The casino industry in Canada has been shaped by the scale and diversity of the country, as well as by changes and developments in technology. The most dramatic changes in the industry have always followed a new piece of legislation that altered how accessible casino gambling was for the population. The most recent major change entailed opening up the way for legal online casino gambling in each of the provinces.
The experts at AskGamblers Canada track the casino market and evaluate online casinos based on a variety of performance criteria. Using guides like this is a great way for non-experts to get a quick overview of how the industry currently stands before doing a more serious, deep dive into the market.
This article will discuss how the casino industry in Canada has reshaped over the years, with a particular focus on how the iGaming industry has driven much of that change. It will finish by looking at some of the leading online casinos to paint a picture of what the current casino landscape in Canada looks like.
Early years
Gambling and games of chance have been a part of Canadian culture for a long time. Early French and British settlers brought their favourite card and dice games with them. Horse racing was also a part of the culture from the earliest days. We also can’t forget the traditional games of chance of the various First Nations peoples.
No stories of the frontier days would be complete without mentioning the card houses and gambling saloons that dotted the West as people moved there looking for opportunities, gold or adventure. In those days, there were few regulations, and those that existed were nearly impossible to enforce consistently. Port cities like Victoria and Vancouver, which had plenty of card rooms and saloons, catered to travelers as they passed through.
As the country became more established and formalised, the rules governing gambling became more strict. By 1892, the freshly independent country of Canada decided that gambling was no longer going to be legal. Across the country, all forms of gambling were immediately banned. Some changes followed fairly quickly, though – in 1901, charitable gambling and lotteries were legalised, and the legalisation of horse racing followed in 1910.
Regardless of the legal status, people have always found ways to play a few hands of cards or place bets on big games. As the 20th century progressed, the government realised that a lot of potential tax revenue from casino gambling was being lost without any real positive impact.
Recent developments
In the 1960s, gambling in Canada entered a more modern era when lotteries were legalized. This was followed in 1985 by the federal government’s decision to amend the criminal code to allow each province to regulate gambling. This was the change that gave the Canadian casino industry a massive boost.
Immediately after this change, provinces began to pave the way for casino gambling. In 1990, Winnipeg’s Crystal Casino held the honour of being the first in this wave of new casinos to open its doors to players. Alongside Manitoba, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta and Ontario all approved and launched casinos in the first few years of the 1990s. Some were small, urban casinos designed for local residents. Others, like the Casino de Charlevoix outside Quebec City, are resort casinos catering to tourists.
One of the defining features of Canada’s casino industry is the continued role of the government and the level of government involvement. In many countries, there is a regulatory body that oversees the casino industry, but private companies run all of the casinos for profit.
In Canada, each province has its own regulatory agency that oversees the casino industry. The big difference is that they also run the industry. Profits from casinos, sportsbooks, lotteries and other forms of legal gambling are then reinvested in the province. In B.C., for example, the revenue generated by the casino industry is returned to the provincial government, which then allocates these funds to support local communities, healthcare, education and other public services.
Some provinces, like Ontario, have provisions for both government and independent casinos. The same regulator oversees both. As casino gaming continued to grow in popularity at the same time as the internet was changing all of our lives, it was only a matter of time before the issue of online casinos would have to be addressed.
iGaming
Today, it is nearly impossible to imagine a world without the iGaming industry – online casinos have become so popular so quickly and have had such an impact on the traditional gambling industry and on players’ habits.
It took several years for the federal government in Canada to agree on how to proceed with regulating online gambling. For many years, there was a gray area when it came to iGaming – it wasn’t explicitly banned, but there were no procedures in place for obtaining a license. It was an uncomfortable position for players to be in, not knowing exactly where they could play online or if they could even play online at all.
In recent years, the federal government decided that, similar to land-based casinos, each province has the right to establish its own laws and regulations for online casinos. As a result, some provinces have chosen to allow only government-operated online casinos, while others permit both government-run and privately-owned online casinos.
Since Canada is also home to some of the world’s major tech and video game design hubs, the online casino industry in the country is flourishing and often leads the pack when it comes to game quality and usability of sites.
These online casinos can give some insight into what the casino industry in Canada currently has to offer. For those who remember what it was like in its earlier stages, they also offer a good point of comparison. Looking closely at today’s leading online casinos can also give Canadian developers and casino brands ideas of where to take the industry in the coming years.
Trada Casino
Trada Casino has a great library of games, including slots, table games, live dealer games, bingo and keno. Importantly, they have been fully audited by both Technical Systems Testing (TST) and iTech Labs, and their games have been proved fair. The site is optimised for mobile and desktop, though there is no app.
Customer support can be reached through the live chat service or email. Unlike many of their competitors, customer support is not available 24/7. Trada uses 128-bit SSL encryption throughout the site to protect their players.
Slotnite Casino
Slotnite has only been in operation since 2019, but their video game aesthetic has made them very popular. Their gaming library has over 1,000 titles and as the name suggests, most are slots. Customer support can be reached via live chat 24/7. Slotnite accepts an impressive array of deposit and withdrawal methods.
Casumo Casino
Casumo Casino is one of the most recognised independent names in online casinos. With over 2,000 games in their library, Casumo has something for every player. The majority of their games come from major providers, including NetEnt and Play’n GO. They offer players an array of responsible gambling tools, which is always reassuring to see.
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.
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