Online Gambling Canada
InsideCasino is your comprehensive resource for all of the best online gambling that Canada has to offer. Trust our expert reviews and in-depth guides to help you learn how to gamble online in Canada and find the perfect online gambling experience.
We review the best gambling sites in Canada
Finding the best gambling sites in Canada is not easy. As a player, you just want a good site to play at, without having to think of anything else. Having to trial multiple sites with real money, just to find one that has the qualities you’re looking for, is too tedious and expensive.
That is where we come in. Our team of gambling experts want safe, secure, and fun gambling just like you. We constantly test and review casino sites, sports betting sites and many other gambling sites with our own money, so you can easily find the gambling site that you like.
Explore online gambling sites
As online gambling sites in Canada spring up left and right almost every week, it’s become harder and harder to sift through the ever-growing market. To help you get started on your search, check out some of the options below to take you to our top picks for common gambling categories:
Top Casinos Online
Even among the biggest and most popular online casinos in Canada, there are still certain sites that rise above the rest. Our recommendations here represent our top picks from the top online casinos in Canada – the cream of the crop.
Real Money Casinos
Even today, there is still some confusion from players in Canada about which online casinos play with real money. We set the record straight here with our favourite real money casino sites.
Newest Casinos
While the tried and true brands are always solid choices to fall back on, many new casino faces in Canada’s gambling scene are coming up with a lot of fresh ideas that raise the bar for playing online. We’ve selected the most noteworthy new casino sites.
Live Casinos
The popularity of playing live casino has increased massively over the past few years. A lot of this is down to advances in technology, making it easy to play at a table with others from around the world, without any glitches.
Try online gambling games
Today, online casino games have evolved beyond just replicating the land-based gambling games they are based on. Now freed from the limitations of physical machines, gambling sites like the examples we have below take the concepts of these casino classics into bold new directions with dazzling graphics, immersive sound design, and fun and unique gimmicks.
Slots
Slot games are the bread and butter of gambling websites in Canada and feature a huge variety of themes that go beyond even the latest slot machines in land-based casinos.
Baccarat
Also known as Punto Banco, baccarat is a simple game that has players betting on which hand gets closest to 9 – or, if you’re feeling particularly lucky, on both hands ending in a tie.
Blackjack
Get a hand closest to 21 without going bust. Blackjack online takes this timeless game and adds new ruleset varieties, real-time multiplayer, and live dealers to spice up your gameplay on the go.
Poker
The online variant of the classic bluffing card game lets you try out strategies and hone your skills against other poker players from around the world, all in real time.
Roulette
Roulette is arguably the most popular gambling table games, that doesn’t involve cards. The advances in technology for this online game now makes it possible to play on the go, which makes it a big hit among players.
Bingo
The game of bingo was one of the first gambling games to hit the shores of Canada. Bingo games are popular with players of all ages and can be played alone or with friends, at home, at bingo halls or online.
Read casino reviews
Players find that online casino reviews are by far the easiest way to get a comprehensive impression of what it’s like to play on a casino site without paying a single dollar. We at InsideCasino pride ourselves on personally testing and reviewing casinos in Canada to find the best gambling sites that offer safe, fair and fun gambling experiences.
Gambling Picks
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Take advantage of Canadian casino bonuses
Many gambling sites in Canada that you will find today will have some sort of casino bonus or promotional offer. Depending on your preferences, there is bound to be a bonus that works best for you. Here are 3x of the best casino bonuses that are the most popular among players:
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Free spins are the best friend of every slot game enthusiast, and gambling sites in Canada are more than happy to compete to offer the best of these bonuses to players.
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A no deposit bonus that you can claim just by signing up? Not without a string or two attached. Check out our top picks for no deposit bonuses to better understand what to look out for.
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Arguably the most popular casino bonus in Canada, the match bonus (also called a deposit match bonus) gives you extra funds to extend your playing session.
Discover gaming providers in Canada
Games are the backbone of every online gambling site in Canada. From slots to blackjack and everything in between, all of the best gambling sites will host favourite games from the top game developers in the industry. Some of the most noteworthy examples are:
Evolution Gaming
Microgaming
IGT
Pragmatic Play
Netent
Light & Wonder
Playtech
Pariplay
Choose a top-notch gambling site
Finding a great online gambling site isn’t too hard, we’ve done that work for you already. But how do you choose a site that is not just good, but perfect for how you want to play? Below are a few things you would want to consider before you settle on a site.
Payment Options
Essential for any Canadian player who wants to gamble with real money. You would want your ideal online casino to have the casino payment methods that you use for both adding funds and cashing out.
Customer Support
Even if you consider yourself savvy when it comes to online gambling, issues can and do still arise. A gamble site should have fast and accessible customer support options to respond to and resolve any of your questions.
Licensing
As the core requirement of every gambling site we recommend to Canadians, having an active and valid gambling licence is one of the cornerstones of building trust with your players.
Gambling laws and regulations in Canada
Before anything else, let us ask the critical question: is online gambling legal in Canada?
As you might expect, the short answer is yes. You can freely gamble at any site online as long as you are of the legal gambling age in Canada (18 years old in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec; 19 years old everywhere else).
