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The History of Gambling in Canada
The year 1767 was revolutionary for gambling in the country because that is when the first-ever legal event took place.
The origin of gambling is a fascinating tale that started in ancient China. However, as it is known today, gambling isn’t restricted to one country or continent. Instead, it is enjoyed by people in almost every country around the globe.
As a result, each country has a unique story of how gambling reached its people and how the industry has either been stifled or allowed to grow. Canada is no exception and has a rich gambling history that started almost before history itself began being officially recorded.
First Instances of Gambling in Canada
There is very little information regarding the exact form gambling took early on in Canada’s history. What is known is that in the 1380s, gambling in all forms was banned by the monarch at the time, Richard III.
The king put this prohibition in place because he was worried that his soldiers, mainly his archers, were spending more time gambling with dice than protecting his kingdom. However, the rule was overturned at some point during the 1400s, as there are signs that gambling was enjoyed in the territory.
This lasted until 1497, when the region was visited by John Cabot and was claimed by the English nation. With British rule in effect, all gambling was again banned in the country. Thankfully, while the UK technically claimed the land, this wasn’t enforced, and the French took control in 1534 while claiming the name Canada.
Little is known about gambling in the country during this period except that it moved underground and generated an extensive black market—that is, until around 1767.
The Start of Official Gambling
The year 1767 was revolutionary for gambling in the country because that is when the first-ever legal event took place. A horse race on July 1 brought many people to Quebec City to watch and wager on the outcome.
There is no record of whether other gambling activities were also legalized after this race or even if more racing events were held that allowed legal gambling. However, it is thought that the underground gambling market continued to thrive after this until a new law was introduced.
Canada Criminal Act
In 1892, lawmakers passed the Canadian Criminal Code. Covering a variety of different topics relating to crime in the country, the law also made provisions for the complete prohibition of all forms of gambling.
Justification for the code included citing religious and moral reasons. However, while the government was adamant that it was what people wanted and expected from a moral standpoint, the continued ban spurred even more illicit gambling.
Because of the growing number of illegal gambling dens and back-alley wagers, things quickly began to change, and slowly but surely, more and more forms of gambling began to be legalized, starting just eight years after the law was passed.
Increase of Gambling During the 1900s
In 1900, the government discovered the massive economic difference that legalizing gambling could make. Therefore, it decided to permit gambling in the form of bingo and organized raffles. However, to stick to their moral reasoning, these acts were only allowed if they were offered on behalf of a charity.
The massive popularity of gambling quickly spread, and by 1925, new laws were again passed. This time, it was to allow exhibitions and local fairs to allow gambling events. These needed to be hosted by the event organizers and were classified as entertainment.
Not much changed until 1969, when the state realized the worth of lotteries and decided to allow legal lottery games. Shortly after, provinces in the country soon started organizing lotteries to help fund projects for the betterment of their regions.
The Legalisation of Gambling
A milestone in Canada’s gambling history was reached just one year after lotteries were made legal. In 1970, the government decided to allow individual provinces to allow or disallow all forms of gambling in their regions.
While this didn’t negate the law prohibiting gambling throughout the country, it allowed different regions to make it legal within their jurisdiction. The condition attached to this was that each province had to regulate all gambling activities that fell inside its borders.
The landmark change this brought about launched the gambling industry in the country. However, things didn’t change until 15 years later, in 1985. After multiple revisions and consultations, the government lifted all gambling and sports betting prohibitions. The only exception to this was single-game betting.
Legalization throughout the country meant that casinos could now legally operate without any barriers. A few years later, in 1989, the first-ever brick-and-mortar casino was opened.
Owned and operated by the government, Crystal Casino, located in Winnipeg, became the place to gamble. Sadly, it was short-lived and, by 1997, had closed down. Thankfully, multiple other casinos continued to supply gambling opportunities to players.
Online Casinos in Canada
By 1994, although there were many new Canadian casinos for players to enjoy, the market underwent yet another massive overhaul. The change was, this time, thanks to the gradual launch and availability of online casinos—a relatively new but increasingly popular way to gamble.
Amazingly, however, while online casinos grew steadily, they fell outside of the law that provided for gambling in the territory. As such, online casinos hosted and operated in Canada were still illegal. Therefore, players could only use casinos that operated outside the country’s borders.
For several years, no changes were made to the laws, so Canadian players took advantage of the loophole that allowed play on internationally hosted online casinos. However, in 2021, things began changing when new regulations allowed for single-game sports betting. This action, which wasn’t allowed under the 1985 changes, focused attention on all the other laws as well.
