Canadian Laws: What Games You Can Play Here

Lisa Cheban
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Lisa Cheban

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Lisa is an esteemed expert in the field of iGaming. With her extensive experience in writing iGaming content, she possesses the knowledge and skills to provide you with the most informative and engaging insights into the world of gambling.


 

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Simon Young
Reviewed byReviewed by:Simon Young

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Simon Young

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Simon Young, a former national news editor and journalist, once held the prestigious position of Lead Editor at PokerStars before focusing his editorial talents on Betsquare. His illustrious career journey seamlessly bridges the realms of journalism and online gambling, crafting a unique narrative of expertise and innovation.


 

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Updated on:

Feb 19, 2024, 2:04 pm

Introduction:

Here in Canada, players can find lots of gambling opportunities, including online and land-based services. However, when you ask ‘Is gambling in Canada legal?’, the answer will depend on the game you want to play and the region where you want to gamble. In fact, our best online casino guide takes care of this issue, so you can be sure that our BetSquare team will tell you what games to choose and how not to break local laws. So, let’s learn more about gambling regulations for Canadians and find out what games are legal to play in the country!

Canadian Gambling Laws: Main Regulators

Gambling in Canada is predominantly overseen by provincial and territorial authorities, granting each region the autonomy to devise its specific legal framework and guidelines pertaining to diverse gambling modalities, including real money casinos, lotteries, sports betting, and online wagering.

For example, there is a general Kahnawake gambling licence for all provinces, while players in Ontario should play only on the sites regulated by AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario).

While the practice of gambling remains lawful and subject to regulation, a key focal point of the government lies in safeguarding players, upholding the authenticity of games, and thwarting illicit undertakings such as money laundering (AML tools serve to prevent it) and fraudulent activities.

Legal Land-Based Canadian Casinos

Land-based casinos play an important role in attracting tourists and contributing to the local economy by generating revenue, creating jobs, and supporting local businesses. That’s why the country boasts so many brick-and-mortar operators, including the following casinos:

  • Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino (Windsor, Ontario)
  • River Rock Casino Resort (Richmond, British Columbia)
  • Casino de Montréal (Montreal, Quebec)
  • Casino Rama Resort (Orillia, Ontario)
  • Hard Rock Casino Vancouver (Coquitlam, British Columbia)

These venues can’t offer as many casino games as online casinos do, but the fact that they are legally operating in the country shows that these games are legal. Mainly, by visiting these gambling halls, Canadians will experience slot machines, poker, blackjack, and roulette. Some casinos can add varied lotteries to this list.

Once on the gambling site of a legal Canadian operator, you can come across thousands of diversified games for all tastes (mainly, top operators partner with 80+ providers and can offer 6,000+ games to legally play for real money in Canada). The best and most reliable casinos offer various card games of different genres and provide gamblers with both single-player games and live games with a wide line of bets and bonuses. This way, we can highlight the rating of the best legal Canadian games:

Game type Explanation Popular providers Examples
Slot machines When playing slot machines, you place a single bet and watch the symbols landing on paylines to get wins or bonuses like free spins and jackpots. Microgaming, RTG, Nolimit City 9 Masks of Fire by Microgaming
Roulette When the ball stops, this position is winning, and your bet can be placed on different positions, including red/black, even/odd, or a certain number. Betsoft, Evoplay, Spinomenal European Roulette by Betsoft
Blackjack This card game requires players to count cards. Collect as many points as you can to overcome the dealer, but make sure not to exceed 21 not to bust. Yggdrasil, Betsoft, iSoftBet Burning Blackjack by Betsoft
Baccarat It’s a card game popular among Canadian customers thanks to easy rules, an opportunity to count cards, and side bets available from time to time. Betsoft, Funky Games, iSoftBet Virtual Baccarat by Funky Games
Live software You can also come across more unusual variations like live shows with innovative and vibrant graphics. Please note that live software isn’t free. Evolution, Ezugi, Pragmatic Play Monopoly Live by Evolution
Lotteries Mainly, Canadians access bingo, scratch cards, and keno.Video poker games usually have names like Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, and others. Spribe, Pragmatic Play, BGaming Aviator by Spribe

Interesting Facts About Legal Games

Some provinces permit charitable gaming events, such as casino nights or raffles, as a means of fundraising for non-profit organizations. These forms are legal and will help the government get money for certain needs, while players (including tourists) are entertained. In some provinces, sports betting is also legal and available at casinos when we are talking about online forms (eg. horse racing, football, hockey, etc.). As for state-operated lotteries, OLG offers a wide variety of online lottery games in Ontario.

