Bill 74, currently under consideration by legislators in Quebec, Canada, would limit residents’ access to unauthorized gambling websites. Quebec Finance Minister Carlos Leitao said the bill aims to protect residents against unnecessary risks posed by illegal gambling sites. “Illegal websites do not apply the same responsible gaming rules” as the government, budget documents stated. “They thus pose a risk to the population, especially young people.”
But opponents are concerned the bill would prevent Quebecers from having free and open internet access. They said the bill conflicts with established telecommunications law, and would make Quebec the first Canadian province to impose internet censorship and could encourage other provinces to restrict residents’ access to gambling websites. Online law expert Michael Geist of the University of Ottawa said, “I think the Quebec government doesn’t understand the Internet and frankly doesn’t understand the importance of an open and free internet.”
Observers said Bill 74, by blocking unauthorized gambling sites, would help boost revenues for Loto-Quebec, the province’s government-run gambling authority. According to budget documents, Loto-Quebec revenue has been declining because of online gaming competition. Under Bill 74, the dividend Loto-Quebec pays the government “would increase by $13.5million in 2016-17 and $27 million a year thereafter,” the documents stated.
Bram Abramson, chief legal and regulatory officer for TekSavvy Solutions Inc., an internet provider servicing 300,000 Canadian homes, said if Bill 74 became law, it would be “extremely complicated and extremely costly. What they’re asking us to do is wall off Quebec and to run our network differently and separately. It’s a question of redesigning our network from the ground up. We’re looking very closely at what can be done and we’re doing it actively.”
Julius Grey, a constitutional and human rights lawyer in Montreal, said, “I want this law to be challenged” as it potentially violates freedom of expression.
Geist said the Quebec government has several alternatives to prevent illegal gaming operations in the province. For example, online payment companies like PayPal could be asked to stop processing transactions from illegal sites. The government also could request that gaming companies limit their offerings in the province, similar to the way Hulu and the U.S. version of Netflix block their content from streaming in Canada, Geist said.