The same year saw another landmark change when Ontario officials decided to allow gambling and sports betting advertising across all platforms. From radio to billboards, casinos are now—for the first time ever—legally allowed to advertise their services. Despite being banned in other provinces, many sites use a grey area in the law for advertising services.
They achieve this by using .net TLDs (top-level domains), which are not covered by any law in Canada. However, once visiting this website, it redirects to the main casino, often found using a .com TLD.
One year later, in 2022, more changes came about. Ontario launched an online gambling licensing authority. The Ontario iGaming division regulates and allows online casinos to operate in the region. The basis for doing this is the 1970s law allowing provinces to determine their own regulations.
In 2023, many people anticipate that other provinces will be looking to follow the example of Ontario and launch their own iGaming platforms. If this eventually occurs across the country, it will again mean that many provinces will have to amend laws and write new practices into place. However, it would also mean that gambling online would become even more accessible to players.
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Late Actor Billy Miller Was Rumored to Be Engaged to Kelly Monaco – Know the Truth
Billy Miller passed away due to depression.
Late American actor Billy Miller was not only rumored to be in a relationship with Kelly Monaco but also speculated that they have been engaged.
To put the rumors to rest, it’s important to clarify that Miller and Monaco were not engaged. The rumor about their relationship started back in 2015 after they co-starred together in the soap opera General Hospital.
In the television series, the actor played the role of Jason Morgan, while Monaco debuted as Sam Morgan. The duo’s on-screen portrayal was so authentic that many of the fans started to assume they were a real-life couple.
However, fans did not just speculate that Miller and his co-star were dating based solely on their on-screen role, but there were multiple occasions when the duo was seen together in public.
For instance, in October 2015, the two were photographed having a great time at the beach in Malibu. In one of the pictures, they were seen swimming in the water, with Monaco affectionately holding onto the late actor.
Billy Miller was rumored to be dating Kelly Monaco. (Source: Instagram)
Later, in response to the stir caused by this snapshot, Monaco clarified that the picture made them appear more intimate. She mentioned that the duo and their few friends rented a beach house in Malibu to have fun rather than a romantic date.
Likewise, in one of the interviews, Monaco debunked the dating rumor surrounding her and Miller by stating that they were just friends and she was single at that time.
Billy Miller’s dating history
Miller mostly kept his personal life far from the public eye. He was also not active on social media platforms which created difficulties for his fans to know what was going on in his life.
Likewise, the actor consistently maintained a clear distinction between his personal and professional life which prevented him from being romantically linked to his co-star beside Monaco.
According to whosdatedwho, there is no record of Miller being in a relationship with any woman, either within or outside the entertainment industry.
Billy Miller was rumored to be gay
One of the main reasons Miller’s fans and followers speculated about his sexual orientation was due to his portrayal of gay characters in a number of movies. Notably, he played the role of Richie Novak in All My Children and Charlie Young in Ringer.
The actor also portrayed a gay man who tragically passed away due to AIDS in the short film Remembering Nigel.
Miller’s portrayal of gay characters in these movies was so authentic that many of his fans and followers speculated about his personal connection or experience within the LGBTQ+ community.
Billy Miller was romantically linked to Jason Thompson. (Source: Michaelfairmantv)
Likewise, many of the actor’s fans noticed his undeniable chemistry with many of his male co-stars, such as Jason Thompson, Steve Burton, and Michael Muhney. Miller was even spotted hugging and kissing his male costars.
The actor’s attraction towards the same gender led many of his fans to ship him with numerous male co-stars. Additionally, enthusiastic fans started creating fan fiction posts centered around the on-screen interactions between Miller and his male co-stars.
However, the actor never publicly addressed his sexual orientation himself. So it’s important to keep in mind that close relationships between actors do not necessarily imply their sexual orientation.
Billy Miller recently passed away at the age of 43
Miller’s manager confirmed his passing on September 17, 2023, revealing that he had tragically died by suicide. He also revealed that the actor was struggling with depression at that time.
Shortly after the news of Miller’s passing, his mother Patricia shared that her son surrendered his life after a long and hard battle with bipolar depression. She told Soap Opera Digest, “He fought a long hard valiant battle with bipolar depression for years. He did everything he could to control the disease.”
She also expressed her gratitude for the support she received in the wake of her son’s tragic death. Patricia went on to say, “He loved his family, his friends, and his fans but in the end, the disease won the fight and he surrendered his life.”
Likewise, the actor’s mother made it clear that the other cause of Miller’s death circulating on the internet was not true. She concluded by stating, “We all loved him so much and are desperately trying to deal with our loss.”
Moreover, two days after the actor’s death, the actor’s former All My Children costar Chrishell Stause posted a picture of him kissing her on the cheek.