Are Winnings on These Games Legal?

Actually, you should start from the casino online where you are playing. When it’s licensed and is allowed to operate in Canada, its games are legal, as well as winnings you get within these rounds. To find out whether your casino accepts players from Canada, open the T&Cs, and when you aren’t sure that the casino is legal, check whether it holds a specific licence for your province (eg. AGCO for Ontario) or is licensed by international offshore regulators like Curacao and MGA.

Legal Testing Labs for Canadian Casino Games

When you choose the best online casino in Canada, it has to be licensed, which is logical. You check it not only to meet the local regulations and have a legal gambling experience but also to ensure your personal data and money are safe. The same is with games you can play for real funds. These are the top-5 regulators testing casino games for Canadians for their safety and transparency:

  • eCOGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance)
  • BMM Testlabs
  • iTech Labs
  • GLI (Gaming Laboratories International)
  • Quinel

Of course, these aren’t the only gambling testing laboratories out there, but when you open a gambling site from our rating, in most cases, at least one of these certificates will be displayed in the footer to guarantee transparency, safety, and random outcomes of your games.

RNG to Determine Fair & Legal Outcomes

Random Number Generator, or RNG in short, is a crucial tool in gambling to ensure the integrity of gambling operations. It is programmed to generate numbers in a way that’s statistically random and devoid of any patterns or predictability. In other words, you access random outcomes which aren’t influenced by casinos, players, or anyone else, just maths and regular tests from the labs we’ve mentioned above to guarantee 24/7 safety.

New Gambling Sites: Legal and Safe?

New gambling sites may be outstanding when their qualities overcome competitors. That’s why players need to be careful when joining new operators yet can relax when these casinos are trustworthy and launched by well-known brands. Our team also has some ideas in this regard. Our BetSquare experts have already examined the most popular new casinos in Canada to make sure that these new sites have good conditions gamblers can rely on. Thanks to their licenses and the general local regulations, you can be sure that this experience is legal as well.

Legal & Safe Gameplay: How to Combine?

Our BetSquare experts want the experience of our readers to be both legal and safe. That’s why we are here to give a few tips to help Canadians combine basic safety measures with local legal regulations associated with online gambling. So, let’s learn more about legal casino games in Canada which can be safe as well:

  • Avoid blacklisted casinos
    When we test gambling sites for our readers, we come across operators with very suspicious terms or bad feedback from players. In this case, we add these casinos to our blacklist, so make sure to avoid sites we list there.
  • Check out gaming library
    Pay attention to the number of games, available categories, and a range of filters to deal with this software. Table games, including RNG and live, and instant win titles like crash games and lotteries provide a good selection.
  • Opt for progressive solutions
    Today, the gambling industry is using lots of advanced solutions, including Artificial Intelligence which can help you find out legal issues of your location and analyse the site’s terms to check whether Canadians are accepted.
  • Examine available bonuses
    Our team also double-checks available promotions at top Canadian casinos from our rating to make sure that the wager isn’t too high and other serious limitations like a small max cashout are absent.
  • Responsible gambling
    Though it’s not exactly about the legal issue, you should remember that responsible gambling is a must when you enter an online casino and want to try out its games for real money, so avoid compulsive gambling.

What Payment Methods Are Legal for Gambling in Canada?

Well, we’ve already explained that lots of casino games are legal when you access them on licensed gambling sites. But it’s also worth mentioning that real money stakes in these games are available only after depositing. That’s why you need to think of a secure payment method which will accept gambling transactions in Canada.

Visa, Mastercard

Bank cards are convenient in terms of safety and fast deposits, though cashouts take longer. Besides Visa and Mastercard, Canadians can access some local variations associated with bank cards, including Interac and iDebit.

Popular E-Wallets

Considering all the specifics of the Canadian gambling market, it’s also worth considering local digital wallets, including PayPal. They are just as simple to use in gambling. Plus, you can access popular methods like Skrill and Neteller.

