The legalization of gambling in Canada : Légalisation du jeu au Canada

Situated within the ambit of the “What is a Crime?” project, The Legalization of Gambling in Canada reviews the transformed status of gambling in modern Canadian society, with particular emphasis on the social, political, economic and cultural forces that have changed the public perception of gambling from a sin, to a vice, to a mode of entertainment. [...] The discussion paper identified a range of strategies including the criminalizing power of the state exercised through the Criminal Code, regulation through federal or provincial laws and policies, the provision of treatment and education programs, and a variety of public and private initiatives directed at the prevention of such conduct. [...] The next section places the discussion of Canadian gambling issues in a cross-national context by examining recent gambling developments in the The Legalization of Gambling in Canada. [...] Overall, the virtual absence of relevant news items in the years leading up to the legislative change reinforces the conclusion above that legislative changes in the area of gambling policy proceeded with little public involvement in the process. [...] Amendments made to the gambling provisions of the Criminal Code between 1892 and 1998 have nevertheless, taken together, facilitated the expansion of legal gambling in Canada and typically occurred in the absence of public debate.