Kahnawake Gaming Commission Responds to Loto Quebec

2/24/10 - Comments by representatives of Loto-Québec earlier this week in a statement defending its decision to enter the online gambling sector  have triggered a response from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.
 
In its statement, Loto-Québec claimed that Quebeckers currently have access to over 2 000 "illegal and unregulated gaming sites that are of dubious integrity," and voiced an intention to "...channel the gaming offer in a controlled, safe environment with irreproachable integrity."
 
The KGC has noted what it calls the "cavalier denunciation of all existing online gaming sites - presumably including those licensed and regulated not only in Kahnawake, but also in the UK, Alderney, Antigua, Isle of Man, Malta, Gibraltar and other respectable licensing and regulatory jurisdictions."
 
"Characterising all online gaming sites that presently offer their services in Québec as lacking in integrity is offensive, not only to gaming regulators throughout the world but also to the many outstanding entrepeneurs that have built this industry and who are much better positioned to comment on its integrity than is Loto-Quebec," the KGC statement opines.
   
Kahnawake was one of the first jurisdictions in the world to recognise the opportunities afforded by the interactive gaming industry and for over 11 years the KGC has been continuously licensing and regulating a wide range of interactive gaming sites. The KGC was established in 1996 and has been continuously licensing and regulating online gaming since July, 1999 – longer than almost any other jurisdiction in the world.
 
The Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake is a sovereign jurisdiction located just outside Montréal, Québec, Canada.
 
Operators that are licensed by the KGC host their equipment at Mohawk Internet Technologies, a world class ISP and data centre located within the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake: http://www.mohawk.ca
 
The KGC’s Regulations concerning Interactive Gaming were developed in consultation with Frank Catania, a renowned expert in the regulation of online and terrestrial gaming. The Commission is headed by chairman Dean Montour and comprised of three members appointed by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. http://www.gamingcommission.ca