Best Online Casinos Canada
25 Top Gambling Sites in Canada 2024
The methodology used by the experts has been globally acclaimed and in early 2019, a group of Japanese delegates visited Canada to study the country’s approach in gambling addiction treatments, which speaks volume of social responsibility awareness.
However, not all are equally impressed with the state’s level of concern, and some would even say that certain provinces are taking things too far. In July 2019, the Toronto Parks, Forestry, and Recreation Division deemed it necessary to ban any exchange of funds in bingo games played across the recreation centres for senior citizens. The ban was later lifted but the stakes were limited to $0.25, and while many considered the new regulations to be no more than a formality, an incident that occurred in late August 2019 proved that the local authorities mean business.
After receiving an anonymous tip-off, members of the police force barged inside the Scarborough Village Recreation Centre in Toronto and stopped a bingo game session played with a CA$1.25 buy-in. The things got heated, and the local mayor had to intervene, requesting all future investigations related to high-stake bingo games to be suspended.
Online gambling is not under the same kind of scrutiny, and while the online casino operators trying to break into the Canadian market must obtain the local licence, there are no unreasonable limitations that could potentially lead to a police raid.
Software Developers Powering Canada-Oriented Online Casinos
The increased level of social responsibility and concern for the fellow-citizens has not negatively affected the gaming offer. There are plenty of software developers that partner with online casinos available to German players, including GiG Games, International Gaming Technology (IGT), and Play’n GO.
GiG Games – Gaming Innovation Group or GiG was launched in 2017 and it operates across the UK, Malta, Germany, Sweden, etc. Apart from casinocanada.me and sports betting software, GiG also supplies B2B solutions and the iGaming platform that integrates multiple payment providers, more than 3,000 games, and 30+ providers. Book of Souls and Popstar are GiG’s best-known slots.
International Game Technology (IGT) – founded in 1975, IGT has grown into a leading gaming software provider and the first company to introduce a progressive jackpot network to Canada markets. IGT’s progressive slot system PowerBucks is available in 30 locations across all the state’s provinces, recording the highest slot payout in the country’s history – over $2M, triggered in July 2019. Triple Diamond, Siberian Storm, and Wolf Run are other popular IGT games.
IGT’s contribution to gambling industry has been acknowledged many times; in February 2019, the developer received Top-Performing Video Poker Award for Ultimate X Poker, Top-Performing New Cabinet – Premium Award for MEGATOWER, Top Performing Third Party IP Branded Game Award for Fortune Gold Spin Triple Red Hot 7s, and Lottery Product of the Year award. All the awards were presented at the Eilers-Krejcik Slot Awards Show, with the exception of Lottery Product of the Year, which IGT representatives accepted at the International Gaming Awards in London.
Play’n GO was established in 2005 by Digital Fish AB, a Swedish-based gaming company present on the market since 1997. Software developed by Play’n GO is tested by BMM Test Labs and Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), and the provider’s gaming portfolio consists of slots, RNG table games, scratch games, keno, bingo, and video poker. Hugo and Rich Wild & Book of Dead are Play’n GO’s top-performing releases.
Top Gaming Choices in Canada-Oriented Online Casinos
Card and table games are often the number one choice of both the land-based casino patrons and online players. Online casinos have also recorded a large volume of traffic around the sports betting markets, especially the ones related to Soccer, Hockey and Basketball.
Live Tables – preferably baccarat, roulette, and blackjack, although live poker tournaments are taking the lead with the younger generations of players.
Slots – an obvious choice, especially considering millions of dollars that one can win on a single progressive jackpot slot spin.
Bingo – despite the recent police efforts to crack down on high-limit bingo, the enthusiasts have managed to persevere, and the game is immensely popular even with the millennials.
Popular Payment Methods in Online Casinos for Canada Players
The ongoing evolution of the Canadian gambling industry resulted in an increased number of payment services that can be used for funding online casino accounts. Consequentially, Canada-friendly online casino operators met the market demands, enabling the locals to deposit via Interac, iDebit, and Instadebit.
Interac was founded in 1984, in Canada, soon becoming a leading domestic online banking payment service. It registers around 16 million daily payments, conducted through the company’s multiple brands: Interac Cash, Interac Debit, Interac Online, Interac e-transfer, etc. Interac was the first Canadian payment service to endorse Apple Pay in 2016, and it currently supports around 250 financial institutions. The users can even set up an Autodeposit feature, which speeds up the payment process. For the time being, Interac is limited to Canadian residents only.
iDebit targets users from Canada, but is also available in the UK, USA, Sweden, and Australia. It is primarily designed to meet the requirements of online casino players who need a safe and reliable payment option. Essentially, it is the same as Interac – the users pay for services directly from their bank accounts and the sensitive information is SSL encrypted. Setting iDebit account is free – alternatively, one can submit the payment as a guest user, but the process is faster if the registration is completed.
Instadebit is yet another service that acts as a mediator between the service provider and the consumer. To use it, one must set up an account, which can be done during the initial transaction. The required information includes the account holder’s social security number, bank account details, and the financial institution number (obtained by the bank). The transaction processing fees range from C$1.95 to C$2.00 if the money is pulled straight from the user’s bank account, while payments from Instadebit balance do not incur any fees.
Apart from the ones listed above, players from Canada also use Ecopayz, Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, and payment cards (Paysafecard, Visa, MasterCards…).
Canada Online Casino Bonuses
When it comes to claiming casino bonuses, Canada is usually not on the list of restricted territories, but this has been known to happen. It should be noted that some of the payment methods can prevent the casino members from claiming the bonuses – Skrill and Neteller deposits can occasionally void the welcome offer, and it is always recommendable to check the bonus Terms & Conditions before proceeding with the payment.
Canada-friendly casinos often customize their promotions, releasing the funds in CAD, which eliminates the need to use conversion services. Deposits match and free spins bundles are the most common form of welcome offers, whereas those who already claimed the sign-up deal can take advantage of the casino’s ongoing promotions with free spins, reloads, and cash prizes. The most loyal members are usually rewarded with comp points which can be converted into more bonuses or cash.