There is no secret that the Northwest Territories’ laws on gambling permit various gambling games. Furthermore, the NWT laws on gambling are clear about the licences the gaming venues must acquire before offering their services to the players. Use the table below to navigate to this article’s main sections, learn the essentials, and don’t miss out on reading the frequently asked questions.

Northwest Territories Laws Regulating Gambling

Besides the provinces, Canada has three vast territories – the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. The territories cover vast regions and have small populations. The Northwest Territories history is popular because of the books of great writers and explorers. Here are a few essential details you need to know before gambling in the NWT:

As part of Canada, each territory can choose its legislation if it complies with the main laws. The Northwest Territories gambling laws are also based on the Criminal Code of Canada. Just like the Nunavut gambling laws, gambling in the NWT is legal only when the government licenses the location.

The gambling laws in Canada’s Northwest Territories permit all forms of land-based and online gambling as long as it is offered by a legit provider like those in our guide of Canadian online casinos for 2023. Further down the article, we will share why it isn’t easy to find land-based venues and how you can play online. But first, we will tell you more about the authorities and gambling licences.

Northwest Territories Authorities & Gambling Licence

There are no specific Northwest Territories laws on gambling; instead, the gambling laws in Canada apply throughout the territory. Any operator who intends to open a gambling venue or offer wagering games must receive a licence from the government of Northwest Territories.

Gambling is legal only with authorisation from the Government of the Northwest Territories Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) in Yellowknife. MACA grants all lottery licences and regulates the games according to the Lotteries Act and the Criminal Code. Besides bingo, Nevada tickets, and raffles, the authority regulates casinos.

There are also no Northwest Territories online gambling laws because the Canadian online gambling legislation also applies. Offshore operators can also offer their services to players in NWT, but they must be licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Commission, the government of Gibraltar or another government authority.

Northwest Territory Land-Based & Online Gambling Venues

The NWT laws on gambling apply even in the country’s most remote corners. Even though the population is small and there are lots of fun activities to do in the wilderness, locals and guests occasionally gamble. In this blog post section, you will find details about brick-and-mortar gambling locations and online gaming options.

Brick-and-Mortar Gambling Locations in Northwest Territories

As we already made clear, the Northwest Territories laws on gambling allow all forms of wagering and betting games. Despite the legality, there is limited number of land-based gambling venues because the territory is vast with few inhabitants. Anyone who intends to make a couple of wagers while waiting for the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) can choose from the options:

The Northwest Territories gambling laws also allow casinos on tribal land and reservation. There are no First Nations casinos in NWT because there is no point in creating brick-and-mortar venues if there are no people to visit them. The fans of indigenous gaming locations can try First Nation casinos in Canada located in other provinces and territories.

Online Gambling in the Northwest Territory, Canada

The Canadian online gambling laws apply equally strongly in this region and remove the necessity of the local government to create Northwest Territories online gambling laws. Despite the freedom, there are no NWT gambling sites. However, the gambling laws in Canada’s Northwest Territories allow all forms of online gambling provided by licensed offshore operators. Here are some of the games locals play online:

One of the preferred sports betting and gambling options is Sport Select, also established according to the NWT laws on gambling. Alternatives are the licensed and regulated Canadian online casinos and the offshore casinos. Many reliable operators have excellent online gambling sites and offer play options on the go offered by the top online casinos in the Northwest Territories, Canada.

Gambling Addiction & Responsible Gambling in NWT, Canada

Besides regulating the operators and the games, the Northwest Territories’ gambling laws also relate to players. For example, gamblers must be of legal age to place a wager. One of the most difficult things to predict and control is gambling addiction and underage gambling. Despite the difficulties, the authorities have many ways to deal with this issue.

The first way is to create responsible gambling policies for all operators and wagering venues. This includes responsible gaming tools, underage gambling control, cool-down options, self-assessment tests, and more tools. All of them are available at the newest Canadian online casinos and can be found at land-based gambling venues.

Besides preventing addiction, the government and organisations take measures in helping gambling addicts and their families. The Responsible Gambling Council is the main force against problem gambling. Once the addiction is established, players can use the open helplines or contact different private and government organisations.

Northwest Territories Gambling Laws FAQ

The Northwest Territories’ gambling laws are extremely easy to remember because they are based on Canadian laws on gambling. Anyone who intends to gamble in the NWT should read them, and the operators must learn them well and follow them constantly. To complete this blog post, we collected and answered several popular questions: on the matter:

Arguments over video game gambling, loot boxes

Australia is adding a new twist to the raging debate over loot boxes and gambling in video games with a proposed change to how they are classified.

would require all video games…that offer gambling to have an R18+ rating

The federal government is suggesting a new rule that would require all video games, regardless of their story content and user experience, that offer gambling to have an R18+ rating. Games with loot boxes but that do not directly allow players to gamble would be earmarked as “M” for mature, or players 15+.

Games R18+ can only be purchased by players that are at least 18 years old. “M” games are not recommended for anyone under 15.

The argument for restrictions

Last year, an initiative to restrict games with loot boxes to the 18+ crowd made waves, but did not amount to legal change. 

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, a large proponent of increased gambling restrictions and ally to gambling reform, is on board with limiting gambling-simulating games to audiences 18 or older. 

“A parent… would expect that if their children had purchased and was playing a game, and that game contained some simulated gambling, that they have a right to know about that,” said Rowland. “For children under 18 living at home, the parents should be making all the decisions on what their children buy.”

But while classifying what constitutes gambling is relatively straightforward, the topic of loot boxes is not.

Loot boxes are bundles of rewards that contain random prizes. They can usually be purchased with an in-game currency that can be earned or bought with real-life cash.

not that dissimilar from spinning a random wheel

Loot boxes are found in all sorts of video games, including ones that are not directly tied to gambling. Developer Electronic Arts has been accused of cultivating the growth of loot boxes with FIFA, Madden, and other sports games in which players can purchase packs of unknown players for a certain amount of coins. The contents are not that dissimilar from spinning a random wheel, although EA classifies what types of players will be in the packs.

Other games such as the popular first-person shooter Overwatch have also incorporated loot boxes (note: Overwatch 2, released October 4, 2022, saw loot boxes removed from the game).

Figuring out the effects

While Australia is ironing out the wrinkles with video games and loot boxes, it still has to deal with the controversial topic of online social casinos. For context, several US states have classified them as forms of gambling, while others have not.

Social casinos can be found on social media pages and websites or downloaded as an app. Customers play for free, but can buy back in once they run out of credits, which is the cause of the disagreement.

structurally and psychologically akin to gambling.”

Lots of research has been put into studying and understanding the impact of social casinos and loot boxes and character traits and whether or not they lead to addictive personalities. As proof, a 2021 study co-conducted by the University of Plymouth and the University of Wolverhampton found that loot boxes “are structurally and psychologically akin to gambling.”

Critics believe that the two concepts are totally dissimilar and bear no impact on one another.

Special attention has also been paid in recent times to creating safe gambling environments all over the world. That includes cracking down on illegal offshore gambling syndicates, a long-awaited white paper on gambling reform in the UK, and most recently, the American Gaming Association setting new standards for the advertisement of sportsbooks.

Lawmakers have not decided whether or not they will reclassify video games with simulated gambling and loot boxes as proposed.

The post Australia Lawmakers Consider Reclassifying Games with Gambling and Loot Boxes appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.

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