Playing at online casinos is a common pastime for people in many countries. Recent changes in the laws regulating online gambling in Canada has opened up the hobby to even more of the population. Players across the country can now enjoy playing at either government-run sites or at private online casinos that are licensed by the provincial authorities, depending on their province of residence.
Alongside the legitimate and reliable sites, there are also online casinos that advertise themselves to Canadian players despite not being safe or regulated. For those unfamiliar with the industry, it can be challenging to separate these risky sites from the secure ones.
A comprehensive review site like PlayCasinos.ca is a good place to start when looking for a reliable online casino in Canada. With Canada's regulated gambling market, these sites help players choose trustworthy platforms. For those concerned about guide sites being affiliated with the casinos they review, the important thing to keep in mind is that these sites rely on trust. They can only succeed if players trust them, so it’s in their best interests to recommend legitimate gambling sites.
Below is a short guide to help readers stay safe at Canadian online casinos, covering essential basics for choosing a secure platform. Additionally, brief reviews of several leading online casinos in Canada are included, offering insights into what to look for in a trustworthy site.
Verify licenses
Licensing is the first thing that you need to check before you consider making an account with an online casino. Every country has its own standards and gambling regulators. Some accept licenses from around the world, while others only accept their own licenses.
Canada is one of the countries that has its own licenses. Each province regulates online gambling within its borders. There isn’t one centralized regulator that a player can verify a casino license with, but each province provides a method for verifying licenses. In Ontario, iGaming Ontario has a full, searchable list of online gambling sites. British Columbia, on the other hand, has no licensed sites outside of the government-run platform.
The reason that licenses are so important is that they provide protection to players. Being licensed and overseen by a regulator means that the online casino must meet certain standards and is bound by local laws.
Check the games library
An online casino's games library can provide some indication of the site’s legitimacy. While the size of the library is a factor, the developers behind the games are even more important. Legitimate online casinos will offer games from established studios that are regularly audited for fairness and randomness.
Some online casinos will also have custom games or games that were designed by their in-house teams. As long as these games follow the same standards, it can be a positive for many players.
There are a ton of game studios working on slot machine games today. A few of the names that you will frequently see are Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Play’n Go, Red Tiger, Games Global (formerly Microgaming) and Evolution Gaming.
Use secure payment methods
The riskiest part of playing at online casinos is making a payment. Making online payments has become so normalized that we tend to forget that we are taking a very small risk every time we enter payment details on a site.
The best way to mitigate this risk is to only use secure payment methods. An online casino that is safe will only accept deposits and withdrawals made with trusted payment methods. The most commonly accepted, and trusted, methods include debit/credit cards, e-wallets, bank transfer and payment apps. When it comes to payment apps, stick with the ones that you’re familiar with, such as PayPal, Skrill or Neteller.
Many financial service providers now operate similarly to both banks and payment apps, though they aren’t technically either. These companies can be reliable, provided they are affiliated with a major financial institution.
Below are some of the recommended online casinos that Canadian players can use with confidence. Comparing these sites will give you an insight into what Canadian casinos have to offer so that you can choose the best casino for how you play.
Vulkan Vegas
Vulkan Vegas is an international casino that also caters to Canadian players by accepting payments from regional payment methods in CAD. They have a game library of 2,000 titles, with a focus on slots and live dealer games.
Customer support is available in both English and French. The welcome bonuses are generous but do have high wagering requirements attached. Whether this is worth it will depend on the player. Since it is an international site, not every promotion is available in every region. This wouldn’t be an issue except that unavailable promotions are still displayed.
20Bet Casino
If you like variety, 20Bet Casino could be perfect for you. They have nearly 7,000 games, which is one of the biggest libraries in the industry.
Along with the slots and table games, they have a selection of progressive jackpot games, live dealer games, bingo, keno, scratchcards and video poker.
The site isn’t the most user-friendly, which can make finding the ideal game a bit complicated and annoying. Customer support can be reached by live chat or email. There is an FAQ section as well, but it isn’t comprehensive enough.
BetOnRed Casino
BetOnRed Casino has a massive game library of over 4,000 titles. They haven’t sacrificed quality to achieve that quantity either. Their games are provided by studios such as Evolution Gaming, Yggdrasil and Red Tiger, as well as from up and comers like Spinomenal and Amatic.
Deposits and withdrawals can be made multiple ways, including using credit/debit cards, Neteller and Interac. The withdrawal limit is quite high, which is something players need to keep in mind. Customer support can be reached by email and is very efficient when responding.
DISCLAIMER: The information presented on this page/site is intended for entertainment purposes only. Please be aware that gambling entails inherent risks, and it's crucial to acknowledge this when utilizing online gambling platforms.
This sponsored content has been paid for by our sponsor and does not reflect the reviews and recommendations made by Times Colonist staff.
