Internet Casinos » Casino Guide » Canadian Friendly
Canadian Friendly Internet Casinos
We get quite a bit of Canadian traffic to this website, so we decided to add this page for our friends up North. We are going to start by recommending the best Internet casinos for Canadians, and then have a brief discussion on the legality of online gambling in Canada. Here are our absolute favorite online casinos for Canadians:
| Rank | Online Casino | Bonus | Get Started | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |  |
Spin Palace Casino | Up to $/€/£ 1000 | » Visit Site |
| #2 |  |
All Slots Casino | Up to $/€/£ 200 + 10% | » Visit Site |
| #3 |  |
Mummy's Gold Casino | Up to $/€/£ 1000 | » Visit Site |
| #4 |  |
All Jackpots Casino | Up to $/€/£ 200 + 10% | » Visit Site |
| #5 |  |
Casino.com | Up to $/€/£ 200 | » Visit Sit |
The three casinos above represent the absolute best options for Canadian online gamblers.
Deposit Options for Canadians
Canadians
have quite a few options for moving their money onto
gambling websites:
Credit/Debit Cards
Credit or debit cards are the easiest and fastest way for Canadian players to deposit at online casinos. All of the casinos above accept Visa and MasterCard deposits, and process them instantly with no fees at all for the player. We highly recommend depositing with credit or debit cards, as they are the best option in our opinion.
eChecks
eChecks are the second best option for players depositing from Canada. To use an eCheck, you provide the casino with your bank account number and the bank's routing number. Then, you can instantly transfer funds from your checking account to your casino account with no fees whatsoever.
eWallets
eWallets are the worst deposit option for Canadians in our opinion. You have to fund the online account with a credit/debit card or via your checking account, and then face fees to move the money to the online casino of your choice. We suggest cutting out the middle man and simply depositing with your credit/debit card or via eCheck.
Internet Gambling Legality in Canada
Online gambling in Canada resides in a confusing, murky legal situation, similar to that of the United States. While the United States government has taken a much more vehement approach to stomping out online gambling, the Canadian government hasn’t really moved much in any direction.
Due to the Canadian government’s semi-relaxed stance towards online gambling, Canadian citizens have had free reign to gamble where they please. There is no official stance either way, so gamblers in Canada have it pretty easy for the time being.
The Criminal Code of Canada is ambiguous at best in regards to gambling, but the general understanding is that setting up an Internet casino is illegal, but playing in one is not. To make matters more confusing, each province has its own list of powers to regulate gambling.
Some Canadian provinces offer limited forms of online
gambling, but these are more lottery-style games than
casino games. The catch is that players must be
residents of the province, and they must be physically
present within the province when playing for real money.
If you are looking for an official stance on online gambling in Canada, we regret to inform you that one doesn’t exist. What we can tell you is that Canadians are estimated to spend up to a billion Canadian dollars annually on online gambling. So far, there haven’t been any problems for individual gamblers.
Why Do Some Casinos Block Canadian Players?
A few online casinos and poker sites block Canadian players because at one point in the past, there was mounting pressure to pass stricter anti-gambling legislation in Canada. These sites were afraid that doing business with Canada now would get them in trouble later when the regulations passed.
So far, that fear has proven to be groundless, but some casinos still balk at accepting players from Canada. The good news is that these casinos are few in number, and that almost all the major casinos allow players from Canada.
Operating an Online Casino
Operating an online casino is an even more confusing prospect in Canada. Officially, it’s illegal to own an online casino and it could very likely land you in jail. Even so, there are more than a few gambling-related companies that have a physical presence in Canada.
One of the biggest casino software developers in the world, Cryptologic, is based in Canada and hasn’t had any problems for years. It could perhaps be because Cryptologic itself doesn’t accept bets; it only creates the software that allows online casinos to accept bets.
If that’s not confusing enough, the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation in Quebec is much friendlier to online gambling. They house the servers of many major online gambling casinos and have gotten away with it for years. There have been investigations into the legality of their operation, but nothing has happened yet.
When it comes to the Kahnawake situation, confusing is an understatement. Not only are the Canadian laws confusing in their own light, but the legal relationship between Indian nations and their host countries is just as bad. It wouldn’t be surprising if everyone threw up their hands and walked away, leaving online gambling in a legal purgatory forever.
Future of Canadian Gambling
Ironically, certain Canadian officials are worried that the much harsher United States may actually beat Canada to the punch with the legalization and regulation of online gambling. The US government’s approach was so heavy-handed that the public backlash brought the issue to the attention of many more people.
To date, several pro-gambling initiatives have been started by big players in the United States political scene. Canada, on the other hand, has been so relaxed on its stance that it might miss out on the tax revenue provided by online gambling.
This pitfall has at least been recognized, so now it’s only a matter of waiting and seeing what happens. But for now, happy gambling!
Other Canadian Casinos
If you already play at the casinos on this page, or would like to see other options, look here:
