Best Online Casinos in Canada

Gambling is always a touchy topic. In fact, it has been so since the first betting houses opened in the 17^th century. Knowing your rights and where and how much you are allowed to wager at any point is critical. A single bet can get you into hot water if it does not align with the legal framework of the place where it’s conducted.

Canada has had a firm policy on gambling for a very long time. The first in-house casino opened its doors in 1989. This was followed by a 15-year hiatus before the first online operator in Canada welcomed its first players in 2004.

Today, there are plenty of legit online casinos in Canada, each governed by local or international laws. While progress has been made in allowing locally registered online casinos, Canadians still primarily use online casinos registered offshore.

Each country that allows gambling regulates the minimum gambling age through legislation, which in most instances is 18 years old, such as in the EU (this excludes Greece, where the minimum age of gambling is set at 23). In Canada, this age is determined by the respective provincial authorities, which in most instances, is 19. The exceptions to this rule are Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, as well as the cities of Calgary, Montreal, and Ottawa, where the minimum age is 18, which also applies to sports betting.

Ultimately, the operator is held responsible when an underage person gambles. Stringent security checks are conducted when a new profile is registered to determine whether that individual is old enough to gamble legally in Canada, with popup signs often alerting to this during online registration and before they make a deposit. 

Two associations in Canada oversee online casinos and all the gambling that takes place online:

Canadian Gaming Association

This non-profit organisation deals with the awareness of online gambling in Canada by promoting ethical values and conducting industrywide studies and education drives. The association also provides a forum where online players, gaming professionals and the Canadian government can come together and engage in productive dialogue. The aim of these discussions is to ensure that everyone is legally aligned with the national legislative framework regarding online providers in Canada.

Kahnawake Gaming Commission

Kahnawake Gaming Commission regulates and licenses several online casinos, sportsbooks, and online poker rooms, as well as the in-house casinos located within its jurisdiction. The commission was set up in 1996 after the Mohawk Council enacted the Kahnawake Gaming Law, which gave the territory the right to govern gambling laws autonomously.

Some Canadian provinces have their own gambling regulators. These regulators act as a safety net for players and are money-laundering watchdogs. Some of the principal regulatory bodies in Canada are:

• Kahnawake Gaming Commission
• Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming Authority
• Quebec Regie des Alcools des Courses et des Jeux
• British Columbia Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch
• Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario

Here are some points you should consider when searching for online casinos in Canada:

• Reliable operations – The more reputable an online operator is, the higher the chance it is reliable. Always screen a casino using a simple Google search and see what comments and reviews other players have left.
• Registered and licensed – Only play at casinos that have reputable gaming authority licences. Membership of the Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, and Kahnawake Gaming Commission, amongst others, are good indicators that a casino is properly licensed.
• Payment options – Look for online gambling providers that accept payments in Canadian dollars. Also, acceptance of Visa, MasterCard, InstaDebit, and Interac, amongst others, indicate that a secure transactional framework is in place.

Though it’s illegal to operate online casinos from within Canada (except those that fall under the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and other specially licensed casinos in Ontario and other provinces), players can gamble on offshore sites. The only requirement is that the casinos are legally registered to operate. For overseas-based players, verifying whether online gambling is permitted in your region and that you’re not overstepping local laws is essential.

As it stands, no law in Canada currently prohibits any Canadian from betting at a licensed online operators. As far as the legislation goes, online gambling in Canada is legal.

There are a few, including Microgaming, NetEnt, and Evolution Gaming. If we’ve listed them here on CASINOenquirer, you can rest assured they are safe, legal and reputable online casinos.

It is permissible for Canadian players to bet via any site that’s located offshore. Additionally, a few legal Canadian online gambling providers operate within the framework of specific provincial jurisdictions.

To ensure that you fully enjoy your online gambling experience, we only deal with legal online casinos that are regularly screened for irregularities. To be 100% sure, please review the license information at the bottom of each casino’s homepage, especially when trying out new online operators.

They say that winners know when to stop, but we know how hard it can be to walk away when you’re on an adrenaline high. If you struggle to keep track of your spending, you can set a monthly limit with a licensed online casino that controls how much money you can wager within a month. This is an easy and responsible way to ensure you never bet more than you can afford. Another option is to consider a self-exclusion period.

Self-exclusion is a voluntary programme that allows anyone to take a break from gambling. You have the right, at any stage, to ask an online gambling provider to exclude you from gambling for a specified period. This can lead to your account being locked for an agreed period of time or refusal of a casino to accept your deposits or offer you assistance.

All legal online operators in Canada and worldwide are obliged to offer these programmes. If you find your gambling is becoming problematic or causing severe financial hardship, this option takes the gambling temptation away for a while or indefinitely.

Our experts test every site we review thoroughly, including checking the software providers. While every game has a different return-to-player ratio, all games at reputable, regulated, and licensed online casinos offer a fair chance of winning. 

Several factors contribute to this. Firstly, the penalties for any casino found to be rigging games are incredibly severe. And, even if the penalties weren’t harsh, news spreads quickly online, resulting in an unscrupulous casino finding itself without players. Many online operators use random number generators to ensure fairness, and some even implement blockchain technology so that all games are “provably fair”.