Kahnawake's First Court Case

Kahnawake, otherwise a quiet First Nation closed society in Canada, is extensively recognizable among online players and the online gambling industry in general. The local Mohawk tribe administers advanced internet hosting services, through which 60% of the world's online gambling traffic runs through them.

Kahnawake has been managing hundreds of online gambling websites. But what was given now looks as if it is threatened and might be taken away as the Quebec provincial government is pursuing a case against Kahnawake and the online casinos hosted by the tribe. Cyber World Group, operators of GoldenPalace.com, a famous online casino based in Kahnawake, pleaded guilty on illegal gambling charges and agreed to a $2 million fine

The case disputes Kahnawake’s authority to release gaming licenses to online gambling corporations that operate on its servers, preferring the Canadian Criminal Code, which is the one and only authority permitted to hand out licenses by law.

In court, not only will the destiny of the online casino be argued, but the authority of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission which has granted 443 permits without any provincial intervention in the past. This right is protected, they claim, under traditional native rights enshrined in section 35 of the Canadian Constitution.

The provincial and federal Canadian governments on the other hand seem to get against online gambling. The matter has never before been advanced in court, leaving what we can compare to a hole in the plan. But the hole will be filled soon.