The provincial government in Quebec, Canada, has held talks with representatives of the Kahnawake Mohawk territory regarding online gaming in the province, reports Canadian news network APTN National.
The Quebec government, which offers online gaming through Loto Quebec‘s Espace Jeux brand, has previously proposed an economic action plan that could give rise to prosecutions, ISP blocking and disruptive financial sanctions against what it considers to be illegal online operators.
The action plan targets those sites not licensed by the provincial government such as those licensed by Kahnawake, saying that they “pose a risk to the population.”
Citing the jurisdiction’s compliance credentials, Kahnawake grand chief Michael Delisle said such prohibitive measures would hit the Kahnawake Mohawk community hard, leading to a lack of economic development and reduced employment opportunities.
Delisle added that any mooted blacklist of online gaming operations that could include Kahnawake sites faces strong opposition not just from the Mohawk community but also from what he called “civil libertarians against the policing of the internet.”
