Canada Casinos

Is It Legal to Gamble Online in Canada?

Is online casino gambling legal in Canada? That’s a good question and one with no easy answer. Officially, Canada has laws that state that you cannot gamble at any Canadian casino that is not based in your territory, state, or region. So, a Canadian player can visit a casino licensed out of Quebec if they live in Quebec, but not one in British Columbia. The law is the same for online and brick-and-mortar gambling venues.

Each region has its own regulator that takes care of business. For instance, in British Columbia, the British Columbia Gaming Policy Enforcement Branch has the jurisdiction to regulate casino games, lotto games, poker, bingo, horse race betting, sports betting and about everything else. Meanwhile, in Manitoba, the Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba runs the show. You also have the Kahnawake Gaming Commission who deals with the Mohawk territory, and over ten other regulators are in business, too.

Of course, legal gambling sites in Canada are hard to come by, and the main reason is that Canada doesn’t have any crystal-clear national gambling laws. They have clear laws that govern land-based betting (at a regional level, and each has its own rules), but the online laws are vague.

As touched on, the laws state that you cannot bet at any Canadian casino not licensed in your territory, state, or region. However, they don’t mention legit Canada online casinos that are based in and operated from offshore countries. These casinos are not illegal under the scope of Canada’s gambling laws on account of that loophole. It is these sites that many millions of Canadians turn to, to bet online legally. If those casinos accept CAD and provide Canadian-friendly payment methods, offer gameplay in English and French, and provide support to Canadians, we’d say it is fair to call them Canada online casino sites. 

To help you better understand which regions and territories permit which types of games, we’ve put together this brief guide to each major sports betting option.

Online Casino

Legit Canada online casinos can be played if you reside in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, and the casino you want to play at is licensed out of that region. Players visiting offshore casinos are not prosecuted (as this will fall under the grey zone mentioned above). A second grey zone exists in the form of Kahnawake. This is a First Nation territory; therefore, it doesn’t fall under the scope of any national Canadian gambling law, making Canada casinos licensed out of Kahnawake offshore sites and thus legal for all Canadians irrespective of where they reside. 

Online Poker

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec are the only regions where you can play legal online poker and under the same terms that govern online casinos. Kahnawake licensed poker rooms are again exempt from the ban on account of them being run by the Mohawk Gaming Commission of Canada.

Online Sports Betting

Sports betting is legal in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Betting on sports at Canadian bookmakers based in other Canadian provinces is deemed illegal, but again, there is wiggle-room with offshore and Kahnawake licensed bookies.

Online Lottery

Lottery games are legal in Canada in all the territories listed above. However, there are various lotteries in Canada that are run with the permission of each state and territory, and these are fully legal. Similarly, offshore lotto sites can be played where you can purchase tickets for events such as the US Powerball. 

Online Bingo

Bingo can only be played online in British Columbia, Labrador, and Newfoundland. It is worth noting that this must be charity bingo (bingo for charitable purposes) offered by a registered charity. Kahnawake licensed bingo rooms are again exempt from these restrictions, as are offshore bingo portals for the most part via the loophole already mentioned.

History of Gambling in Canada

Canada has something of a colourful history with gambling. Let’s chart some of the most memorable events below:

• 1497: John Cabot explores Canada and reports that native peoples play games of chance, although not seemingly for financial gain.
• 1767: The very first gambling event was held over 250 years ago in Quebec. Horse racing betting becomes a popular pastime from 1787 onwards.
• 1892: Canada bans every form of gambling, but this only opens the industry up to criminal, underground betting.
• 1900: Canada permits bingo and raffle-based games once more, but only if they are for charitable causes. Horse racing would make a return to being fully legal a decade later.
• 1925: All forms of gambling return and are made legal.
• 1969: The lottery is added to Canada’s list of legal gambling activities. A year later, gambling licenses become a reality, restricting the level of gambling options open to Canadians.
• 1970: Only gambling games where a license has been issued are legal, and only to those residing in a region where that license is valid.
• 1989: Canada opens its very first land-based casino in Winnipeg.
• 2001: Online gambling flourishes, but Canada refuses to implement changes to its gambling laws to cover internet betting.

Future Online Gambling Trends in Canada

Players already have a fair degree of freedom to bet on online slots with real money in Canada right now. However, in most cases, this is still not one-hundred-percent legal. Canada has looked at expanding and regulating its own gambling industry but seems happy to let each state, region and territory have the final say. Given that players can bet “illegally” and won’t be prosecuted for it, everybody seems to be content for things to remain as they are for now.

Is It Safe to Gamble at A Canadian Online Casino?

