Online Gambling in Canada – Choose the Best Destination
Like you, we want to play at the online gambling destinations in Canada that will provide us with the best online and mobile experiences we want. Being a team of knowledgeable Canadian players, we, at MapleSlot, know that no two casinos on the web are created equal. Some focus more on promotions, others focus more on games, while others make customer experience their top priority.
As a Canadian online gambling authority, one of our missions is to help you to find the best casino(s) that suits your expectations as a player. Here, we’ll guide you toward the most ideal Canadian iGaming destinations!
JackpotCity
-
play 700+
games -
Fast
Payments -
live
dealer -
mobile
friendly
$1600
LeoVegas
- play 800+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$1000
Casiplay
- play 500+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$1000
Royal Vegas
- play 700+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$1200
Spin Palace
- play 450+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$600
Dunder
- play 1000+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$600
Ruby Fortune
- play 459+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$750
Casumo
- play 850+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$500
888
- play 200+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$88
Royal Panda
- play 400+
games - Fast
Payments - live
dealer - mobile
friendly
$500
Our Ratings – How we Choose the Best Online Gambling Sites in Canada
Gambling online should always be taken seriously, even if your only goal is to have a good time. Although you might not be in control of the outcome of a game, MapleSlot believes that when you gamble on your desktop or mobile phone, you should always be in control of your experience when it comes to playing in a safe, secure, fair, fun and inclusive environment.
For this reason, we’ve made sure that all the casinos we review and recommend to you are among the best in the business. As we are a team of experienced and dedicated players and industry enthusiasts, we have high standards and analyze, judge and rate online gambling sites based on those standards.
More specifically, here’s how we rate online gambling experiences at Canada casinos:
Welcome Offers & Promotions
One of the most thrilling aspects of joining a casino is being able to take advantage of all the rewarding perks, including new player welcome offers, ongoing promotions, loyalty rewards, VIP offers, tournaments, etc. All the casinos we rate and recommend have excellent promotional systems.
A Dynamic Range of Premium Games
The best iGaming brands should provide an array of the best and latest instant-play (no download) games for desktop and mobile. These games should cover a number of different categories including slots, progressive jackpots, table games, card games, live casino games and more. Beyond that, entertainment should be supplied by industry-respected software providers like Microgaming, NetEnt, WMS, Play’n GO, Yggdrasil, Evolution Gaming, and so on. We make sure the casinos we recommend provide a dynamic game variety to suit the tastes of all types of players.
Swift Banking from Trusted Payment Providers
Making quick deposits and timely withdrawals are an important part of gambling on the web, so is making those deposits and withdrawals with trusted banking solutions. The casinos we recommend not only offer different types of payment methods (e.g. credit/debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfer, etc.), but also top choice online gambling Canada payment providers like Interac and INSTADEBIT.
Dependable Support
When you need to get in touch with support, there shouldn’t be long wait times. Your questions and concerns should be answered as soon as possible. Many of the online casinos we recommend to our fellow Canucks have 24/7 support. Even those that don’t still have support that runs 7 days a week with several hours of open operation, making it easy for you to get in touch via email and live chat, at the very least. We also believe that FAQs are an important part of any support system.
Security, Fairness & Responsibility
You should always feel confident and secure, no matter what Canada gambling option you choose. For this reason, we will only recommend brands to you that are legal, regulated, meet the minimum industry-standard security protocols (e.g. 128-bit SSL encryption), operate a fair gaming environment, have transparent terms and conditions, and adhere to responsible gambling practices.
Online Gambling in Canada
Canadians love to gamble. Be it professionally, as a hobby or just for fun, playing the slots, blackjack, roulette, poker, scratch tickets, the lottery and so much more, has been a part of Canada’s culture for years. When online gambling debuted, this only made playing games of chance all the more popular.
When Did Gambling Start in Canada?
Gambling in our great nation has a long history that began far before the first settlers from Europe set foot on the land that would become known as Canada.
Thousands of years before John Cabot arrived somewhere on our East Coast in June of 1947, Canada’s Indigenous peoples engaged in a game known as “Slahal.” While the object of the game was to best your opponent using sticks and bones, it has also been said that the game had spiritual and community significance.
That said, upon Cabot’s arrival, he and his crew regularly gambled with playing cards. Furthermore, many of the gambling games that were popular in Europe at the time were played by the settlers and passed down through the generations.
The first legal commercial casino in Canada opened in Winnipeg in 1989 and was followed by a second legal commercial casino in Montreal in 1993. Today, there are several land-based casinos throughout the country and numerous overseas internet gambling destinations that welcome Canadian players.