But every short answer has a lot of detail and nuance left out, and to understand that, we will need to dive into the gambling laws in Canada. We can break this down into two parts: federal laws and provincial laws.
Federal gambling laws
Federal laws on gambling in Canada can be found in sections 201 to 212 of the Canadian Criminal Code. Section 207 in particular states that gambling activities in Canada are legal if they are directly operated or otherwise approved by the provincial governments.
Provincial gambling laws
According to the Criminal Code, each of the provinces and territories of Canada can set their own gambling laws as they so please. And for most of the country, their rules are simply patterned after federal law without any major additions.
While this is fine for land-based casinos, online gambling in Canada falls into an awkward spot as there are no federal laws that say what you can and can't play online.
This makes Canadian online gambling a grey market because playing online is not illegal, but it also isn't formally regulated like it is in some other countries. Many of the best Canadian gambling sites are, in fact, run by offshore operators located in other jurisdictions.
However, this may not be the case for long. As of April 2022, Ontario has opened a regulated gambling market in its province, outlawing all gambling sites that are not regulated. Local Ontario online gambling can only be conducted by operators that obtain a licence first before they serve Canadian players in the province.
So is gambling legal in Canada? For the most part. As long as you play on licenced gambling sites, you shouldn't have too much of a problem.
Canadian gambling statistics
Canada is not only home to the Great White North, but is also one of the great focal points for the future of the global gambling industry. As one of the fastest-growing markets for online gambling, Canada has a lot going for it, and we’ve summed up some of its key numbers below:
Big Business:
Ontario’s newly-regulated gambling market reported a whopping C$4 billion of wagers placed by Ontarians in the first 3 months of the market’s opening in April 2022.
High Rollers:
On average, players in Canada spend over C$100 a month betting online.
Gambling Knows No Gender:
Online found fans in men and women in almost equal measure, with around 60% of women and around 70% of men reporting having gambled at least once past year.
Browse gambling news
The wild world of gambling online is always evolving over time as new trends and innovations come and go. Never is this more prominent than in Canada, which is going through a major explosion in the market. Stay tuned to the latest online gambling news and get up to date on all the latest happenings in the space.
Curacao lays out plans for sweeping gambling re-regulation
In a landmark move, the Curacao government has laid out plans to reform their gambling regulations. The Curacao Gaming Authority, the island nation's online real money gambling regulator, has long...
Oly Sport partners with Betswap.gg to host first Metaverse horseracing platform
Oly Sport, a virtual horseracing platform hosted on the Metaverse, has inked a landmark partnership with crypto gambling platform Betswap.gg (BSGG), marking the first horseracing NFT game launched on the...
DraftKings fined by AGCO over advertising failings
DraftKings is the latest gambling operator to be slapped with a fine by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario over violations in the province's advertising regulations. The sportsbook firm...
AGCO moves to plug loophole in self-exclusion system
Following the discovery of a loophole in the province's self-exclusion system, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has immediately moved to review and implement a policy fix. The loophole...
Online gambling pros & cons
Online gambling sites have made it easier than ever for Canadians to play their favourite games wherever and whenever they choose. But just like their land-based counterparts, even the best gambling sites in Canada have their own set of potential risks too, which is more often than not caused by this same convenience. If you aren't dead set on gambling online just yet, consider the pros and cons we've outlined below.
PROS
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✔️Unmatched convenience:
Online gambling truly embodies the spirit of “anytime & anywhere”. As long as you have a smartphone and a decent internet connection, you can play your favourite games at your convenience.
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✔️Spoiled for choice:
Ever find gambling is getting boring and need a change of pace? When playing online, switching to a new gambling website is just as simple as signing up. There are hundreds of options available in Canada.
CONS
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🚩Risk of overspending:
Funding your online gambling account might be super easy, but some might find it a bit too easy. When you gamble online, you will need to keep an eye on your spending a bit more strictly.
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🚩Rogue operators:
Not every gambling site in Canada is created equal. And there are some that unfortunately sour the online gambling market with bad practices. We at InsideCasino make sure to call these bad apples out so you know which casinos you should avoid.
Gambling in Canada FAQs
Is online gambling legal in Canada?
Yes, online gambling is legal in Canada, and you can choose to play at any online casino that is either operated by the provincial government or by offshore operators.
What is the minimum age to gamble in Canada?
The minimum age to gamble in Canada is 18 years old in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. The legal gambling age is 19 years old in the rest of the country.
Do you pay taxes on gambling winnings in Canada?
No, you do not pay any taxes on winnings you get from gambling in Canada.
Is it safe to gamble online?
It is safe to gamble online in Canada as long as you stick to reputable sites. Players can know if a gambling site is reputable if it has valid licences and gambling certification.
Is online gambling popular in Canada?
Online gambling has become very popular in Canada over recent years, due to the continuing rise of mobile gambling sites, as well as various recent events making it less appealing to go to land-based venues. Gambling is expected to grow even further online over the coming years.
What are the best online gambling sites?
Some of the best online gambling sites that we have reviewed include Red Spins Casino, Jackpot City Canada, and Chelsea Palace. Our reviewers feel that these are some of the best options for gambling online in Canada.