Don't shoot the messenger! Is there liability for intermediaries for online gambling?

When the United States began its campaign against online gambling, Internet intermediaries, telecommunications providers and Internet service providers (ISPs), became nervous. Would they be caught in the net of anti-gambling measures? Although some time has gone by, the question remains largely unanswered. Internet intermediaries are the sine qua non of the online gambling industry. Without the wired and wireless services that these intermediaries offer, Canadians could not access offshore gambling sites and engage in online gambling. However, unlike online gambling companies, intermediaries offer a more easily accessible target as their head offices and bank accounts are located in Canada and, in some cases, they have very deep pockets. For all of these reasons, intermediaries are legitimately concerned about possible criminal and civil liability.

Ian Kyer and Andrew Alleyne were assisted by Michael Shour (Student-at-Law) in researching and writing the paper.