Lecture: 4 hrs
In this course, students will engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, group discussion, independent study from assigned materials, case studies, and practical applications such as activities, discussion, collaboration in groups, and case analysis.
- History of gambling in Canada
- Political, legal, social, economic, and cultural forces shaping gambling globally and within Canada
- Provincial and federal responsibilities with respect to lotteries and other forms of legalized gambling.
- Individual and societal costs of problem gambling and gambling addiction.
- Operational and regulatory models of legal gambling in Canada
- The status of Indigenous gaming in Canada
- The gambling-crime nexus
- Global gambling expansion and its impact on Canadian gambling policies
- The future of such gambling activities as bingo, casinos, Video Lottery Terminals, modern sports betting and Internet-based gambling
- Community perceptions of the costs/benefits of gambling
At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify and discuss the key dates and circumstances surrounding amendments to the gambling sections of the Criminal Code of Canada.
- Examine the legal, social, political, and economic forces that have shaped Canada’s gambling laws and policies.
- Explain the role played by provincial governments in monopolizing and expanding legal gambling in Canada.
- Critically assess the extent and impact of problem gambling in Canada.
- Describe and explain the strategies developed to ameliorate problem gambling in Canada.
- Identify and discuss the economic costs and benefits of expanded legal gambling.
- Examine the nature of the global expansion of gambling and its impact on Canadian gambling policies.
- Discuss and critique the relationship between gambling and crime.
- Explain the regulatory and operational models of gambling in Canada, including the status of gambling in Indigenous territories.
- Analyze the prospects of continued expansion of legal gambling, such as casinos, lotteries, modern sports betting and Internet-based gambling.
The evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student's record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student's graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the course outline. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria during the first week of classes.
An example of the methods used include:
|
Class Presentation |
10% |
| Term Assignment (e.g. Term Paper) | 30% |
| Term Exams (x2) | 50% |
| Final Examination | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
This is a letter-graded course.
Instructors will make available a course pack of relevant selected readings, subject to copyright approval.
Examples of texbooks that may be used for this course include:
Belanger, Y.D. (2019). Gambling with the Future: The Evolution of Aboriginal Gaming in Canada. Purich Publishing.
Cassidy, R. (2020). Vicious Games Capitalism and Gambling. Pluto Press.
Funt, D. (2026). Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling. Gallery Books.
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