Our online casino reviews form the backbone of Inside Casino. As a bare minimum, every casino that we evaluated in our online casino guide is one that we deem to be safe and reliable for Canadian players. Once this is established, we evaluate each operator according to key criteria including game collection, promotional variety, UX and design.
We like online casinos that are able to offer a well-rounded, compelling gaming experience. To this end, we’ll point out the best and weed out the worst, assigned ratings to each casino that we come across. Our reviews are unbiased and emphatic. Scroll down for further information about some of the things we look for in an online casino.
Casino games are where it’s at for gamers. Sure, it’s important to have a solid and reliable platform upon which to play them. But without an expansive range of titles, a casino will probably fail in the long term. So what makes for a great casino-gaming experience in 2021? Is it immersive graphics or an awesome soundtrack? Perhaps it’s more about in-game features such as scatters, wilds and free spin bonus side games. Whatever your preference, there’s every chance that you’ll find your ideal online casino game here at Inside Casino.
Classic Table Games
Pretty much all online casino websites offer classic bricks-and-mortar titles these days. These include the likes of baccarat, blackjack, poker and roulette. Our casino games section offers background info about each one as well as guides on how to play them. So what kind of classic games will you find on our site? Here’s a taster.
Blackjack
Blackjack is a popular comparing card game that’s offered by most casino websites. Playing against the house, your goal is to get as close to 21 as is possible without going bust. Also known as 21s, there are numerous variations to choose from such as Atlantic City Blackjack, European Blackjack and Premium Deck Blackjack.
Poker
Poker is one of the most widely-players card games in the world. Although Hold’em is by far the most popular, there are also other variants that attract a large number of players. These include Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, Badugi and Razz.
Roulette
Roulette is an iconic bricks-and-mortar game immortalized by movies like James Bond. As with other classic table games, roulette successfully made the leap from land-based establishments to computer browsers some time ago. Today, both standard and live roulette games are widely available. Some of the most common versions are classic roulette, double ball roulette, French roulette and European roulette.
Baccarat
Also known as Punto Banco, baccarat is a sophisticated casino game that also lends itself to online play. Basically, the aim is to obtain a hand with a value that’s as close to nine as is possible. Obviously, there’s a lot more to it than that, irrespective of the version that you decide to play. Top variations include Turbo Baccarat, Mini Baccarat and Single Player Baccarat.
Online Slots
Casino game portfolios in 2021 are dominated by online slots for the simple reason that they’re by far and away the most popular amongst players. At Inside Casino, you’ll find an extensive range of online slots from some of the biggest names in the industry including Netent, Microgaming and IGT. We conducted reviews of every single slot, such as Mega Moolah, looking at elements such as gameplay, bonus rounds and playability. For convenience, we group all of our slot games according to provider making it easy for you to find your favourite title.
When it comes to promotions and bonuses, it can sometimes be pretty hard to see the wood from the trees. The fiercely competitive nature of the casino industry in 2021 means that operators such as Jackpot City, Spin Casino and Zodiac Casino are constantly trying to find new ways to entice players. Deposit matches, bonus spins, no deposit bonus spins, cash-back and other such allurements are to be found across legions of websites.
The Small Print
Having such an abundant array of allurements at your fingertips often spells good news. Nevertheless, a degree of caution should be advised. Many of these offers are subject to pretty harsh stipulations such as wagering and such like. With this in mind, we scour the small print of every promotion that we come across and identify any caveats that you should be aware of. Knowledge is power after all.
Here are some of the most common promotions that we cover here at Inside Casino.
Welcome Promotions
This is the granddaddy of all casino allurements and aimed squarely at new players. Without new players, an online casino would fade into obscurity. So in most cases, an operator will do its very best to include a strong, competitive offer to attract floating gamers. It’s hardly ever a good sign if a casino isn’t able to offer a good sign-up bonus. More often than not, this indicates either a lack of financial resources or a flawed approach. Like many promos though, you’ve got to look out for wagering rules!
No Deposit Bonuses
These are among the most sought-after promotions among casino gamers. As the name indicates, they grant players a bonus without the requirement of any sort of deposit. All that’s usually required is an on-site action such as registration, newsletter signup, or, in some rare cases, a social media like. Understandably, the vast majority of no deposit bonuses are nowhere near as generous as match bonuses for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, they provide players with a great opportunity to try casino games for free.
