Licences & Prohibited Countries: Choose a Casino Accepting Players from Canada

Simon Day
Written byWritten by:Simon Day

Content Writer

Simon Day

Biography

With over a decade of experience, Simon Day has been a seasoned writer in the online casino industry. His expertise lies in sports betting and online casino games, making him a go-to source for insightful content. Simon has contributed extensively to Betsquare, covering a wide range of iGaming topics.


 

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Simon Young
Reviewed byReviewed by:Simon Young

Editor

Simon Young

Biography

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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Editorial Note: We might earn a commission from partner links on Betsquare. These commissions do not affect our writers and editors’ opinions or evaluations.

Updated on:

Feb 19, 2024, 2:05 pm

Introduction:

Here in Canada, gambling laws may vary depending on your province. The same is with the required gambling licensing. For example, AGCO for Ontario, or other types for more Canadian regions. Our BetSquare online casino guide is here to tell all the details connected with Canadian online gambling legal aspects. We’ll analyse licences for each province if online or land-based casinos are allowed in that territory, explain how to check T&Cs to find out about restricted countries, and give helpful tips to choosing the best legal Canadian online casino!

Legal Gambling & Licensing: Are They Connected?

The Canadian iGaming market is regulated by the government, which makes casinos legal and transparent in terms of all the conditions players accept when they sign up. There is a range of local licenses which are specific for each CA province:

  • The Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation (NSGC)
  • The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)
  • The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)
  • The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA)
  • The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC)

This way, an operator working in a certain area should hold a corresponding licence, which will be visible on the site and checked by Canadian players.

Gambling Licences in Canada: How to Check Them?

If you want to find out what licences are required in your particular province, you can explore Canadian gambling laws or rely on our research. When we are talking about checking licences on casino sites, there are several ways to find out whether they are valid:

  • Check the footer
    Visit the official site of your online casino and scroll down to the footer to see whether there are gambling licensing logos.
  • Click on the logo
    Besides featuring the logo itself, the casino should have valid documents. You can push the logo to get relevant info.
  • Check the regulator
    In the regulator’s system, you can search for the name of your real money casino to make sure that it’s licensed.
  • Trust our reviews
    Here at BetSquare, we check licences of online casinos our experts review, so you can find out this info in our rating.

Prohibited Countries & Other Aspects: Check T&Cs

When picking a top online casino in Canada, players should be attentive to the site’s T&Cs. These terms determine whether a site accepts players from certain countries (Canada in our case) and highlight some more essential aspects gamblers shouldn’t miss. So, let’s learn more about the legal things Canadians should check in gambling terms!

Checking T&Cs: Details to Pay Attention to

By scrolling down to the bottom of the official casino site, you’ll find a link to the casino’s Terms and Conditions. All these aspects are crucial since by accepting them, you accept all the parameters connected with your further actions on the site, such as payment limits, payout times, and other important things. When these terms are suspicious, for example, a too high deposit turnover, we add such casinos to our blacklist.

How to Find a Canadian-Friendly Casino

Our BetSquare experts are searching for Canadian-friendly gambling sites for our rating to create good conditions for locals. If you want to search for these sites yourself and check whether they accept Canadians, there are several ways to go. First, you’ll often see Canadian banners with CAD bonuses. Besides, the registration form can let you choose your province. But checking restricted countries in the T&Cs is the most proven way.

CAD as an Accepted Casino Currency

We understand that Canadians would like to make payment in their local currency. That’s why most legal online casinos accept CAD and local banking methods like Interac and iDebit. In most cases, you can choose CAD as the account’s main currency and it will have a rate of 1.5 CAD to 1 USD. In most cases, gamblers can activate match bonuses for corresponding payments in CAD, such as a welcome pack or other types.

Helpful Tools to Check Legal Gambling Aspects

When you aren’t sure whether gambling activity is legal in your province, our team is here to help. We rate Canadian online casinos and select the best ones which are legal and licensed. As for the other tools to find legal gambling sites for yourself, you can use Artificial Intelligence tools to find legal gambling platforms for your locations and get information about other things like available games, required licences, or taxes for gambling wins.

Due to lots of mind-blowing casino games and other advantages for Canadians, online casino players may find the industry really engaging. But it’s also worth noting that in some cases, this entertainment may be against local laws, so players need to keep some legal aspects in mind. So, is Canadian gambling legal or not? In fact, it all depends on gambling forms you access, so here’s a comparison guide with more details.

