners are also responsible if a minor is gambling or if something is not in accordance with the applicable legislation.
Even though most provinces only allow residents to play one type of online entertainment – the state lottery – people still visit many Internet gambling sites. And the funny thing is that there are no criminal records or even fines! Pretty cool, Canada!
But things weren’t always this way. Legally, Canada’s online gambling laws were quite strict until 2009. Back then, these sites were considered illegal. But Canadians have always enjoyed playing with their money. So what did they do? They simply used offshore casinos! The icing on the cake: it was absolutely legal. Playing at such a site was not even a crime! Fascinating, isn’t it?
British Columbia was the first province to launch virtual casinos legally and with the help of the government. Eventually, the phenomenon spread across the country. Within a few years, people from different jurisdictions were sitting around the same table playing online poker.
In summary, online gambling is very popular and easily accessible in Canada, even though in most provinces it is only partially legalized as an online lottery. However, as you may have noticed, this does not stop anyone from enjoying every slot machine and game imaginable!