We would say that safe online casinos in Canada are not difficult to come across. While Canada doesn’t regulate offshore casinos, there are plenty of top authorities and bodies that do. For instance, UKGC and MGA licensed Canadian offshore casinos are amongst the most heavily regulated and, therefore, the safest in the world. They are safer than those sporting Curacao or Panama licenses. 

To prove our point, allow us to explain how we judge Canadian casinos and how you can find the best sites below.

How to Choose the Best Online Casino?

There are plenty of ways for you to choose a top site. However, our online gambling reviews for Canada are the ideal way to go. We thoroughly review each of the casinos that feature on our page and check every nook and cranny to ensure that they represent the most trusted online casinos for Canada players.

We analyse bonuses and promotions, but also the terms and conditions that come with them. We look for great games from leading developers, various Canada-friendly payment methods and reliable support. Let us explain in a bit more detail below.

Casino Bonuses

You shouldn’t pick an online casino solely on the value of its bonus. You should also ensure that the terms and conditions attached to these bonuses are fair and transparent. Moreover, you’re going to want to see a good array of bonuses, not merely a welcome offer. You should be able to see flexibility in terms of the games you can use those casino bonuses on, too. Any site with dodgy offers won’t make the grade here.

Games and Software

Canadian online casinos are generally rather decent when it comes to the array of games you can play. We commonly see collections of over a thousand games available for you to play from twenty-plus developers at the best sites. These span everything from slots to video poker, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and other table games to live dealer titles. Some may even offer sports betting, bingo, and poker options. All casino games will be playable for free and with real money stakes, and most should be mobile optimised. 

The Reputation of the Casino

How well does your casino come off? We don’t just want to take our own experience into account. We scout around and check out what others are saying about Canadian online casinos. If they’ve had a bad experience playing there, and we haven’t, we try to get to the bottom of why that is. We also check to ensure that casinos in Canada are adequately licensed, that they are regulated and certified for fair play, SSL-encrypted, and that they have the necessarily responsible gambling tools available to ensure safe betting online.

Casino Customer Support

Support at online casinos is important. After all, what if you run into difficulties. For this reason, it is essential that a reputable Canadian casino can help in English and French, make the service available around the clock, and provide it free of charge. Ideally, we want to see live chat and e-mail assistance available, but e-form, telephone, FAQ, and social media assistance doesn’t hurt either.

Payment Methods

What good is a Canadian casino that doesn’t accept CAD? Yes, we thoroughly expect our sites to accept Canadian dollars. We also want to see a good array of Canada-friendly payment methods, including Interac, iDeal, Instadebit and others. Those payment methods should process CAD deposits and withdrawals without charge, provide speedy transaction times, and casinos should try to ensure that deposit limits are high and withdrawal limits are low to cater to all players.

Online Casino Games Available for Canadian Players

One of the most attractive features of online casinos that accept Canada players is their ability to offer a wealth of games. The best online casino games Canada has to offer should include:

• There should be over 1,000 games spanning all sorts of genres
• Games should be playable for free and with real money stakes
• We want to see over 20+ developers represented
• Live dealer games are a must in 2021
• New online casino games in Canada should regularly appear
• Most of the games should be eligible for betting with bonus funds

Online Slots

Slot machines in Canada span virtually every type of game imaginable. Most leading casinos offering online slots in Canada can support classic slots, fruit machines, video slots, progressive jackpot games, Cluster Pay and MegaWays slots and more besides.

Online Blackjack

Playing blackjack online with real money in Canada should be a piece of cake, with RNG (random number generator) and live dealer versions available. Blackjack games with side-bets and multi-hand editions can also be found at Canadian casinos.

Online Roulette

If you’re looking for the best online roulette gambling sites in Canada, then you’ve come to the right place. Our casinos offer European, American, and French roulette variants, but also those live dealer hits such as La Partage, Auto Roulette, Lightning, First-Person and Immersive Roulette games.

Live Dealer Games

Live casino games online in Canada are very much a reality. In most cases, you can find top titles from the likes of Evolution Gaming and Ezugi. NetEnt, Vivo Gaming and Pragmatic Play are also known to dish out games, ensuring that you have plenty to play at these casinos.

Other Online Casino Games

Don’t be surprised to find other casino games in Canada’s top online casinos. Video poker, table poker games, instant win, fixed odds, and scratch card games, alongside the potential to wager on sports, bingo, and live poker tournaments, are not to be dismissed. 

