PayPal’s presence within global igaming markets makes its absence in Canada notable.
Providing further insight into the reasons for PayPal not being prevalent in Canada, Ville Saari, the Lead Content Manager at Bojoko.ca spoke to PaymentExpert as he stated the lack of a cohesive nationwide regulatory system hinders the payment service in the country.
Saari stated: “PayPal’s policy is to support online gambling transactions only in regions where the industry is fully regulated. In Canada, the regulatory framework for online gambling varies significantly across provinces.
“While some provinces have established their own regulations, there isn’t a cohesive, nationwide regulatory system in place. This fragmented approach doesn’t meet PayPal’s criteria for supporting gambling transactions, leading to its limited availability in Canadian online casinos.”
Picking out specific obstacles, he emphasised that in Canada, gambling laws are primarily orchestrated at the provincial level.
Provinces such as British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and Alberta have regulatory bodies overseeing gambling activities, but they do not cover online casinos. The only province that currently does this is Ontario.
Saari added: “PayPal requires a robust and uniform regulatory environment to ensure compliance and security. The current provincial regulations, being inconsistent and not uniformly stringent, do not align with PayPal’s operational standards for supporting gambling transactions.
“Currently, Canadian players who prefer using PayPal for online gambling transactions have practically no recourse; they just can’t use the payment method. There may be exceptions or workarounds, but this is not advised. The best thing they can do is look for alternatives.
“We have a guide explaining the hurdles of using PayPal at casinos in Canada, walking our users through the situation. In it, we also list several alternatives with similar functionalities and protections that people who prefer to use PayPal could opt for instead.”
For PayPal to become a more key player in the Canadian market, Saari stated that the regulatory framework would need to go through ‘significant changes’.
“This could, for instance, be achieved through a cohesive nationwide regulatory system similar to the UKGC. Such developments would provide the uniformity and security that PayPal requires to operate in the online gambling sector.
“The absence of PayPal is mainly an annoyance for all parties involved. If you look at the UK casino sector, PayPal is one of the most used payment methods, but players need to look elsewhere in Canada. PayPal is an easy and reputable payment method for casinos to implement, instantly generating trust, and that’s a loss.
“However, the biggest hurdle is the players needing to test and choose alternatives. It can deter getting started, though once you’re set up and happy with an alternative, it’s business as usual.”
SlotBeats’ Game Play feature has provided history into how igaming experts commenced their journey by picking up the video game controller.
Over the next week, we are reflecting on the feature series and taking a look at some of the most interesting insights from origin stories of igaming players.
For this edition we are looking at who the industry’s most beloved video game character is.
SlotBeats: Who is your favourite video game character?
Andrew Goodale, CEO at Northern Lights Gaming: Master Chief of course, such a cool character – and when they released the first limited series, I was blown away to see this world and all these characters actually on the big screen, and then the Paramount spin off… This blew my mind and still does. I love it.
I remember a few years back a trailer was released for what everyone thought was going to be a Halo film, but it wasn’t. It was a one off thing but I remember vividly watching that and the effort that had been put into it was amazing. Someone should do a Halo film, it’s a no brainer.
Rahul Chudasama, Head of Business Development at Blaze Gaming: Kratos from God of War is my favourite character because of his incredible depth and complexity.
He’s not just a warrior fuelled by rage; he’s a man haunted by his past, striving for redemption while battling inner demons. His journey from vengeance to fatherhood, especially in the more recent games, shows real character growth.
His iconic moments of battling gods and monsters are epic and, being a fan of mythology, this series was perfect for me. I also love the development of the character, because Kratos is the ultimate embodiment of strength and redemption.
James Ross, iGamingDaily: For childhood memories, I’ll say Spyro the Dragon. The cheeky purple dragon always finds a way to save the Dragon Kingdom.
But a special shoutout goes to Red Dead’s John Marston. I’m a huge fan of the Western film genre and, aside from the average 360 game GUN and Red Dead’s predecessor Red Dead Revolver, there was never a Western game that hooked me.
John’s journey did that. Plus, his need for redemption and the love and security of his family was such a rollercoaster. It was also great to see the start of his journey in Red Dead Redemption 2.