Legal Illegal
Playing at licensed online casinos certified for your province. This can be an AGCO-licensed site for Ontario or any other online casino with a Kahnawake licence when no other certifications are required. Visiting gambling sites which have no licences and don’t meet local regulation standards. For example, when a site doesn’t have an AGCO licence, it can’t operate in Ontario.
Trusting casino ratings and reading feedback of other players. This way, you can learn about other people’s experience and decide which Canadian legal casino is the most suitable for your needs. Create accounts via referral links from suspicious sources (eg. you found a site with 100% winning promises or received an email in the spam folder) or provide your login details to third parties.
Canadians can use additional tools to analyze certain games and learn the rules. For example, you can use AI to understand blackjack rules or even access available steps for your particular case. While AI is legal for some actions like learning the rules or building the gameplay strategy, some things are still prohibited. It’s illegal to add your account details to AI programs or try to cheat this way.
Players of legal age can access different games, including slots and tables, deposit, get wins, and withdraw funds. In most cases, operators will require verification to prove your legal age. It’s prohibited for any player under 18 to visit casino sites and use their services of any kind. Underage gambling is against the law, and we always promote this in our reviews.

Legal Canadian Casinos: What They Are Like

Actually, when a gambling site is reliable and legal, you won’t find anything special. The site is just trustworthy and suitable for Canadians. That’s the main standard for the iGaming sector in Canada. These are the main qualities describing legal Canadian online casinos:

  • Clickable licensing icon leading to the regulator’s system where you can check all the details about the operator
  • Certified casino games, including popular slots, the latest table games, trendy live software, crash games, and more
  • Helpful customer support available through a live chat and other convenient methods to get in touch (phone, email, etc.)
  • Mobile-optimized site and software to access on iOS and Android, which is suitable for players with smartphones and tablets
  • Canadian-friendly payment methods for secure transactions, including Interac, bank cards, e-wallets, and crypto

Gambling Laws in Canada: Main Regulators

The entire industry is regulated by Canada’s federal Criminal Code (the ‘Code’). In a general context, when a website is registered offshore and holds an international license like Malta Gaming Commission or Curacao, it can operate in the country, and Canadians can even play using CAD there. But we should note that the requirements of local provinces shouldn’t be overlooked. For example, provinces like British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario have their own regulatory bodies and laws. In most cases, each province has restrictions regarding avoiding gambling addiction, so casinos shouldn’t promise 100% wins and remind players of all possible risks.

Legal Land-Based Canadian Casinos

Interestingly, Canada has not only online casinos since its sector of land-based casinos is also wide and well-developed. This business is aimed at both locals and tourists, and it’s totally legal. According to the research of our experts, these are the top-5 legal brick-and-mortar Canadian casinos:

  • Casino de Montreal
  • Casino de Mont-Tremblant
  • Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort
  • Casino Lac-Leamy
  • Casino Rama

But we should note that the range of games at such land-based casinos is not that impressive compared to online gambling sites where you access all popular slots, including Gonzo’s Quest. Moreover, the online version has free mode to play without depositing, and when you decide to pay money, you can do it quickly and get some bonuses to boot.

Top-5 Tips for Legal Gambling in Canada

Our team has extensive experience in testing online casinos in Canada. Moreover, we hear our readers and understand what exactly newbies face when joining a new site. That’s why our team prepared top-5 tips for legal gambling in Canada.

Tips Explanation Examples
Always play responsibly Real money stakes shouldn’t be mindless since each bet where you risk real money can lead to losses. Make sure to examine all responsible gambling terms and play only for your own money and within determined sessions. Plan your bankroll, if necessary, use tools like self-exclusion
Choose games with a high RTP All casino games have a certain RTP, and when it’s high, this minimizes the house edge and makes your risks lower. Blackjack, video poker, and some other tables, as well as slots, can have a rather high Return to Player rate. RTP of over 95.5% for slots and over 99% for some tables
Pay attention to gambling news You can consider local or global gambling events, such as iGaming exhibitions, new software releases, and other cool things. We’ve got our 12 months gambling calendar for Canadians with all the events for 2023 & 2024. New slot releases, casino tournaments, gambling events
Consider security gambling tools Before you join the site, even when it is licensed, pay attention to available safety tools available at your online casino. These can be AML, SSL encryption, transparent terms, and software certificates proving RNG tests. Licensing, SSL encryption, RNG tests, AML
Avoid scammers in the industry Unfortunately, even users of legal gambling sites can face problems with scammers. Such problems can take place when you use links from unknown sources or receive phishing messages. Just avoid such things.  Visit the casino site only via proven resources and links

Is Canada a Prohibited Country for Gambling?