Advantages of online gambling in Canada
There are a number of exciting advantages for Canadians who choose to gamble online. Some of these top advantages are:
- Play anytime and anywhere – in bed in your pjs or on the bus on your way to work
- Gain access to hundreds of games instantly from your web browser without downloading software
- Enjoy gambling entertainment on your desktop, mobile or tablet
- Demo/practice games for fun without making real money bets
- Play progressive jackpot games that give you the chance to become a millionaire
- Claim promotions that can help you take your playing further on the casino’s nickel
- Choose from a variety of banking options
- Take part in free loyalty/VIP programs to gain access to exclusive perks
- Comfortably stick to your budget and play at whatever stake level you want
Benefits for Canadian players
What types of benefits can you expect if you choose to gamble at a Canada-friendly online casino? Check these out:
Play with CAD – You can deposit, play, win and withdraw funds in Canadian dollars (CA$).
Local payment methods – Many casinos that welcome Canadians provide us with payment methods we know and trust including Interac, INSTADEBIT, Visa, Mastercard, etc.
Multilingual sites – English and French may be the official languages of Canada, but there are many Canadians in our wonderful country who speak a variety of languages. It is not uncommon for casinos to offer their content (and even their support) in a variety of languages beyond English.
24/7 support – It doesn’t matter your time zone or what time of the day or night you want to play when around-the-clock support is available.
Special promotions – Certain promotions, including both welcome offers and ongoing promos, are designed only for Canadian players.
Different Types of Casino Online Gambling Sites
Looking for the perfect Canadian online casino, but not sure how to narrow down your options? Let us help you decide. We’ve created several categories to assist you in your hunt for the top internet gambling thrills in Canada. Check it out!
Top Canadian Casinos
Wondering which online casinos are the gambling sites in Canada rated the highest among Canadians? Get the answer here. Discover the cream of the crop in the industry that keep us coming back for more CA thrills.
New Canadian Casinos
Here’s where you’ll find a list of the best online gambling sites in 2020. These are the newest brands to hit the industry or to open their digital doors to Canadian players. If it’s a fresh experience you’re after, these newbie sites are certain to thrill!
Best Bonus Casinos
Is one of your greatest pleasures claiming a new player welcome offer? Perhaps you like to take advantage of all the ongoing promotions, or the loyalty or VIP programs? Players seeking to make their experience more gratifying with all the extra perks will find the casinos offering the best bonuses and offers here.
Live Casinos
Love the idea of taking part in an interactive, real-world casino table or card game online? You can get the best of both worlds at the online casinos listed on this page. All of them provide you with several variants of Live Blackjack, Live Poker, Live Baccarat, Live Roulette and Live Money Wheel games, broadcasted in HD from premium land-based gambling studios in real time, 24/7 and with professional human croupiers.
Real Money Casinos
If you want the chance to scoop up some big cash wins, including the chance to try your luck at winning multi-million Canadian dollar jackpots, online gambling for real money casino destinations are the place to play. The brands on this page are home to the best real money games available to those of us from the true north strong and free.
Free Play Casinos
Hoping to play the latest and most popular slots and casino games without having to risk your hard-earned Canadian bucks? This is the page that will put you in touch with all the top Canada casinos that offer games in free play/demo mode, giving you the chance to try out some of the industry’s top titles risk-free!
Fastest Payout Casinos
Which casinos offer you the fastest deposits and withdrawals? Find out here. Not all casinos offer the banking solutions that will let you cashout your winnings with quick ease. The brands in this list offer the swiftest solutions, so you can spend more time playing and less time waiting for your funds to process.
No Wagering Casinos
Playing at fully transparent no-nonsense casinos is important to many Canadian players. If you find wagering requirements to be a real bummer, what you need is to play at a destination where wagering requirements don’t exist. In other words, there’s no bonus stipulations holding you back from claiming your winnings. Sound good? Check out this page!
Mobile Casinos
Enjoying playing on the go? Canada mobile casinos are for you! These casinos are not only compatible and fully optimized for a variety of mobile web browsers, but they’ve also got mobile apps for iOS and Android. Find the best iGaming experience for your iPhone or Android smartphone here.
As you can see, when it comes to casinos in the word of online gambling there are plenty of exciting options!
Gambling on Mobile
More and more players in Canada prefer gambling online via their mobile device. Although the most popular devices are those powered by Android and iOS, if you happen to own a Blackberry or Windows Phone, no worries! You can often enjoy a stellar mobile casino experience on these smartphones, too.
What to expect from mobile gambling
Mobile gambling typically uses HTML5 technology. This ensure that if you access the casino site from your mobile browser, all the available games are adapted to fit your screen. The casino lobby and games are touch-enabled, allowing you to easily touch, tap and swipe to make deposits, claim promotions, play games, etc.
