Canada has traditionally been a first mover in North America when it comes to the more progressive areas of legal reform. The nation was among the first in the world to legalize recreational cannabis, and sports betting was legalized in 1985, more than 30 years before the US Supreme Court struck down PASPA.
However, one area where Canada lags behind is when it comes to placing wagers online. Reforms are finally being seen this year in the shape of Ontario launching a new iGaming market in April and the federal ban on single-event sports betting being lifted last year. It’s not before time, however, as the Canadian online casino market alone is estimated to be worth more than $30 billion per year.
The popularity of online casinos
Market research carried out last year showed that seven out of 10 Canadians who gambled did so online. That’s an astonishing figure for a country that, at the time, had no online gambling infrastructure of its own. It left the field completely open for offshore operators, and a glance at Gamble Online (https://www.gambleonline.co/en-ca/) shows there are plenty out there actively targeting Canadian real money casino gamers. Many, for example, accept Canadian dollar or offer other viable alternatives such as Bitcoin.
Slot games dominate in terms of both popularity and the total amount wagered, which is no great surprise given the thousands of different games there are in this category. Roulette is the top-rated table game among Canadians, with blackjack and poker following closely behind.
The fact that Canadian gamblers know what they like and where to find it means there’s no guarantees as to when or even if they will switch from the offshore providers to Canadian online casinos as and when they become available. Ontario residents will provide the first clue.
Advantages of using a licensed casino
The advantages of switching from an unlicensed offshore operator to a licensed one are plain to see. There is better consumer protection if something goes wrong, such as the casino going bankrupt or having a major data breach. There are more payment options, as banks will have no qualms about dealing with a locally licensed provider. Finally, and especially now, in what are still the early days, there are numerous bonuses and promotions as the casinos compete for your business.
Of course, using a casino that is licensed to operate in Ontario helps to generate tax revenue, too, which ultimately works to everybody’s benefit.
What about the downsides?
Casinos have to meet certain requirements in order to be granted a Canadian license. This is logical, but the regulator needs to take a pragmatic approach. In Germany and the Netherlands, gaming has become so tightly controlled in terms of wagering limits and the speed of slot games that some gamblers have been voting with their feet and going back to the unlicensed offshore alternatives.
It is still too early to draw definitive conclusions, but the indications are that Ontario has balanced things better, only prohibiting autoplay and placing a 2.5 second minimum spin time on slots.
