Online Gambling in Canada a Boon for Software Companies

Paul Burns, VP of the Canadian Gaming Association, argued that small and medium software businesses in Canada could greatly benefit from online gambling operations including online casinos in Canada. The Canadian gaming market is estimated at over C$16 billion.

More and more provincial governments are contemplating changing Canadian gambling laws to legalize, regulate and naturally tax online gaming in their respective provinces. Since 1995 the Canadian gaming industry has tripled the industry's revenues exceed the combined revenues of books and magazines, sport and movie tickets, social establishments and performing arts.

Paul Burns told Canada gambling news: “Our industry supports more than 128,000 full-time jobs, 283,000 associated jobs and generates Cdn$12.5 billion in labor income and Cdn$8.7 billion in annual revenues remitted to the government.”

He stressed that British Columbia and Quebec have already permitted online gambling and are experiencing a boost from additional tax revenues. Ontario is the next province to legalize online gaming in 2012. Annual revenues of over Cdn$400 million from online gambling are expected in Ontario.

The latest and upcoming regulation shifts are expected to lift small and medium-sized software enterprises out of the current abyss. Burns shared: “I would estimate that gaming companies in the field will be purchasing anywhere from $4 billion to $7 billion in products and services.”

Thus there will be unlimited opportunities for the online software developers. “There will be a huge demand for HD technology experts for playing screens, IT security experts and IT administrators and service technicians,” he continued.

Burns finished off by saying: ”Increasingly there is a focus towards new game delivery technology. In B.C. the lottery is planning to offer games to mobile device users,” underlining the growing demand for mobile casinos software as well.