Review of Gambling Laws in Nova Scotia
Hello and welcome to this article detailing the gambling laws in Nova Scotia! If you’re planning on visiting this gorgeous Canadian province and you want to indulge in some good old gambling, read our review to get acquainted with Nova Scotia gambling laws.
What Are the Gambling Laws in Nova Scotia Like
If you are somewhat familiar with Canadian gambling law, you probably already know that it differs, sometimes significantly, in the Canadian provinces. Today we are going to discuss that and many other things related to Canadian gambling law and its history.
Our main focus though would be the gambling laws of Nova Scotia. How they came to be, what they actually entail, and of course, what gambling options you have in Nova Scotia and who makes sure that everything runs smoothly.
History of Canadian Gambling Law
Canada has had a long and interesting history of gambling, spanning over centuries. First Nations people have always wagered on various games be that games with dice or games with sticks like Slahal/Lahal, or any and all races, including foot races and dog races.
In addition to that, the Europeans who came to Canada were also known for their love of gambling and they brought along better-known casino games like roulette and various types of card games like blackjack. For a while, everyone was blissfully playing until the protests against gambling began.
Perhaps under pressure, the Canadian government decided to ban gambling altogether in 1892 with the introduction of the Criminal Code. This was the first piece of Canadian gambling law; previously gambling was simply unregulated by the state and thus legal to play.
Still, that strict ban didn’t last for long. Various religious and charitable organisations began offering gambling games to benefit good causes in the early 20th century. This made the government rethink its initial full ban on gambling, so Canadian long eventually permitted charitable gaming like bingo and raffles.
Soon later, the Canadian parliament debated and agreed to legalise pari-mutuel betting (betting on races) in 1910. Some time later, Canada decided to think about alternative approaches to gambling legislation and apparently thought it was a better idea to liberalise the process.
In 1969, Canada officially legalised the lottery. Then, in 1970, Canada amended its laws yet again to give more freedom to the provinces to conduct and regulate gambling. Gambling became even more decentralised in the 1980’s whereas the Canadian provinces were given more executive power over it.
Finally, Canada also allowed for casinos and legalised sports betting in 1985. It wouldn’t be until 2021 that Canada allowed for single bets on sports betting, though.
Gambling Laws in Nova Scotia
So now that you know all about Canadian gambling law, it’s time to discuss gambling laws in Nova Scotia in more detail. To begin with, Nova Scotia is among the most liberal provinces in terms of gambling laws and has a lot of gaming options in comparison to other places in Canada. The main Nova Scotia gambling law that governs gambling in the province is the Gaming Control Act.
Before we delve deeper into the exploration of Nova Scotia gambling laws, let us remind you that you have to be at least 19 years old in order to engage in gambling. This applies to all forms of gambling offered by the Canadian province.
Now let’s move on to the legal forms of gambling in Nova Scotia. Everything began with horse racing. Nova Scotia is famous for its horse races and it has multiple racetracks where you can bet, as well as many OTB facilities outside the racetracks where you can also wager.
Apart from horse racing, according to the Nova Scotia gambling regulations, you can also engage in sports betting. In addition, it goes without saying that charitable gaming is like bingo and raffles. You can also take part in the national lottery or in regional lotteries.
Finally, you can also visit one of the two land-based casinos in Nova Scotia (in Sydney and Halifax), where you can play games like roulette, blackjack, or you can enjoy playing at the best Canadian slots sites. There are even dedicated poker rooms to those who like the game.
Online Gambling laws in Nova Scotia
In addition to in-person gambling, gambling laws in Nova Scotia also allow for online gambling, which includes betting on sports, buying a lottery ticket or a scratch card and playing casino games. Therefore, many players in the state participate in different Nova Scotia online gambling activities.
All this can be done on the only regulated online site – the Atlantic Lottery Corporation or ALC – which is owned jointly by Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
So far, the best online casinos for Canada are not allowed in Nova Scotia, but this might change since Ontario already opened its market to foreign gambling operators. Furthermore, it’s not illegal for people from Nova Scotia to gamble at an offshore casino.
Regulators of Nova Scotia Gambling
In 1995, Nova Scotia created the Nova Scotia Gaming Control Commission with the purpose to regulate gambling; the regulatory agency is now renamed to the Alcohol and Gaming Authority or AGA. The main task of the regulatory agency is to ensure that everyone abides to the gambling laws in Nova Scotia.
The Alcohol and Gaming Authority also licenses operators, regulates gambling activity and studies the market and its consumers with a focus on responsible and safe gambling for everyone. In addition to AGA, there is another gambling agency in Nova Scotia – the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation or NSGC.
NSGC is overseen by the AGA, but it’s a regulatory body as well, ensuring that day-to-day operations run smoothly at the two casinos owned by the province. In addition, it also manages, jointly with three other provinces, the gambling website ALC.
Common Questions and Answers
Thank you for reading our article on gambling laws in Nova Scotia! We hope that you know everything you need about Nova Scotia gambling laws. Now you can take a look at the most popular questions regarding the topic at hand.
1️⃣ What are the Gambling laws in Nova Scotia?
Various forms of gaming activities are allowed in the province. The legal gambling age according to the gambling laws in Nova Scotia is 19 years. As long as you're above the age of 19, you can engage in all forms of gambling in Nova Scotia. You should know that the gambling age differs in different provinces.
2️⃣ Why Nova Scotia gambling laws differ from other Canadian provinces?
The reason why the Nova Scotia gambling law can differ so significantly in different Canadian provinces is because of an amendment to the Criminal Code. This amendment essentially gave provinces the right to regulate their own gambling industries; additional changes to Canadian gambling law gave the provinces even more power.
3️⃣ Is sports betting legal according to the Nova Scotia gambling laws?
Yes, sports betting is legal in Nova Scotia and everywhere else in Canada, because the country legalised sports betting all the way back in 1985 and more recently, it legalised single bets in 2021, so you can now make all sorts of bets. The Nova Scotia gambling regulations allow bettors to place wagers on sports events.
4️⃣ Do the Nova Scotia gambling regulations allow casino games?
You can play casino games such as slots and various table games at both land-based casinos and online casinos as Nova Scotia online gambling is allowed too. There are two land-based casinos, one in Halifax and another in Sydney, and there's also an online website for casino games – ALC.
5️⃣ Who watches for the Nova Scotia gambling regulations?
There are technically two regulatory bodies of gambling in Nova Scotia – AGA and NSGC short for the Alcohol and Gaming Authority and the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, respectively. They have slightly different tasks, but their main one is to ensure Nova Scotia gambling regulations are applied and everyone abides by the gambling laws in Nova Scotia.