The Best Online Casinos in Canada
If you play at casino websites in Canada, then you likely want to know where the best online casinos are for Canadian players. Here at Maple, our staff of reviewers have years of experience playing at some of Canada’s best online casinos. It helps that we love playing all of these games. As such, our reviewers will give you a comprehensive, honest review of every gambling site we rate.
Our Best Casinos in Canada
Review Process for Casinos in Canada
Readers might wonder about how we evaluate a casino. A few of the criteria we consider when reviewing a casino are: game selection, bonuses, banking options, customer service and player safety and security. Today, we pull back the curtain and reveal how we evaluate best online casinos in Canada.
In case you’re wondering which we think are the best online casinos for Canadian players, then take a look at any of the ones in the table above. If you’re wondering how we decided on those rankings, then keep reading.
The Most Popular Canadian Casino Games
Another important consideration in a casino review is game selection. The best online casinos in Canada should offer a variety of online slots, table games, specialty games like keno, craps, scratch cards, and video poker. We know the most popular games in the Canadian gaming industry, so our reviews point readers in the right direction.
- Online Slots: Online slots are the #1 casino game at any casino. Only the best online casinos will have a large selection of slots, including 3-Reel, 5-Reel, Video Slots, and even skill-based slot games. Outstanding graphics, lucrative bonus features, and even progressive jackpots are all things players can expect. Maple Casino’s best online casinos have hundreds of online slots from top software developers like Microgaming and Real-Time Gaming.
- Blackjack: Blackjack is the classic game of “21” that’s enjoyed around the world. Casinos in Canada offer a wide variety of blackjack variants. Games such as Vegas Strip Blackjack, Double Exposure Blackjack, Spanish 21, and Perfect Pairs Blackjack are all available. The top casino sites will have multiple blackjack variants available, including Live Dealer Blackjack.
- Roulette: Roulette is another popular table game you’ll find at top online casino sites in Canada. European and American Roulette are your most common variants, but you will also find some offering French Roulette. Check out our roulette pages for tips on how to play and win more playing roulette.
- Baccarat: Baccarat is popular at Canadian land-based casinos as well as top online casino sites. It’s a simple game where your only action is to bet. It’s a popular game among casino players who love the rush of a bet.
- Table Games: For poker lovers, Canadian casinos offer table games with poker elements. Popular poker table games include Three-Card Poker, Caribbean Hold’em, Pai Gow Poker, and Caribbean Stud.
Maple Casino’s reviewers also understand how important mobile gaming is in 2020 and beyond. So many bettors want casino games on the go, so each of our reviews discusses the mobile casino version of a site. If a casino has an Android or iPhone/iPad app, we let you know. We examine game selection and whether the Android and iOS games use Flash or HTML5, so you’ll know whether the gameplay and graphics work best with your smartphone or tablet.
Casino Bonuses and Loyalty Offers
Casino bonuses are one of the first things we look at when evaluating Canada’s best online casinos. These offers are what drive the majority of traffic to a gambling site.
We start by evaluating a casino’s welcome bonus. The welcome bonus is usually the top offer and given when someone makes their first deposit. It typically consists of a match bonus where the casino matches your deposit. Sometimes, the casino will provide a match bonus for your first few deposits and even some free spins on the slots.
After evaluating a casino’s welcome bonus, we check out their loyalty program. Loyalty programs are used to reward existing players for continued play at the site. These rewards range from free spins to cashback offers and more. The more you play, the more you earn in rewards.
The Most Popular Casino Bonuses
While the welcome bonus is the most popular bonus at the best online casinos, it is not the only offer available. Canadian casinos offer regular and ongoing promotions to earn player loyalty at the casino.
Maple Casino’s reviewers focus on more than just welcome bonuses. Recurring promotions like free spins, no-deposit, reload and cashback bonuses are just as important, because they are redeemable many times over. Players often overlook free spin bonuses, but we analyze these offers to help you make the call on which Canadian casino promotions are best.
Free Spins Bonus
All of the best online casinos offer some form of free spins bonus. Free spins are offered as part of a welcome bonus. They are a way to enhance other bonus offers or to showcase a new online slot game.
You’ll often receive between 10 and 50 free spins on select online slot machines.
Free slots spins generally have limited payouts. Sometimes however, you’ll find a casino that offers No Max payouts on free spins.
No Deposit Bonus
A no deposit bonus means you don’t have to deposit money to get a bonus. This is generally a sign-up bonus, paid when you register an account at the site. Free spins on select slots are the most common form of no deposit bonus. 888 Casino has long had a bonus like this for anyone that signs up for a new account at the casino.
Reload Bonus
Reload bonus offers are deposit bonuses given to existing players. Depending on the casino, these offers may be available on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Reload bonuses are generally match bonus offers, but may also include free spins or free play chips for casino games. Sometimes these will be daily, weekly or monthly promotions.
Cashback Bonus
One popular Canadian bonus is casino cashback. With cashback, the online casino gives you back a percentage of your losses at casino games. Generally this is done as a bonus from the casino. Some casinos offer this as part of their loyalty program. Other casinos may make you apply for cashback bonus offers through customer support.
When we evaluate all of these types of bonuses, we always take into account wagering requirements. Every casino bonus will come with some form of playthrough requirement. Basically, these are stipulations that require a certain amount of bets to be made before the casino will payout your winnings.
Fast and Secure Banking Options
Canadian players want simple banking options. If it’s difficult to make a deposit or get a payout from a casino, players will avoid that site altogether. So, we dig into that.
The best online casinos in Canada give you multiple options for deposits and withdrawals. Below are some of the banking options we look for when evaluating whether you should make a deposit at the casino.
