If you’re looking to try Canadian online casinos you’ve come to the right place. Yes, online casinos are legal in Canada (provided that they are officially licensed). However, every casino has its pros and cons. Before you pick your next online casino, check out our list of the top 5 things you should know about online casino games in Canada.
1. Gaming Laws & Regulations
As mentioned above, online casinos are in fact legal in Canada. But, each province manages and enforces gaming laws and regulations. By far the most important regulation to note is that players can only access online casinos that are within their respective province.
In other words, every province has local online casinos and leverages geofencing to restrict access to users who are located within their borders. This means that onlinthere will be different online casinos in Ontario than in Alberta. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that international gaming sites have managed to penetrate the Canadian gaming market. While it is true that every online casino must be licensed to operate in Canada there is one so-called loophole that does exist.
The Kahnawake reserve territory is a self-governed part of the country where foreign gaming sites host their servers. Therefore, they are able to find their way around the province’s restrictions. No matter if you stick to a local site or a Kahnawake reserve territory site, we recommend avoiding any offshore gaming sites as they are not authorized by the Canadian government.
2. Product Differences
In general, you won’t find too much variety across the many online casinos in Canada. Most will be offering action on all major sports, including American football, soccer, basketball, hockey, and golf, more. However, you may find differences in terms of the selection of online slot games, table games, bonuses, and payment policies.
The gaming library will largely depend on the gaming developer and provider each casino has partnered with. And the bonuses and the deposit and withdrawal policies will also be unique to each casino. That is why we strongly recommend browsing each online casino before you choose — it’s better to take in all the information before making a financial commitment.
3. Testing Is An Option
Unbeknownst to most folks, online casinos in Canada offer players the ability to test casino games without wagering any money. Additionally, it’s free to sign up and create an account (meaning no initial deposits are required).
If you’re an avid gamer or new to online gaming altogether, it’s best to round out your product research by testing free versions of the casino games to make sure you will want to invest your time and money at a particular casino.
4. Always Read The Terms & Conditions
As stated above, not all payout and deposit policies are equal across the many online casinos in Canada. It’s imperative that you educate yourself on the casino’s policies.
Online casinos typically have a terms and conditions page and/or a FAQ page that clearly outlines all the requirements, banking options, and bonus policies. You should take the time to read the terms and conditions to understand how long withdrawals can take if there are any fees, and how you can go about claiming bonuses.
When in doubt, most online casinos have live chat features to communicate with real-live customer support agents. Or, have a general phone or email address to reach support if you have any questions.
5. New Player Bonuses
It’s virtually industry standard for an online casino in Canada to offer new players some sort of new sign-up incentive. Casinos offer bonuses as a marketing tactic to attract new players, keep players, and compete with one another.
Before choosing your next online casino, we encourage you to look at the various new sign-up bonuses across the online casinos in your province. Many will offer a deposit match bonus and/or offer you free bets or slot play. Once you sign up, you’ll surely receive more and more bonus offers from the casino.
