Bill 60 2006

An Act to amend the
Consumer Protection Act, 2002
to regulate the promotion
and advertising of Internet
gaming in Ontario

Note: This Act amends the Consumer Protection Act, 2002. For the legislative history of the Act, see Public Statutes - Detailed Legislative History on www.e-Laws.gov.on.ca.

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

1.  Section 1 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 is amended by adding the following definitions:

"Internet gaming business" means a business that offers to accept wagers or bets over the Internet on any game of chance or mixed skill and chance or on any contingency or event that is to take place inside or outside of Canada and, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, includes a business that offers to accept wagers or bets over the Internet relating to a casino game, card game, horse race, fight, match or sport; ("entreprise de jeux sur Internet")

"Internet gaming business website address" means a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL") or other standardized address name layout that allows an Internet user to locate an Internet gaming business on the World Wide Web, and includes any company or trade name that would constitute a valid URL of an Internet gaming business with the addition of one or more standard URL components, such as a server prefix, a domain suffix or extension or a country code; ("adresse du site Web d'une entreprise de jeux sur Internet")

2.  The Act is amended by adding the following section:

Restrictions on advertising of certain Internet websites

17.1  No person shall print, publish, distribute, broadcast or telecast an advertisement or representation that includes an Internet gaming business website address unless the person believes in good faith that the Internet gaming business has been licensed or otherwise granted permission to operate in Ontario or Canada by the appropriate authority and is operated in accordance with the applicable laws of Ontario and Canada.

3.  Subclause 116 (1) (b) (ii) of the Act is repealed and the following substituted:

(ii) in respect of Part III, Unfair Practices, subsection 17 (1) and section 17.1,

Commencement

4.  This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

5.  The short title of this Act is the Consumer Protection Amendment Act (Internet Gaming Advertising), 2006.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The purpose of the Bill is to prohibit the advertising of website addresses of Internet gaming businesses unless the person doing the advertising believes in good faith that the Internet gaming business has been properly authorized to operate and is in fact being operated in accordance with Ontario and Canadian law.