Kahnawake Licenses Hundreds Of Brands, But There's Competition

In Canada there's a general feeling of welcome to the gambling industry, but Ontario politicians may be trying to pass legislation banning online gambling advertising in the province.

Now it looks as though the Kahnawake First Nation Mohawks in Quebec province, who are home to well over 300 online gambling brands and host to a multitude of company servers, will soon have competition from The Alexander First Nation. This week while announcing the formation of an online gambling commission, a spokesman for the Alexander First Nation said it intends to regulate companies that are granted licenses to operate under the tribe's sovereignty.

The Alexander Gaming Commission's spokesperson said it plans to offer online gaming licenses to suitably qualified applicants. The commission is confident that the regulations will ensure a safe, high-quality environment for Internet gamblers. Their mission will be to regulate and control gaming and other gaming related activities within and from the Alexander First Nation.

All interactive gaming such as online casinos and online poker sites will have to satisfy three basic principles to obtain a license to operate:
o Only suitable persons and entities will be permitted to operate within Alexander.
o Games will be fair to the players.
o Winners will be paid.

The Alexander First Nation is one of 44 such sovereign communities in the Alberta province of Canada. In 2002 the tribe was awarded $63 million by the Canadian government in settlement of a claim dating back to 1905 when approximately 3,851.9 hectares (9,518 acres) of reserve lands were allegedly surrendered by the First Nation. The settlement provided Alexander First Nation with approximately $63 million in compensation for the damages and losses suffered as a result of the surrender.

The former reserve lands are productive agricultural lands and were part of a gas unit producing natural gas from 1955 to 1997, which led to the substantial settlement amount. The bulk of the compensation amount was placed in trust to ensure that future generations of Alexander First Nation members would benefit as well.

Back to Lastest Gambling News
Back to Gambling News Archive
Back to Gambling News - November 2006 Archive