Alongside the post, she wrote, “Too many feelings, but you are gone too soon and I’m so happy I got to work with you all those years, but also call you a friend. I hope you are at peace now,” with a broken heart and a prayer hand emoji.
Furthermore, the last on-screen appearance made by Miller was in his role as Ezra Moretti in NCIS. He also portrayed the character of Alex Dunn in Truth Be Told from 2019 to 2020.
Throughout the actor’s career, he also achieved many awards and nominations for his amazing acting skills. Some of his notable awards include the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in The Young and the Restless and the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in General Hospital.
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Know If Gabriel Fernandez’s Father, Arnold Contreras, Is Still Alive
Arnold Contreras was devastated by the news of his son’s passing.
The world was in shock when an eight-year-old boy, Gabriel Fernandez, was tortured and murdered by his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and stepfather, Isauro Aguirre.
Gabriel passed away on May 24, 2013, at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles after months of torture. However, his biological father, Arnold Contreras, was clueless about the incident because he was behind the bar at the time of his child’s death.
Later, in a documentary about the case, the prosecutor, Jon Hatami, revealed that Arnold was heartbroken from the loss of his child, and he felt that it was his fault for not protecting his son.
Eventually, Gabriel’s mother and stepfather were arrested for the murder on May 23, 2013. In court, she stated, “I want to say I’m sorry for what happened. I wish Gabriel was alive. Every day I wish that I would have made better choices. I’m sorry to my children, and I want them to know that I love them.”
Amidst Gabriel’s death case, many of his fans and followers remained curious about the status of the boy’s biological father, wondering if he was still alive.
Where is Arnold Contreras now?
Arnold is still alive and appears to have moved on with his life, but he still carries the memory of his son. Looking at his Facebook profile, he has posted a few pictures with Gabriel, but he has not been active on the platform since 2017.
Moreover, since his son’s death, he has been to jail many times. In May 2018, he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for acquiring and retaining personal identification information.
Later, on February 11, 2019, Arnold was again arrested for nonviolent offenses and sentenced to Calipatria State Prison for a year and four months but became eligible for parole in June 2019.
Just a few months after he was released from jail, he was once again sent behind bars in 2020 after being convicted on two separate charges.
As of 2023, he is living a private life, and nothing much is known about his current circumstances.
Arnold Contreras’ short biography
Arnold was born on August 6, 1981, to his parents, Rodrigo Contretas and Placida Contretas. He grew up along with his younger brother, Christopher Contreras.
Regarding his profession, he worked at a tattoo and piercing parlor. Notably, on October 27, 2017, he posted the before and after pictures of the leg tattoo on his Facebook.
Arnold Contreras is a tattoo artist. (Source: Facebook)
In addition to his Facebook presence, he also maintains an active Pinterest account where he displays his prowess as a tattoo artist.
Inside Arnold Contreras’ relationship with his ex-partner Pearl Fernandez
Even though Arnold and Pearl were the biological parents of Gabriel, there is no record to prove that they have been married.
Likewise, nothing much is known about their relationship, like when they first met and how they started dating. Nevertheless, Arnold and Pearl had a toxic relationship, with Pearl often exhibiting aggressive behavior.
One of Gabriel’s aunt also revealed that Pearl often behave abusively towards her romantic partners and act like she is the victim.
Arnold Contreras and Pearl Fernandez failed to show love to their child
As a result of the toxic relationship between Arnold and Pearl, their child, Gabriel, had to face the consequences. Just three days after the birth, Gabriel was abandoned at the hospital by his mother, and his father was never a father figure in his life.
Later, the boy was put under the custody of Pearl’s relative, Michael Lemos, and his partner, David Martinez. After staying there for around four years, Gabriel’s grandparents took responsibility for him.
Arnold Contreras and Pearl Fernandez failed as parents. (Source: Yahoo)
Subsequently, in 2012, Pearl won custody of Gabriel and took him to live with her boyfriend, Isauro. That was the time when the child’s nightmare started.
During his stay with his mother and stepfather, he suffered severe mistreatment like starvation and being forced to eat cringe-worthy things like cat litter, feces, vomit, and even rotten foods.
Soon after, his mother and stepfather started to beat him so severely that they broke his bones and teeth. Pearl and Isauro were so evil that they used to laugh, seeing the child suffer.
Gabriel tolerated so many tortures from his mother and stepfather, leading to him falling critically ill on May 22, 2013. Later, Pearl called 911 to report that the child was not breathing and was taken quickly to the hospital.
Unfortunately, the doctors could not save the child, and he took his last breath on May 24, 2013. After an extensive investigation, the official autopsy revealed his body was traumatized.
Ironmouse is a well-known Twitch streamer and social media personality from Puerto Rico.
