Online gambling in Canada
Ranking for Canada in 2021
Our team of experts has established a comprehensive list of the best online casinos available to players from Canada. Our ranking system includes criteria such as the welcome offer, the game providers, the deposit and withdrawal methods, the customer service, the promotion, and loyalty program. We personally review each casino and yes – we make a test deposit in each brand out of own pocket. You have to give in order to get, right?
We review new casinos as soon as they are live and available for play so if you want to be up to speed with the new operators on the market – make sure to subscribe to our newsletter!
How We Rate a Brand
First and foremost, we review online casinos from a Canadian player’s perspective. This includes highlighting what features and services are available in Canada. Due to laws and regulations, all casinos may not have a full offering in Canada, nor are all the global payment options available to Canadian players. The team behind Supremacy Casinos are avid players and long-term industry experts, and we know all the ins and outs, armed with a lot of knowledge. We know how to recognize an unfair casino and help you find the best ones. With a booming online casino industry in Canada, it can be difficult to decide where to play next. Our goal is to provide you with honest and independent casino reviews to make your decision a little easier.
What Are the Most Popular Online Gambling Games in Canada?
Picking the best games to play in an online casino comes down to your personal preference. What kind of player you are. The best casino game is the one that you like to play the most. In this section, we will generalize and mention what casino games are most popular among the majority of all players.
Slot Games
In online casinos, the most popular type of game is slots. In every online casino in Canada, you will find that the offering is mostly made up of slots games. In slots, you bet on the random outcome of a spin, it is that simple There are several reels with symbols and the goal is to get as many matching symbols as possible to win and to unlock game features such as bonus rounds.
Blackjack
Blackjack can be played in different versions online, from fully digital variants where you play in a graphical interface similar to slots, to Live Blackjack. This is the most immersive version of Blackjack you can find online. This game includes a real blackjack table, including decks of cards that are dealt with by a real-life dealer. The setup is live-streamed to your device (desktop or mobile), where you interact with the table, the dealer and other players through a graphical user interface. Play at the same rate as in a land-based casino and get a social gaming experience in the online casino.
Roulette
Same as with Blackjack, Roulette can be played in different versions online – a digital and a Live Roulette version. Live Roulette is played in real-time on a real table – a wooden roulette wheel managed by a real-life dealer. Everything is live-streamed in high-definition to your gaming device, where you interact with the game through a graphical user interface. There are many popular versions of traditional Roulette (European, French and American), such as the popular Lightning Roulette from Evolution.
Mobile Gambling in Canada
The widespread use of mobile devices and the evolution of mobile gaming has improved the user experience provided by online casinos in Canada. It is both easy and fun to play casino games from mobile and tablet devices. Any online casino that we recommend on this site will have a fully compatible mobile version of their site. Some even have a dedicated native app available on iOS and Android, which further enhances the mobile experience in terms of performance and navigation. Together with online casino operators, all software providers are working hard to adapt all games to the mobile screen. All modern sites will have most of their games available on mobile. However, you will come across some games that are desktop-only. Most often, these are Flash-based games that are not supported by mobile devices.
Available Payment Methods for Canadian Players
All our recommended casinos have partnered up with reliable payment processors that operate globally. However, many payment processors widely available in Canada are not necessarily available when it comes to online gaming transactions. One such example is PayPal who has a policy against casino transactions within the jurisdiction of Canada. So while you may see PayPal as an option when you first visit the site, this does not mean that you as a Canadian player can use it. It just means that PayPal is available in other jurisdictions where the casino operates. To make it easier, we have compiled a list of available payment methods, sorted in alphabetical order, not taking popularity into account:
- Astropay
- Bank Transfer
- Citadel
- Crypto (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple)
- eCheck
- EcoPayz
- iDebit
- Interac
- InstaDebit
- Jeton
- Maestro
- MasterCard
- MuchBetter
- Neosurf
- Paysafecard
- Trustly
- Visa
- Webmoney
Safety and Reliability of Online Casinos in Canada
Unless you only want to play free slots, we assume that you would deposit money at some point using any of the payment methods outlined above. When transferring money to a platform, you want the platform to be secure. Playing in an online casino means that you will have to provide both private and financial information, agreeing that the casino operator can access, manage and store this information. With this in mind, security and peace of mind become a factor when playing in online casinos.
Gaming Licenses
The first point of action for a business looking to provide online casino services is to obtain a gaming license. Gaming licenses are issued by independent regulatory bodies that have a rigorous legal framework that outlines what and how an online casino can and should operate. The legal framework is made and updated in accordance with governing laws. The main aspects of gaming licenses are safeguarding players by having responsible gaming measures implemented, a good financial standing to guarantee payouts, tools to combat illegal activities, and providing a fair and secure gaming platform.
There are multiple licensing bodies available worldwide. The three most common in Canada are the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority and the Curaçao Gaming Control Board (read more on the comparison between these 3 licenses).
According to licensing guidelines, every licensed casino operator needs to display information about their license/s at the bottom of their site’s pages. All casinos recommended by Supremacy Casinos are fully licensed and regulated.
Safety and Fairness
As part of licensing compliance, all games have to be fair, with an equal chance of winning for all players. Additionally, some online casinos in Canada employ independent third-party agencies that certify games for fairness. The two most common testing agencies are eCOGRA and iTech Labs who provide a seal of certification in casinos that work with such testing agencies.
