Friday, November 03, 2006

Ontario politicians may be trying to pass legislation banning online
gambling adverts in the province, but elsewhere in Canada there's a more
welcoming attitude to the industry. The Kahnawake First Nation Mohawks in
Quebec province, home to well over 300 online gambling brands and host to a
multitude of company servers will soon have competition from The Alexander
First Nation. Announcing the formation of an online gambling commission this
week, a spokesman for the Alexander First Nation said it intends to regulate
companies that are granted licenses to operate under the tribe's
sovereignty. A spokesperson for the new commission said it plans to offer
online gaming licenses to suitably qualified applicants. The commission is
confident that the regulations will ensure a safe, high-quality environment
for Internet gamblers. The Alexander Gaming Commission's mission will be to
regulate and control gaming and other gaming related activities within and
from the Alexander First Nation. All interactive gaming such as online
casinos and online poker sites, will have to satisfy three basic principles
to obtain a license to operate:

* Only suitable persons and entities are permitted to operate within
Alexander
* Games must be fair to the players
* Winners are paid

The Alexander First Nation is one of 44 such sovereign communities in the
Alberta province of Canada. In 2002 the tribe was awarded $63 million by the
Canadian government in settlement of a claim dating back to 1905 when
approximately 3 851.9 hectares (9,518 acres) of reserve lands were allegedly
surrendered by the First Nation.

The settlement provided Alexander First Nation with approximately $63
million in compensation for the damages and losses suffered as a result of
the surrender. The settlement amount was substantial because the former
reserve lands are productive agricultural lands and were part of a gas unit
producing natural gas from 1955 to 1997. The majority of the compensation
was placed in a trust to ensure that future generations of Alexander First
Nation members benefit from the settlement.