British Columbia is doing it, and by the looks of it, so is Ontario. Online casinos and sportsbooks software is now allowed in those provinces, as well as others. This trend is not just happening across Canada, but also all around the world.
Now you are probably wondering why? The biggest motivating factor is that it pays. A lot. Governments are adopting this growing trend as a means to bring in more revenue from a new source. Ontario alone needs as much revenue as possible, with all the promises set out by the government, as well as the looming $20 billion deficit. Branching out and expanding the gambling sector is just one of the ways they are trying to offset the mounting debt they have building.
The cost of running a land based casino is substantial, as there is the operational costs, not to mention the cost of employing thousands. In comparison to building a casino, a web based one versus a land based one is comparatively cheaper. When a land based casino opens up, it costs millions to build, millions to set up and get operational with staff included, and then it takes so much time. Online gambling websites that use sportsbook software, or any gambling software cost so much less, and take very little time to set up. The hardest part of running an online gambling website is hiring the 50-60 staff to run it.
Will governments start using this as a means to bring in more revenue to offset costs? Only time will tell.