Most Popular Casino Software in Canada

Canada is a country where you can find virtually all major games from most casino software providers. Microgaming casinos in Canada and the very best NetEnt casinos in Canada are realistic options. However, these giants of the industry aren’t the only powerhouses offering software. You can also find casino software from these developers at Canadian casinos:

Nowadays, most Canadian casinos are powered by major developers, such as SoftSwiss. These have software content deals with many providers, ensuring that you can play games from multiple developers under one roof. Open gaming platforms such as Microgaming’s Quickfire, and Playtech’s ONE, and Yggdrasil’s Masters provide similar services.

Banking Information for Canadian Players

Banking options are both flexible and, to a degree, somewhat limited to players in Canada. How so? Some payment methods do not provide their services to players in Canada, specifically because Canada doesn’t have any national gambling laws which legalise and regulate the industry. Therefore, Canada online casinos with PayPal options are not as common as you might like to see. However, online casinos in Canada accepting VISA Debit are available in number.

Notable payment methods open to Canadian players include:

Canadian players can expect deposits to be free of charge, and the same “should” be true for withdrawals. No added fees should be applied, and in most cases, deposit limits should rise from $10 up to at least $5,000. Withdrawal limits typically range from $20 up to a couple of grand. However, deposit caps can be set yourself with a Canadian casino’s responsible gambling tools, while withdrawal caps vary from site to site. Furthermore, transaction times are usually instantaneous for deposits (rising to a few hours with Interac) and no more than 2-3 business days for most withdrawal options.

Cryptocurrencies

Alternatively, you can opt to use cryptocurrencies to bet at Canadian casinos. While Canada hasn’t formally recognised them, the following cryptocurrencies are often available at Canada-friendly casinos:

The relative anonymity provided with cryptocurrencies and super-fast transaction times generally makes these options worthwhile, although limitations include the overall volatility of digital currencies and small fees commonly associated with processing crypto transactions.

Mobile Gaming in Canada

Playing at a mobile casino in Canada shouldn’t be an issue. Online gambling apps in Canada include mobile casino iOS and Android-friendly options. However, for the most part, Canadians need to do nothing more than visit any site using the web browser on their device to play, as modern Canadian betting sites are designed in HTML5 and work out of the box.

Canada Online Casino Bonuses & Promo Codes

It doesn’t matter whether you are a seasoned veteran or a rank amateur – everybody wants to claim top casino bonuses. We’ve listed some of the best bonus online casinos in Canada on our page. Some require Canada online casino bonus codes to activate them, but most do not, instead preferring you to opt in to claim an offer.

We always do our homework to ensure that our recommended Canadian casinos offer fair and transparent terms and conditions and value in their bonuses. However, you should double-check this step to make sure that you don’t claim under-par bonuses. Similarly, you should only join those casinos that are prepared to offer you a wealth of offers. Let us take a quick look at some of Canada’s more common casino bonuses below:

No Deposit Bonuses

A no deposit bonus is about the fairest offer you can claim. A typical no deposit casino in Canada will let you claim a deal that puts you in a no-lose situation. You’ll be given a small sum of free money or free spins to explore the site before joining new Canada no deposit casinos. If you win, you’ve made some money. If you lose, you haven’t lost any of your own cash. 

Deposit Match

A typical match deposit bonus will usually only be available for new players. The basic idea here is that you can claim the deal at first deposit bonus casinos in Canada when you register. This bonus will often consist of a stack of cash (maybe even free spins) and let you get off to a great start after joining the casino. Just be sure to only claim offers at Canada online casinos with low deposit requirements. You don’t want to have to deposit a fortune to claim such a deal.

Free Spins

An online casino free sign-up bonus with no deposit required in Canada is not uncommon. These bonus deals are often given as a form of no deposit bonus, as listed above. However, they may also be utilised as loyalty rewards, given to already registered members who play regularly at the casino, or as rewards for performing well in tournaments, leaderboard competitions and more. The basic idea is that you will get to spin the reels of top slots for free with the potential to win real money.

Reload Bonuses

Reload bonuses are another form of first deposit bonuses. However, these aren’t reserved for first-time depositors. Instead, they are available either once per month, once per week or on every single deposit you ever make. You should look for the same terms (low wagering requirements) as you do with first deposit bonuses. Check for game eligibility rules, too, to ensure that you can play the bonus on a broad array of games. Reload bonuses tend to be lower in value than the initial welcome offers.

New Online Casinos in Canada

If you like to mix things up and fancy frequent changes, then don’t hesitate to check back regularly. We are always exploring new Canada online casinos and adding them to our list if they fit the bill. Check our Canada casino reviews from time to time to see if we’ve added any exciting new venues and discover what they can offer you as a casino player in Canada with our in-depth guides and analysis.

FAQs

Before shooting off to play at our top Canada online casinos, take a moment to check this FAQ. If you have any serious questions about betting at casinos in Canada, we’ll do our best to answer them below: