Mobile Gambling to be Available Soon in British Columbia

The B.C. Lottery Corp is looking to begin offering mobile gambling to the residents of this Canadian province despite objections from some critics who fear the Government run online gambling site is trying to recruit young gamblers.

The Lottery claims its PlayNow.com website is presently being accessed by some 3000 customers on average via the iPad. 

NDP MLA Shane Simpson, the province's gaming critic, said many of those smartphone and tablet users are likely to be young — and possibly still teenagers.

"The notion of smartphones and an app, it seems to me, is very much targeted at young people who are more inclined to gamble that way than they would be to go in a traditional casino," Simpson said.

"We don't have confidence that the government has put the kinds of safeguards in place to protect people who are involved in online gambling from getting into trouble."

Global online gambling companies have told Gambling911.com that close to 25 percent of sports bets are now placed via mobile devices. 

- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com