The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns have become a catalyst for online gambling: those gamblers who have hitherto regularly visited traditional brick-and-mortar casinos have discovered the opportunity to be in a casino atmosphere with one click without leaving home.
After the restrictions were lifted, people did not change their loyal attitude towards online casinos, having “tasted” the advantages of online gambling during the lockdowns. Because of this, the income of land-based casinos has greatly decreased. For example, in the province of Alberta, land-based casinos lost revenue by almost 25%, so the provincial authorities decided to open a legal state-owned online casino. Other provinces followed suit. However, Canadians play not only in state online casinos, but also in foreign ones. We invite you to find out the reasons why online casinos have become so popular today.
Government loyalty
At a time when the country’s federal laws expressed a strong stance against unlicensed online gambling in Canada, many foreign casinos offered their services to Canadian gamblers. We must pay tribute to the government of Canada – it doesn’t prohibit citizens “in the name of the law” from playing on foreign online casino sites.
To date, gambling in every province and territory is regulated by local authorities. This usually doesn’t apply to the activities of foreign operators, so this segment hasn’t been regulated anywhere at all until recently. However, in 2022, the province of Ontario (which has the most players compared to other provinces) became the first in Canada to start regulating overseas operators. In other provinces, the situation remains the same.
Territorial accessibility
One of the main advantages of an online casino is its accessibility for gamblers. There is no need to set aside time to go to the casino – after all, the casino has already come to you for a long time. Wherever a gambler is – a couple of clicks on the screen or on a computer mouse button, and now they are already making bets.
In addition, let’s say the game is not running in one casino. And the player wants to go to another and try to place bets there. If a player is in a land-based casino, they need to pack up and go to another, and this is the travel time, at least. If the player gets on their own car – this is money for fuel, money for parking, etc. If they get on public transport, then the road from one casino to another can become tiring. If a gambler plays online, then the transitions between one online casino and another are lightning fast. No long road, no waiting for transport, but only an easy and comfortable transition from one tab to another or from one application to another.
Gamblers mobility
The popularity of smartphones around the world is growing in full swing because people want to play using their free time while waiting for transport, standing in lines, or driving from point X to point Z. Some online casinos develop their mobile applications and offer players exclusive bonuses for using them.
In addition to mobile applications, which are not available in every online casino, a player can open a mobile version of the site on their smartphone, which every online casino certainly has. The mobile version is always optimized and adapted for phone screens, and works even in conditions of a weak internet connection.
Huge choice of casino games
Any land-based casino is limited by the size of the building in which it is located. Halls with roulette, slot machines, table games can accommodate a certain number of gamblers and some have to wait a very long time for their turn before they can take a gaming place. In an online casino, gamblers don’t need to languish in anticipation – spacious virtual spaces will accommodate everyone. In these virtual spaces, there are not a couple of dozen slot machines, but several thousand.
Game providers provide online casinos with the most popular novelties, and thanks to game aggregators, operators connect dozens of games from different providers to their assortment at the same time.
Game characteristics filter
Navigating the aforementioned thousands of games can be difficult, but online casinos have easy navigation and filters. Players can easily sort games by popularity, by favorite provider, by latest release. This greatly facilitates the choice and allows the gambler to better navigate the variety of games.
Also, the online casino has a function of remembering the last few games played by the gambler, which makes it easier to find them. In addition, the operator can offer the gambler other games by analyzing their previous choice.
Attractive casino promotions and bonuses
Online casinos are very common today and operate in a highly competitive environment. To attract the attention of gamblers and transform it into loyalty, operators offer various bonuses, promotions and great offers.
The hallmark of every online casino is a welcome bonus. Welcome bonus offers can be very generous (but read the terms and conditions carefully). In addition, there are other offers: for example, daily casino bonuses, holiday bonuses, etc., notifications about which are sent to the gambler personally.
Variety of payment methods
The more options for depositing and withdrawing funds to the account, the more convenient it is for the gambler. Today, in order to win the competitive race, online casinos necessarily offer a range of the most popular payments to the gambler, trying to ensure that the payment methods for depositing and withdrawing funds are the same, and that they cost the gambler no commission.
No-pro winning without taxes
In Canada, money won at online casinos is generally not taxed. That is, a gambler can play for their own pleasure, both in foreign online casinos and in Canadian ones, and they will receive all the money won (including the commission for withdrawing funds, if it is planned by the bank) in full.
True, there is one clarification: if a player earns on playing in a casino, that is, they play professionally and regularly wins large amounts of money (most often this happens in poker and other table games), then tax must be paid on their winnings.
In conclusion
Online casinos are becoming more and more popular in Canada due to such important factors as the interest of Canadians in online gambling and the loyalty of the government of the country. And the use of smartphones allows gamblers to play online casinos at any time of the day, from anywhere. The diversity of the game assortment, numerous payment methods, tempting bonuses are also the reasons for the growing casino popularity in Canada.
FAQ
What are the benefits of welcome bonuses?
The welcome bonus is due to the player immediately after registration. To receive it, the player needs to make a certain amount on a deposit (the conditions of the bonus are on the casino website). The advantage of the bonus is that by investing a small amount of the deposit, the player gets the opportunity to test different games due to the virtual generous bonus, and to understand whether this casino is suitable for playing or not.
Which game providers do gamblers like best?
Here, as in other situations, there is no dispute about tastes. But the most popular gaming providers among Canadian gamblers are Microgaming, Evolution, NYX, PlayTech, BGaming, Play’n’Go.
What casinos do residents of the Canadian territories play in?
There are three territories in Canada – the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. There are no land-based casinos in these locations, as the number of residents is quite small. Therefore, Canadians living in the aforementioned territories use the services of foreign online casinos.
Can I play for free at an online casino?
It is possible, since the provider also creates a demo-version for each slot, which doesn’t require bets in real currency. The player can try a game that is unfamiliar to them, as well as calculate a different strategy for an already familiar game.
Is it legal to play online casinos in Canada?
If the online casino is local, then it must have permission from the Canadian authorities. If the casino is foreign and doesn’t advertise itself in Canada, then it doesn’t need a Canadian license. The gambler doesn’t break the law by playing in the above online casinos.