She is well known for her loud voice, eccentric demeanor, and singing. At the time of writing, she has over 1.7 million followers on Twitch. She began streaming on her own, independently, but now she is affiliated with VShojo.
She is the platform’s most-followed English language VTuber and holds the record for the fourth-highest peak subscribers for a Twitch streamer. Ironmouse was named after a minor character from Sailor Moon.
Since she is a VTuber, she has always kept her face and real identity hidden. Since then, people have been curious about her real face and identity.
Here is all we know about it.
Ironmouse’s face reveal and real face
To date, Ironmouse has never done a face reveal or revealed her real identity. Many fans and followers have asked her to show her face throughout the years.
As a result, there is no information about the person behind Ironmouse. Netizens often ask, “How old is Ironmouse?” and “Where is her family?”
According to Ironmouse’s fandom, her birthday is on January 11, and her age is 6,669. Talking about her “real identity,” Ironmouse is a demon queen known by many titles, but who is also said to be Satan herself.
She is a pleasant, fun-loving demon who left the boundaries of Hell or the underworld to make new friends, learn new things, and enjoy life to the fullest. She is obsessed with the internet, music, lewd things, geeky and nerdy things, and everything charming.
To better integrate into the human world, she wears specific magical bells on her body to contain and regulate her strength. If her bells were ever removed, complete mayhem would follow.
Her actual demon queen form is supposed to be revealed after the bells are removed. All she wants to do is have fun, learn about the human world, and make as many soul buddies as she can.
She has pale purple eyes and fluffy pink medium-length hair with heart-shaped ahoge and dark purple streaks. She has white horns and heart-shaped hairpins.
Ironmouse’s boyfriend
Ironmouse does not have any boyfriend or partner. She has claimed that she will not date anyone and will forever be alone.
She said that she loved herself and did not want to be with anybody. She also noted that if in case she ever gets a boyfriend or a partner, she would not share it with anyone.
That being said, she is often linked with fellow streamer, Connor, best known as CDawgVA. He is a YouTuber and voice actor who sometimes streams on Twitch.
Ironmouse and CDawgVA often collaborate and have fun with one another. Since they interact a lot, people often think they are dating.
Fans and followers of Ironmouse have called CDawgVA her boyfriend and partner. However, neither Ironmouse nor CDawgVA have addressed the rumors.
Moreover, Ironmouse clarified that she would forever remain single as well. So, it looks like they are not dating and it’s just their fans and followers shipping them together.
Ironmouse’s lore and activism
The lore or story behind Ironmouse is quite interesting. As said before, Ironmouse is a demon queen from the underworld who came to the human world after getting infatuated with human civilization.
Her strength, however, dwindled as she spent more time away from her home Earth. After getting infatuated with VTubers, Ironmouse began streaming, becoming a VTuber herself.
Ironmouse. (Source: Twitter)
She found via the internet that she had the power to absorb human souls, the only energy capable of maintaining her. She no longer absorbs human souls, but instead feeds on fragments of her viewers’ soul energy.
The silver bells she generally wears around her neck, ankles, and occasionally in her hair limit her strength and allow her to assume a lesser form. This is required so that she may spend as much time as possible in her favorite human world.
Her angelic form depicts her appearance before she went into hell. The power limiters on her legs are enormous rings rather than bells in this form, and her hair buns obscure her horns.
She possesses the ability to shapeshift into any form, but she cannot utilize it without depleting her power. She has claimed that she can appear anywhere on the planet at any moment but cannot be found in space.
Ironmouse has duped a family into believing she is their daughter in order for her to survive on Earth. As a result, she lives with the family, being their daughter, and enjoying the human world for as long as she can.
She stated her age as 6,669 at the beginning of 2022. However, she feels self-conscious about being in her 6,670s and has opted to celebrate her 6,669th birthday for the third time in 2022.
Ironmouse seems healthy and has a soothing voice, yet she is unwell. She became a YouTuber because of a disorder known as Common Variable Immune Deficiency, or CVID, which affects the immune system and is expected.
Ironmouse has been passionate about teaching others about CVID and PI from the beginning of her career. In an interview with Plasma Hero, she said, “At the time, I think I was so worried I didn’t realize how talking about it could raise awareness; I don’t make my illness the main focus of my content, but I do speak about it from time to time for education and awareness and to explain why I may not be feeling my best at times.”
She conducted a charity event for the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) on August 4, 2021, and raised over $100,000. This inspired many more designers, including CDawgVA, to follow in her footsteps and collect additional funds for the organization.
She also participated in a 30-day subathon in June 2023, donating half of all subscription proceeds to the Immune Deficiency Foundation.
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