Exploring the laws and regulations surrounding Canadian gambling

Canada is one of the most online gambling friendly countries in the world and this creates an illusion that any online casino available from there is OK, safe, and reliable enough to play at.

However, the real experience of gamblers shows that not all casinos, even good-looking, are safe, reliable, and let alone legal.

In fact, some of the best Canadian real money casinos operate under international licenses which are not issued by Canada, and people start wondering if these casinos are legal and safe enough.

Many players also ask whether being legal is important for a casino. If it offers high quality services and has cool games, if it accepts money and pays money, is it really important whether it is licensed by a specific authority?

But if an online casino suddenly turns out scammy or unreliable, the aspect of legitimacy becomes really important. This is why it is crucial to understand what makes an online casino legal and how to tell a legal casino from a gray zone one.

How to define “legal” and “un-legal” online casinos?

First things first, a legal casino is a site licensed and regulated by a certain authority that makes it legal according to certain jurisdictions’ laws and rules.

Some jurisdictions, like Ontario province, like most US states, and like some EU countries, only allow sites regulated by their indicated agencies. Those, and only those sites are legal.

However, many high-quality and reliable casino sites operate not only under local but also under international online gambling licenses, such as MGA casino license, Curacao license, etc.

Such a casino is not “legal” in Ontario but it doesn’t make it “illegal” in jurisdictions where there is no strict rule about the license.

In this case, it is important to pay attention to other criteria that make online casinos more reliable. These are:

●      software testing certificates

●      seals of trust

●      awards

●      reliable and reputable companies that support payments  

Legal background for online gambling in Canada

Canada has been welcoming gambling, both offline and online, for many years. It has flexible and comprehensive laws and rules that may not be the best for all parties but they are yet not so restrictive for all parties either.

Today, however, the legal landscape is changing for the better. Canada started paying more attention to online casinos due to recent global events, and also because all gambling is a huge industry that can pay huge taxes to the country.

Therefore, players ask questions about safe online casinos in Canada and whether their gambling habits are legal, too.

Legal Canadian online casinos

For the majority of Canada - except Ontario - there are two types of legal online casinos.

The first type is casinos operated by local companies, usually monopolists, and offering their services exclusively to the players of the province.

As a rule, such casinos are not very fun to use, they don’t have games by many famous providers, fail to offer interesting promotions, and generally have limited entertainment options compared to big up-to-date casino sites.

The second type is casinos that can be operated from offshore but are licensed by the Kahnawake Gambling Commission.

This Commission issues licenses to sites that want to offer gambling to players all over Canada but without purchasing licenses in each province. Ontario, however, doesn’t count.

Online Casinos in Ontario

Starting from April 2022, iGaming Ontario has updated its online gambling rules.

Now, all international casinos operating from abroad can get a local license and offer services to players of Ontario in a completely legal and transparent manner.

Most of these sites did so before under the Kahnawake license but this was not a completely legal way, yet there was no other way for them.

Now Ontario provides transparent business opportunities to all locally licensed casino sites, and local gamblers, in turn, can enjoy the best international casinos with thousands of games by some of the most well-known providers, enjoy enticing bonuses, and take part in additional tournaments and competitions.

Grey zone casino sites

International online casinos that hold relevant international licenses like by MGA, Curacao, Cyprus, and other agencies, are not completely legal in Canada (and are completely illegal in Ontario now),.

But until the authorities block them, ban access to them, or give them a transparent opportunity to acquire local licenses for each province, these casinos can be played by the locals for real money without any negative legal consequences.

Illegal online casinos

For Canada, any online casino that has no license at all, or its license cannot be confirmed upon double-checking is deemed illegal.

Local players are free to access almost any online casino in the world if it accepts them for real money betting, but casinos without licenses, certifications about software testing, and other criteria that may indicate their reliability should be avoided at all times.