The majority of online casino sites accept credit cards for deposits. You can do so using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Diners Club International. Other cards such as Discover may be accepted as well.
Some of the best online casino sites will allow you to request a payout using credit cards, but there may be fees involved. Cards such as American Express and Diner’s Club are generally deposit only.
Debit credit cards are a popular online casino deposit option. This is because they don’t have as many restrictions as standard credit cards. Visa Electron and MasterCard Maestro are the most commonly used debit cards. For Canadian players, Interac debit cards are also available.
Some alternative deposit options at the best online casinos include prepaid cards, cheques, and gift cards. Prepaid cards such as the Paysafecard can be funded online or in-person and then used for deposits. You can also make an online casino deposit using gift cards from major retailers. However, neither option can be used for payouts.
Occasionally, some casino sites will take electronic cheques for deposits. However, most casinos will allow you to cash out using a cheque by mail. You may not have a choice if you deposit using an e-Wallet or other option that doesn’t support withdrawals. In this case, a cheque may be your only option for a payout.
Electronic wallets or e-Wallets are popular banking options at most of our best online casinos. InstaDebit, Neteller, Skrill, PayPal, and EcoPayz are among the most popular. These e-Wallets connect to either a credit card or bank account, allowing you to use the funds for deposits.
In some cases, you can use e-Wallets for payout requests. This varies depending on the casino.
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have become a popular option for deposits and withdrawals at online casinos. Bitcoin and altcoins are not regulated by banks and have few restrictions. This makes them the perfect choice for transactions at the casino of your choice.
Besides bitcoin, the most commonly accepted altcoins are Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Bitcoin Cash. To use bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies for deposits and withdrawals, you must have a wallet for your coin. You must then purchase your preferred currency and use the wallet to send that currency to your casino.
Luckily, many of the best online casinos we recommend are actually bitcoin casinos and allow for players use it as a reliable deposit and withdrawal method. The payout rate for Bitcoin is much faster than other payout options, generally taking 24 hours or less.
Reliability is the key factor. Many online casinos have a short life span because they don’t pay winnings, they slow-pay winners, or they haggle with customers over terms of use. If you win big at a casino site and they don’t pay, then you never won in the first place.
Maple Casino’s team of experts review the customer experience and reputation of each banking method, while also learning what kind of documentation you must submit to verify your identity. Our reviews take into account all these aspects of casino payments.
Great Customer Support
Solid customer support is another key factor in Maple Casino reviews and the best online casinos. Players are going to run into problems from time, especially with deposits and payouts. As such, you want a casino with excellent customer support.
The best online casinos have friendly and knowledgeable staff available 24-7. Most online casinos offer Live Chat customer support, while others provide telephone and email support. In every review that we do, this is taken into account.
Player Safety and Security
Safety and security are last on the list, but just as important. Online casinos need to protect your transactions, while also giving you fair games and trustworthy service. A site’s reputation is essential to its future and we take pride in recommending the trusted, honest casino operators.
Things we look out for are the symbol of eCOGRA, the eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance and any sign of digital encryption software. eCOGRA is an industry watchdog group known for third-party audits to ensure fairness of the games, while encryption software – specifically 128-bit- is what keeps your personal, financial and account information secure.
Regulation and Licensing
Before playing casino games at any online casino, verify that they are licensed and regulated. This ensures that gaming is secure, and your deposits are safe. Online regulators include the Malta Gaming Authority, the Gambling Supervision Commission (Isle of Man), and the Curacao Internet Gambling Association.
They monitor mobile casino sites to ensure legitimate gaming and ensure that adequate player protections are in place. Do not play casino games at a casino that does not display licensing information on the main site.
Benefits of Online Casinos vs. Land-Based Casinos
Players that generally play at Canadian brick-and-mortar casinos might wonder why they should switch to online casinos. In addition to awesome promotional offers and a wide variety of casino games, online gambling offers benefits like:
The return-to-player (RTP) rate is how much casino games pay over time. The RTP payout percentage at an online casino is higher than any land-based casino. For example, live slots generally have an RTP between 85% and 90%. Online slots have an RTP in the range of 95% up to as high as 99%. Lower overhead allows the best online casinos to pay out high RTP rates, making gambling online the smarter play.
If you live in Canada, the biggest benefit of playing at casinos online is convenience. You can play casino games from the safety and privacy of your home, saving time and money. Instead of having to drive to a land-based casino, you can play 24/7. You’ll never have to worry about whether your favorite casino games are available.
The best online casinos in Canada have more casino games and more bonus offers than ever. It can be confusing trying to determine which casinos have the best offers or even if the site is legit.
Fortunately, the Maple Casino review staff is here to help you sort through the noise. After reading one of our casino reviews, you will have the information necessary to make a smart decision on where to play.
Casino Review Process FAQ
There are a few questions that we find are constantly being asked when it comes to how we review casino sites. We actually use these questions to help inform each review that we write, so that you as a player are getting the best information possible.
Yes! — If you’re looking play for real money at a casino, rest assured that any of our best online casinos are safe and secure to play at. In the case of a casino that isn’t, we go out of our way to identify that in our reviews and will blacklist that casino.
The best online casino bonuses are going to be unique to each player. Traditionally, welcome bonuses have been the best, as they include the most. Some will include free spins on slots, some will match upwards of 100% of your deposit. Check out the promotions page on the casino you are considering.
Bitcoin — At any casino that accepts this cryptocurrency the transactions are quick and usually available for both deposit and withdrawal. Furthermore, it’s quite secure, often times requiring Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