Today’s mobile casinos are instant-play, with some casinos offering native apps for Android and iOS. No matter the platform you choose, you can expect seamless gameplay, a user-friendly interface, easy navigation and the chance to play all types of games from slots and jackpots to virtual table games and live casino thrills.
Supported mobile operating systems
Apple iOS – Enjoy gaming on-the-go with your iPhone or iPad and easily access casino fun via your mobile browser. If an app is available, you will find it for free in the Canadian App Store.
Android – Got a Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, HTC phone, or Kind Fire Tablet? All are online gambling compatible. Beyond the mobile browser option, if an app is available, your only option as a Canadian player will be to download it directly from the casino’s site. Unfortunately, currently at Canada’s Google Play Store, online gambling real money apps are not available.
Blackberry – Blackberry Priv and Bold Touch 9900 will let you enjoy a quality iGaming experience. That said, don’t expect to find a Blackberry casino app.
Windows Phone – Just like Blackberry, there is not casino app for Windows Phone. However, you can enjoy instant play mobile fun with devices like the Surface Pro and Microsoft Lumia 640 XL.
Online Gambling Laws in Canada
“Is online gambling legal in Canada?” is one of the most common questions asked by Canadians. The simple answer is yes. Since 1985 the federal government gave each of Canada’s province its own control over how gambling is conducted within them. In other words, each region has control over its gambling laws.
However, to this day, the Criminal Code of Canada declares it illegal to run a betting house or to be found in one. Since it’s not easy to apply such an ancient law to online gambling businesses without additional clarification, online gambling is not considered illegal. This, coupled with the fact that our country doesn’t have a single gambling regulator, leaves Canada in an unregulated, also known as a “grey,” online gambling jurisdiction.
That being said, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which was created in 1996 by the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, which is located just outside of Montreal, offers a loophole within the Canadian Criminal code that allows a great number of legal gaming sites to operate and allow Canadians to play online without issue.
Additionally, British Columbia is the first province to launch a fully legal Canadian online casino. The site, which went live in 2012, offers slots, table games and poker, but only to residents of British Columbia.
With the exception of the B.C. online casino, all other online gambling real money Canada casinos are offshore sites, meaning that they are hosted in other countries.
Until Canadian gambling laws change, it is unlikely that Canadian players will see any change to the way that they engage in and enjoy remote gambling today, in the near future.
Responsible Gambling in Canada
While Canada may not have an all-encompassing official set of country gambling rules and regulations, our nation does have organizations designed to help individuals who have a problem with gambling or who are concerned about someone who does. There is help available in every province.
For instance, some of these helpful organizations include:
Play.Smart – Beyond providing gambling tips and information to players, Play.Smart provides a detailed section on how to find help if gambling should become a problem for you or someone you care about.
Gamblers Anonymous Montreal – This organization has a dedicated hotline, frequently hosts meetings that can be attended and offers other support.
CAMH – Problem Gambling – The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has a site dedicated to problem gambling and provides self-help tools, support for families and a 24/7 helpline.
The bottom line is that there is help available in Canada should you ever need it. Regardless of whether it is you or someone else who has a problem, know that you’re not alone.
Online Gambling FAQ
Is online gambling legal in Canada?
Yes. It is legal to gamble online in Canada. There is no law that officially forbids it. That being said, Canada is an unregulated (“grey”) online gambling market due to our federal government not having outlined any specific laws and regulations that apply to our country as a whole.
Is online gambling taxable in Canada?
No. Currently there is no taxation placed on gambling winnings for Canadians. The only exception is if you are a professional gambler. In this case your winnings would be taxed because they are considered your income.
Are online gambling sites safe?
Yes. As long as the site is legally licensed and regulated by a legitimate and recognized jurisdiction in the remote gambling industry, such as the Malta Gaming Authority, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, etc., the casino must adhere to the rules and laws of the governing body. This requires the casino to follow certain legal gambling guidelines to ensure player safety, fairness and responsibility.
Is online gambling available on mobile?
Yes! Just about every site is mobile compatible these days. Some offer apps for Android smartphones and tablets as well as iPhone and iPad. That said, all mobile casinos can be accessed from your mobile web browser, including other devices like Blackberry and Windows Phone.
Can I gamble with Canadian funds?
Yes! Most sites that welcome Canadian players support our currency so you can expect to play with the Canadian dollar.
What is the best online gambling site?
The best site is the one that provides you with the promotions, games and services that deliver the type of playing experience you want. Check out the online casinos we recommend to help you find your perfect match!
JackpotCity
$1600
LeoVegas
$1000+122 Free Spins
Casiplay
$1000
Royal Vegas
$1200
Spin Palace
$600+200 Free Spins
