Canada is one of those countries that allow gambling in both forms: in brick-and-mortar casinos and online gambling sites. The former are now closed due to the pandemic, and, let’s be honest, land-based casinos took a back seat over the last year. Online casinos are a lot more popular and better in terms of availability and variety of games.
But with the popularity of the online gaming industry, there appeared one big problem. It’s the legitimacy of casino operators. Players now search for legit online casinos which have a license and operate decent business. All Canadian casinos say they are legit and trustworthy. However, players are concerned about this issue due to the increasing number of scam casinos.
That’s why the amount of casino-guru sites has also increased. Informative websites like ours, casinobest.ca, make reviews on online casinos giving them a verdict — legal or illegal. Our gambling experts provide readers with the reliable information which they can later use for their gambling purposes. Here, we also give you a list of some legit Canadian online casinos which we have tested ourselves.
Online Gambling in Canada
Over the last decade, Canadian gambling legislation didn’t undergo any considerable changes until online casinos have grown in demand. This left the officials with no choice other than making existing laws less strict.
They made amendments in the Canadian Criminal Code which is why offshore and Canadian casinos took the chance to apply for a license and enter the Canadian gambling market.
Today, Canadians can visit land-based gambling venues, play casino games online which is only possible on offshore casino sites (except for some provinces), and also buy lottery tickets over the Internet or in special places.
Authorities That Control Legit Casinos
Offshore gambling sites must comply with Canadian laws to be able to operate on Canadian territory. For that, they are bound to get a license from reliable gaming regulators which take control over casinos. Below, we tell you about the most popular gambling regulators that can license offshore casino sites. Keep these titles in mind. Later, it will help you recognize legit casino sites.
- Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC). It was established in 2000 on the Channel Islands near the United Kingdom. But it’s independent of the UK and the European Union because the
- Channel Islands have their own government. The AGCC employs international gaming standards for online gambling platforms.
- Government of Gibraltar. The Gambling Act from 2005 controls gambling platforms which are regulated by the remote license from Gibraltar. They check gambling entities that want to operate on the non-EU markets. Government of Gibraltar has their own code of practice, technical principles, and anti-laundering standards.
- Danish Gambling Authority. One of the top European gambling authorities that control land-based casinos and online casinos founded in Denmark. In 2013, the authority became an independent entity that tests gambling firms.
- Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). The name of this regulator is known on Canadian gambling market. The Maltese authority regulates gambling businesses based in Malta. That’s why most of the sites that you see on the Internet are registered in Malta. Their protocol includes high gaming standards which must be followed by the MGA licensed casinos.
- Swedish Gaming Authority. All casino businesses registered in Sweden must be regulated by the Swedish Gaming Authority. The regulator verifies casinos and constantly controls casino venues and lotteries.
- United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). Another top casino regulator which is widely known on Canadian market, the UKGC was established in 2005. The gambling entities opened in the UK must comply with the UKGC protocol.
- Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC). In 1999, the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake founded a gaming commission to manage casino venues on the territory of the province. Now, the KGC is not recognized by Canadian legislation on the federal level. That is why casinos which have only a KGC license can have risks.
Legit Canadian casinos may have several licenses which only makes them more trusted in the eyes of players. So, if a casino holds the MGA license and also one from Kahnawake GC, this casino is legit.
How to Identify Legit Online Casino
We are sure that some of our readers had troubles with online casinos at least once in their gambling career. Some players didn’t get their winnings, others had negative experiences with their gameplay. And in most of these cases, their online casinos were not legitimate.
Canadian market is oversaturated with gambling websites that seem to be legal and safe. This fact confuses players and they decide to join unreliable online casinos. To prevent you from bad experiences with casinos, we must tell you what is the right way to choose casino operators. Here are a few tips which can help you tell a legit casino from s scam.
- Check if the casino has a license (preferably from one of the aforementioned regulators), and check the issue date of the license.
- Find out the casino year of foundation.
- Check the list of software providers. Legit casinos use software from the leading game developers like Playtech, Microgaming, NetEnt, Evolution. and etc. Also, read our list of the best Playtech online casinos.
- Read the terms and conditions of the chosen casino.
- Check if the site contains the eCOGRA seal of approval which means verified game results.
- Find out what security measures the casino is using, The best option would be SSL encryption technologies.
- Make sure to find a payout percentage of your casino. It’s best if the percentage is over 95%.
Legit Casino Operation
Any legit casino must provide their players with the best service which includes excellent customer support. The team of a dedicated casino operator is available in live chat 24/7. When you have trouble, you know you can get help from the assistant anytime.
Security and privacy is also the main issue of reputable casinos. So, your personal information can never be shared with third parties. This is mentioned in the Privacy Policy of a casino which you also need to read.
The general interface and lobby of the casino should be easy to use. A trusted online casino will always provide information about the company and its achievements like multiple gaming awards.
A sign of a good casino site is juicy deals like those for new customers or already existing ones. Many players fall for the big welcome bonus which is accompanied by wagering requirements. The first deposit bonus with wagering requirements is a common thing at a casino. However, there is another side of the coin. Welcome bonuses that are unrealistically high and suspiciously easy to withdraw are probably offered by illegal casinos. So, beware of the too high bonuses.
Legit casinos accept only verified payment options. In most casinos, you will see such banking methods as Visa, MasterCard debit cards, bank e-transfers Interac, Neteller, Skrill, some prepaid card options for deposit like AstroPay, and many others including e-wallets. However, before using any payment method, find out for what purposes it serves. Some methods are only available for deposits, whereas others are only for withdrawals. To prevent yourself from confusing situations with payouts, also make sure to find information about fees and withdrawal times of your preferable payment method.
Check out the article about the best withdrawal online casinos to find out what casinos pay out the fastest.
Conclusion
Canadian market knows many legit casino operators. You only need to search properly for them using our tips. You can also read our useful casino reviews. The reviews contain all the necessary information about licenses, years of operation, security measures, games collection, and so on.
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