Prepaid Vouchers

It’s a convenient way to deposit a small amount yet remain anonymous (please note that they aren’t for withdrawals). You purchase a card of the preferred value beforehand and enter its code then to deposit. For example, paysafecard.

Cryptocurrency

It’s also an extremely popular method since lots of crypto casinos in Canada allow gamblers to use Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and other cryptocurrencies for deposits and cashouts. Plus, players don’t pay taxes from such transactions.

Statistics: Most Popular Games Among Canadians

Here at BetSquare, we enjoy numbers and statistical details to explain what we are talking about and provide some facts. This time, we used AI for analysis to understand what legal Canadian games are the most popular among users:

  • Slot machines: 34%
  • Blackjack: 24% 
  • Roulette: 16%
  • Baccarat: 11%
  • Lotteries: 9%
  • Online craps: 6%

According to Statista, the most popular casino legal games among Canadians are slot machines, including Mega Moolah with a progressive jackpot. Table games are also quite popular, but we can see that baccarat and craps are less adored by Canadians.

AI & Casino Games: Legal to Combine?

Today, Artificial Intelligence is used in different areas, and online gambling in Canada is also its part. Of course, it’s useful for some tasks, but it can’t be used for everything, and in some cases, it even breaks the laws. Let’s compare the legal and illegal sides of AI when it comes to Canadian casino games:

Legal AI use Illegal AI use
When you want to find out rules of a certain game or form an AI-based strategy, it’s a good option which is legal. In cases of using AI for winning predictions or installing extra apps for this, your actions are illegal (plus, it’s impossible).
Using AI for analysis is a good idea for both players and operators since it’s a good opportunity to understand the market. When players or operators use AI to capture personal data of other users for analysis or other goals, it’s illegal.
You can use AI to choose a game for your preferences, considering the RTP and other features. It’s completely legal. It’s illegal to install software which will work simultaneously with the casino and require your login details.

BetSquare & Legal Games in Canada

We are a helpful guide where Canadians can find everything, be they helpful reviews of different games or casinos, casino or sports calendars, and more. That’s why we find it our duty to analyse Canadian legal regulations to understand what casinos are allowed, what games are legal, and how CA gamblers can play for real money without breaking the law. We consider lots of details, including Canada’s federal Criminal Code (the “Code”), local regulations within each province (eg. The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) in British Columbia), and other documents or updates which can help. This page will also be updated once things change and we get new information.

Summary

You should always take care of all the safety issues when it comes to real money gambling, including the legal position, responsible gambling, and safe money transfers. When all these qualities match, you can be sure that your experience won’t be spoiled with pitfalls of any kind. For now, gambling laws in Canada allow licensed online operators, so lots of popular providers like NetEnt, Betsoft, and others work with these operators to provide you with tons of legal and regulated casino games. As a result, you can legally play slots, blackjack, roulette, live games, crash games, and lots of other software for CAD or even for free when practicing.

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FAQ

What casino games in Canada are legal?

Considering that all regulated land-based and online casinos have slot machines, blackjack, roulette, and other tables, we can conclude that these games are legal in Canada.

Are online slot machines legal for Canadians?

Yes, when you access these slot machines at licensed online casinos and play original games from top providers which test their RNG, the games are legal.

Is it legal to use AI for strategies for my games?

Yes, you can use Artificial Intelligence as an informative tool to plan your strategies, but be careful and avoid predictions of any kind (they are illegal and don’t work).

What legal Canadian payment options can I use to play casino games?

These can be local payment options like Interac and iDebit, as well as PayPal, Visa, cryptocurrency, Skrill, Mastercard, and lots of other options.

How do I check legal regulations for my province?

You can open the official site of your local regulator or rely on BetSquare. We highlight licences and laws for each province where you can gamble (eg. AGCO for Ontario).

Our Review Process

At Betsquare.com, as a leading online casino affiliate website, we maintain robust sourcing standards. Our insights are derived from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and authoritative industry associations. We steer clear of tertiary references, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of our content. For a deeper understanding of our content verification processes, explore our editorial policy.

Our team of experts diligently monitors the online casino industry, ensuring our articles remain current and relevant by promptly incorporating the latest available information.
Current Version
Dec 7, 2022
Written By
Lisa Cheban
Edited By
Simon Young