Online casinos also employ the latest technology when it comes to securing their platforms. You will find that all Supremacy Casino-approved sites have the latest encryption protocols like Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and work with payments security standards like the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). All the platform infrastructure is running safely on servers protected by the latest firewall technology. Software to power the casinos is only provided by the most trusted and renowned game providers globally.
Responsible Gaming
Responsible gaming is a broad concept that covers policies and requirements that online casino operators have to adhere to compact gambling addiction. Very few players develop a serious gambling problem. Nonetheless, it is a serious issue and a focal point for licensing requirements and lawmakers. Playing in casinos should be a fun activity with the upside of being able to win money. It should never be seen as a means to generate an income. As soon as you playing casino games online becomes an issue for your relationship, work or financial status – then you have a problem. Online casinos in Canada need to actively combat gambling addiction by implementing various tools and policies to safeguard players and help players to stay in control of their gambling.
Canadian Gambling Laws and Taxes
The situation around online gambling in Canada is unclear. In short, you are allowed to play in online casinos in Canada, and there is no need to tax on your winnings. The more complex answer is that companies are not allowed to operate online casinos in Canada. The paradox is that foreign off-shore companies are allowed to operate online casinos that Canadian players can access and play in. There is also the Kahnawake native reserve in Canada, where many game servers are located legally due to specific laws making the nature reserve exempt from Canadian national laws. It is illegal for a Canadian business to operate an online casino, while it is perfectly legal for off-shore businesses to operate online casinos and accept Canadian players, and it is not illegal for Canadian residents to play in online casinos.
When it comes to taxes, as a regular player in an online casino playing at a leisurely level, you do not have to pay taxes. Even if you hit a multi-million dollar progressive jackpot, you won’t have to pay taxes on that money. However, if you identify yourself as a full-time professional gambler who earns their income from playing in casinos, then you need to pay taxes. In that case, you will be taxed as if you were a freelancer.
FAQ Online Gambling in Canada
What is the Legal Age for Online Gambling in Canada?
The legal age to gamble online as permitted by law varies depending on what province you are in. 18 and over in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. 19 and over in all other provinces of Canada.
What is the Best Online Casino in Canada?
Considering that we value safety, trust and reliability above all else, we would have to say JackpotCity. They have been offering their online casino site since 1998 and provide all players with a safe and fun environment.
Can I Play Slots for Free?
All the casinos we have come across offer players and visitors a chance to play slots for free. Some sites may require that you create an account before you can play slots in free-to-play mode.
What Canadian Banks Allow Online Gambling?
Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto-Dominion Bank and the Royal Bank of Canada.
The Different Casino Bonuses and How They Work
Generally speaking, there are a few types of bonuses and they don’t differ much from one casino to another. What is completely depending on each casino brand, is at which point of the player journey those bonuses are offered.
When to select a bonus?
Welcome offer – their purpose is to attract your attention as a new visitor on the brand and hopefully convert you to be their customer
Loyalty Rewards – bonuses issued along your lifetime with a casino. They are added as an incentive to keep you playing with a brand, with the thinking that if you are happy there, you won’t look elsewhere. This is common practice in any industry and if executed correctly, one of the best ways to keep your customers happy (aside from the most obvious and most important part, having a quality product, to begin with)
What are the bonus types?
Match bonus: Match bonuses can be anywhere from 25% to 200% and this basically means that on a deposit you make, you will receive the percentage as an extra bonus. Example: a welcome offer with a 100% match bonus, if you deposit $50, you will receive another $50 in bonus = $100 to play with!
Match bonuses can be offered as a welcome offer but also along your journey with the casino, however, the generous % offers, like 100% or more are usually only offered in the Welcome Offer package. One con of match bonuses, is that the terms and conditions most often tie both your deposit and bonus, so you would be unable to withdraw any funds before completing the wagering requirements.
Free spins – are probably the most popular bonus amongst players, mostly due to the fact that they do not put any restrictions on your deposited money, like the example we gave for Match bonuses above. Free Spins can be offered as a free bonus without the need to deposit or they can be offered as an incentive for a deposit. They are usually offered on a specific slot, like Mega Moolah, but sometimes they can be used on a group of slot games, usually from the same game provider. Free spins almost never come without wagering requirements.
No deposit bonuses – a no deposit bonus is often, much like the Match bonus, offered both as an incentive for new customers to join the casino as well as a part of the loyalty bonus program. Although a no deposit bonus on registration is not common practice, it is possible to come across and 888Casino are a known brand for their no deposit offers on registration.
No deposit bonuses can be either a bonus amount or free spins, either way, they rarely come without wagering conditions unless you have reached a high enough level in a casino’s VIP program.
Loyalty bonuses – those are bespoke bonuses, which casinos arrange for players based on their level of gameplay and loyalty. It’s safe to generalize here and say that the longer you stay with a brand, the more and better offers you will receive. Bespoke bonus offers are a very common practice amongst online casinos so the competitiveness between the different brands results in pretty great offers for us, the players! Loyalty bonuses can be anything from Free Spins to great % Match bonuses, to No deposit bonuses.