When you love books, it becomes your hobby. You set aside a budget for buying or leasing new books. You create time to read a chapter before you sleep. And you even tell your friends at the book club about books you think they should read.
While reading is great, some books are more important than others. If you want to become a poet, prioritize poetry books. If you want to work in the Canadian gambling industry, read books about Canadian gambling laws.
In this guide, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. We analyzed a ton of books about gambling laws in Canada. Then we ranked the most important books for iGaming investors, players, and people who want to work in the industry.

Let’s dive right in:
#1: Casino State: Legalized Gambling in Canada
Published in 2009, Casino State: Legalized Gambling in Canada is a summary of the state of gambling in Canada. James Cosgrave and Thomas Klassen wrote the book to explain the growth of casinos in North America by 2007.
As such, Casino State does not mention anything about the recent legalization of single-event betting in Canada in 2021. It does not talk about online casino laws in the country or regulations made after 2007. It focuses on brick-and-mortar gambling laws in Canada.
Still, it offers an in-depth guide to the impact of legal gambling in Canada over the years. It starts by explaining that casino gaming is a hobby for the middle class. But it also cautions that gambling isn’t exactly a genuine way to make money.
The book expounds on why Canada legalized gambling, its positive contributions to society—jobs, taxes, and revenues—and its negative impact. In the end, the authors of Casino State agree that the country supports the casino industry.
True to the author’s words, the Canadian government has always contemplated expanding iGaming laws. And indeed, the country has made tremendous progress in legalizing online betting
#2: Canadian Anti-Money Laundering Laws: Gaming Sector
One of the reasons governments regulate gambling is to fight money laundering. If you’re an investor in the gambling industry, it makes sense to understand AML laws in Canada. Sure, you will still need lawyers to help you make the right decisions.
However, Canadian Anti-Money Laundering Law will provide a quick overview of how Canada handles financial crimes in the casino industry. The book outlines the statutory provisions that criminalize money laundering.
It also provides adequate advice on how to comply with Canadian laws about money laundering. In other words, this book is a manual for casino investors. It’s a must-read book for everyone who plans to start a gambling establishment in Canada.
To expound more, reading Canadian Anti-Money Laundering Law carries these benefits:
- Learn How to Identify Money Laundering Profiles
Not everyone goes to a casino to have fun. Some people go there to clean their money. Of course, money laundering is illegal and can get your business into trouble. As such, it’s essential to know how to identify people with suspicious behaviors.
- Discover How to Create an AML Program
You need a program to help you identify suspicious activities in your gambling establishment. Also, you must know how to respond to the situation in a way that doesn’t put you at risk of financial malpractice.
- Financial Auditing Procedures
Canadian Anti-Money Laundering Law also goes into detail about how to audit your casino for financial crime. This way, you can stay ahead of criminals in case they ever target your business for money laundering.
Canadian Anti-Money Laundering Law also goes into detail about how to audit your casino for financial crime. This way, you can stay ahead of criminals in case they ever target your business for money laundering.
Another benefit is that it provides record-keeping tips, customer identification requirements, and employee training methods.
#3: The Law of Charitable and Casino Gaming
This is yet another law book designed for both lawyers and gambling investors. To be clear, we’re talking about the second edition of the book. It was released in 2018 by the same authors who wrote the original copy: Donald Bourgeois and Susan Campbell.
The book provides an overview of the history of gambling in Canada. It focuses on the economic impact it has had in the country and the government’s definition of legal and illegal gambling.
Another aspect of the book is how provinces handle gambling. It outlines jurisdictions with legal gambling and the exact products they allow. To expound more, The Law of Charitable and Casino Gaming explains the country’s stance on these areas:
- Casino Games
- The Lottery
- Horse Racing and Pari-mutual Betting
- Federal and Provincial Gambling laws
Beyond gambling laws, the Law of Charitable and Casino Gaming explains the country’s anti-money laundering laws. Additionally, it provides details regarding how casinos should market and advertise their brands per the law.
Additional Information about Canada’s Gambling Industry
As we stated earlier, many books about Canadian gambling laws cover land-based gambling. They were written long before the country legalized single-event betting. As such, they can’t help you navigate online casino laws.
If you want to bet on sports online, learn more about provincial laws about the same. Ontario has the best sports gambling laws. It is home to some of the best gambling businesses in the world.
Online casinos also fall under provincial jurisdiction. If you want to play slots or roulette online, read iGaming laws in your province. Ontario has licensed over 40 gambling sites.
However, you don’t need to be in Ontario to gamble online. The Federal Government does not prohibit you from using offshore websites. Sure, they’re not licensed in the country. But most of them hold licenses from countries like Malta and Curacao.