In our BetSquare rating, you can find lots of Canadian-friendly legal online casinos which fully suit players from different provinces. In some cases, you can come across a gambling site which doesn’t accept players from Canada, which can be specified on the main page when you enter the site from your location and in the T&Cs when you explore the list of restricted countries. When you find such a casino, don’t worry, just opt for other Canadian-friendly sites and enjoy your legal and safe gameplay.

Main Advantages of Legal Gambling in Canada

We believe that players who understand gambling risks and make their decisions wisely can easily access top legal Canadian casinos online, which is a good sign not only for operators but also for the government. Why? Here are several reasons for that:

  • Legal gambling in Canada is the way to officially control the industry
  • Due to taxes paid by operators, the government increases its state revenue
  • Operators can officially apply different tools for safe gameplay
  • Lots of new gambling sites and games are launched in the country
  • The market provides environment for top-tier and fair operators

Top-3 Legal Canadian Casinos We Recommend

Our BetSquare experts have already tested a large range of iGaming legal Canadian casinos, so we’ll highlight our top-3 over here, explaining our choice and providing some examples.

Legal Casino Strong Qualities Welcome Bonus
SpinFever Casino We like SpinFever Canadian legal casino for its expressive welcome bonus, regular offers like Motown Monday, and loads of cool games in the library, including Razor Shark (Push Gaming). Up to 2,000 CAD + 200 FS
iWild Casino Here at the iWild legal casino, Canadians will appreciate 15% cashback on Wednesdays, a lucrative VIP program with 5 statuses, and a wide range of instant-win games like Plinko and Mines. Up to 5,300 CAD + 270 FS
LevelUp Casino At LevelUp casino, legal gambling is just as attractive. With 7,000 games from 65+ top providers and an opportunity to provide bonuses in cryptos, LevelUp definitely looks attractive for players. Up to 2,000 CAD (5 BTC) + 200 FS

From our experience, these sites can meet all the needs of Canadians and won’t make players face problems with local laws. By checking T&Cs, we noticed that Canada is among the accepted countries and the sites have legal licensing, so one of these sites (or several ones) sound like a good choice.

Summary

If you ask whether online casinos are legal in Canada, the short answer is yes, they are legal. Of course, it all depends on your province, so this detail should be double-checked at your casino. That’s why it’s worth checking restricted countries in the T&Cs. Besides, it’s worth keeping in mind licences which can vary for different provinces. In our BetSquare rating, we always specify top online casinos which legally operate in Canada and use tools like AI in gambling to analyze statistics, so you can rely on this rating to find the best gambling sites and have fun by playing legal games!

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FAQ

What legal licences can Canadian online casinos have?

If we are talking about the country in general, these can be offshore licences like MGA or UKGC, as well as the local Kahnawake licence. Besides, there can be requirements regarding the local licence of your province, such as AGCO for Ontario.

What legal payment methods can I use in Canadian casinos?

These can be different payment types, including bank cards like Visa, e-wallets like PayPal, local methods like Interac, and different cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Tether, Ethereum, and others.

Is Canada a restricted country for online gambling?

Sometimes, you can find gambling sites which relate Canada to restricted countries, which will be specified in the T&Cs. However, in most cases, you’ll find Canadian-friendly online casinos which accept local players and allow users to play for CAD.

What online casino games are legal in Canada?

These libraries are huge since some Canadian online casinos have 7,000+ top-tier legit casino games. The most popular types are slot machines (eg. Mega Moolah by Games Global), table games (blackjack, roulette, baccarat), and live games (eg. Funky Time by Evolution).

Can I legally use AI in Canadian online casinos?

You can use AI for some purposes, including game analysis, basic gameplay rules, and statistics. However, it’s prohibited to use Artificial Intelligence and other tools trying to cheat and beat the casino. You also shouldn’t provide your login details to third parties since this may cause fraud.

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
Simon Day
Edited By
Simon Young