Bonuses with No Wagering
Nobody likes play-through rules. Sadly, they’re a fact of life when it comes to online casino gaming. After all, it would be utter folly for an operator to offer promotions without any sort of wagering in place. But that’s not to say that such promos don’t exist. Although not as common as other incentives mentioned here, some casinos actually do offer wager-free incentives. As ever, we’ll do our best to locate the casinos that offer such highly-sought after allurements.
Payment Options
As far as we’re concerned, an online casino should furnish players with a wide variety of payment options. In our eyes, this does not mean that an operator should merely include VISA or MasterCard and have done with it. To meet changing playing habits such as gaming on the go, we think a casino website should also include newer online transaction services that allow for quick and easy deposits, such as Interac, iDebit, Instadebit, Neteller, Trustly, Paypal and Zimpler. And if a casino will insist on taking your money, it should also cough up when you’re owed winnings. These are all things we consider when writing our reviews. You’ll find further information about all of the major finance companies in our payment methods section.
Customer Support
We tend to look favorably on casino operators that feature comprehensive customer support sections. To us, this means multiple communication options. So in addition to an email address, we like to see live chat functionality, a postal address and ideally, an FAQ section. Nothing smacks more of an amateur operation than a sub-standard customer help suite. As a result, this is one particular area on which we place high importance when conducting our reviews of online casinos.
Licensing
As mentioned, every single online casino that features on our pages is one that we deem to be a safe and reputable casino for players in Canada in 2021. We also make sure that they hold a valid gambling license from a respected regulatory body to make sure they adhere to rules that protect the player. The regulatory body that issued each casino’s license will be listed in our reviews and also be shown in the footer of each casino site.
Site Design/UX
A casino’s website can offer massive clues about its entire MO. Just as a dilapidated high-street retailer will put off shoppers, a buggy website that looks ugly and dated will have players hitting the back button in a matter of milliseconds. Unsurprisingly then, we take site design very seriously. To us, a platform that looks polished and well put together offers plenty of positive signals. It should also operate flawlessly across all devices given how popular mobile gaming has become.
However, we’re aware that many white label casinos integrate identical or similar frameworks. Take Nektan casinos for example. These third party casinos operate on the Evolve platform which means their casino game lobbies look very similar. Accordingly, we take this into account when evaluating casinos. While we prefer those casinos that offer some variety, we do make allowances for operators that integrate similar software. With that said, we consider it a bonus, if you’ll pardon the pun when white label casino owners make some effort to customize their gambling platforms.
Software
Where would an online casino be without software? This is an area dominated by big-brands, some of which have practically become household names. The likes of Netent, Microgaming, Evolution and Quickspin are prime examples – these acclaimed providers have forged considerable reputations in a relatively short space of time and are respected throughout the industry. But there are plenty of smaller outfits that are no less innovative and are able to offer exciting online casino games. So we profile large and small companies. Needless to say all are properly certified and regulated.
VIP Schemes
VIP packages relate more closely to player experience than they do reputability. We recognize that there are plenty of quality online casinos without any sort of reward package for high-rollers. However, it’s often a good sign when an operator takes the time to reward its loyal customers.
VIP schemes differ between casinos and the networks upon which they run. In some cases, the ‘perks’ and ‘incentives’ are pretty miserly and don’t actually constitute any sort of benefit to the player whatsoever.
Additionally, some casinos often use ambiguous or nonsensical wording to disguise decidedly hum-drum VIP offerings. ‘Dedicated’ account management and ‘Exclusive email support’ are respective examples.
We therefore pay close attention to casinos that offer VIP packages and try getting the low-down on precisely what high-depositing players are entitled to. There are plenty of excellent packages available. We’ll help you find them!
Security
All of the casinos on Inside Casino must have some kind of SSL encryption in place. SSL, which is an acronym for ‘Secure Socket Layers’, encrypts the transfer of personal information making it next to impossible for bad actors to steal data. There are generally two kinds: 128bit and 256bit. Both offer robust levels of security and are absolutely crucial for any website that allows for online transactions. A padlock icon next to a website’s address signifies whether or not SSL encryption has been deployed. The site URL should also read ‘https’ instead of ‘http’. Don’t even think about providing personal or financial information on a casino without this kind of security.
For the latest information about industry developments in casino 2021, head over to our casino news section. In addition to analysis, we also provide game tips and advice that should give you a head start when playing casino games.
All that’s left for us to say is ‘good luck’. We hope that you will find Inside Casino useful and information. We’re constantly adding new content so be sure to check back regularly!
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