Canada’s gambling scene is one rich in options and opportunities to walk away with more than just a little extra change jingling in your pocket. So what’s really going on in Canada’s gambling scene? Let’s take a look at both online and brick-and-mortar casinos and some general Canadian gambling information.
Online Gambling
Moving online – or adding an online arm at the very least – has been the life raft that has pulled countless businesses out of a terrifying rut of overheads, inflation, and lessened consumer interest, and Canada’s casinos are no exception to the rule, with 51 regulated operators in Ontario alone, and a projected annual growth rate of 6.39%.
While the major players still remain in the brick-and-mortar scene—The Grand Villa, The Great Canadian, River Rock, Caesars Windsor, and the like—many of the best-known casinos now also operate online, and new competitors are popping up every day.
Safety Concerns
Of course, there are concerns, and rightly so. As online gambling becomes more prevalent in Canada, questions about trustworthiness and reliability are on the rise. How can the average Joe distinguish between a real business and a cunning front out to steal their banking information?
Well, there’s a solution to that too. Impartial recommendation sites like GambleOntario.ca step in to provide honest reviews, helping players identify secure casinos and betting sites and giving them a realistic and honest understanding of what they’re about to experience.
You can check out the sites with the best recommendations (these lists are renewed every month) and find out the star rating given to the casino, what features it offers to its players, how payments work, and a secure link that takes you straight to the casino and not some other potentially harmful site that you never intended to visit.
Also, recent Ontario legislation has made the area the location of choice for many online gambling businesses, giving iGaming companies better access to the permits that they need to run reliable and safe businesses online.
Though it’s fairly certain that brick-and-mortar casinos will never die out as an industry, it’s a good strategy for business owners to have another revenue stream in place that protects their basics, as well as the salaries of their employees.
Brick-and-Mortar Gambling
The entertainment industry, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic worldwide, is still reeling, financially at least, from the losses sustained while stay-home orders were in place. Casinos have not been immune to this concern and now often struggle to stay profitable where once they floated easily, bobbing along on the waves of commerce that flowed through their doors.
The fact is that fewer Canadians gamble now than a few decades ago. There are visitors, yes, but not necessarily always gamblers. It may not be the games or even the casinos themselves that are the reason for this lack of revenue, but rather, the simple fact that life is a lot more expensive than it used to be.
You can’t count Canada’s brick-and-mortar casinos out though- not by a long shot. In the summer of last year, the country welcomed its biggest brick-and-mortar casino to date. This palace of gambling, aptly dubbed the Great Canadian Casino Resort, can be found in Toronto, Ontario, and is a megalopolis of more than 328,000 square feet. Here in this modern marvel of a casino resort, guests (of legal gambling age) have access to 4,800 slot machines and 145 table games. The resort part of the complex has a 50,000-seat venue for all kinds of stage shows, a 400-room hotel, and ten restaurant options.
Opening a resort of that caliber certainly creates a splash in the pool of the country’s economy. Money flowing in, more job openings, and more tourism coming into one of the country’s already beloved tourist hotspots can’t be a bad thing…can it? The world we live in now isn’t the same as it was pre-COVID-19. Much has changed, including far higher prices for basic needs, demographics changing their preferences and not returning to their old ways, and many other influences, both small and large. These factors have made the prospect of opening a brick-and-mortar gambling establishment a more unnerving one for potential investors and business owners.
Transport to and from the venue, drinks, meals, and then your gambling budget on top of that can add up to a lot of money, especially if you’re trying to follow a budget. There is a solution, however, that many Canadian casinos are embracing. And it may be turning the tide on this issue.
Why Is Online Gambling in Canada so Popular?
Where do we even begin? Online gambling is the hobby of choice for more gamblers now than ever before in the industry’s history, but it’s not just the cost of living that’s driving this new wave of gambling. An industry that earns over 4.4 billion CAD as of 2024 has more tricks up its sleeve than just a reliance on life being expensive!
- Canada is friendly to online gamblers in terms of legislation, and the excellent access to internet services in most places in the country makes online casinos very easy to access.
- Advances in technology are fast bringing gambling into the fold of immersive online experiences. With AI being on hand to collate player data and provide a tailored player-centric experience, and VR/AR coming into play more and more often in ways that bring the player into a virtual world where they literally feel like they’re rubbing shoulders with other players from the comfort of their beds, it’s likely that online gambling will soon feel more like the “real life” thing.
- Gambling online is more cost-effective for the player as they don’t need to pay for transport or meals out (unless they feel like ordering pizza!), just factor in their gambling budget.
- Visiting online casinos requires less effort. Canada is a vast country, with many areas being quite far from the places with a land-based casino. There’s no need to adhere to a sometimes strict dress code, no need to worry about driving a long distance late in the evening, and no need for concern about how many drinks you’ve had when getting behind the wheel. All you do is click a link, and off you go.
- Online casinos have far lower overheads, so they are frequently able to offer a lot more perks to their players. This works in the favor of both sides as everyone gets a little extra out of the deal.
- The legal gambling age in Canada is lower than in the US, for example. Depending on the precise location the player is in, they may be able to gamble from the age of 18 or 19. Check your local laws to be sure.
- Those who have debilitating cases of agoraphobia or social anxiety are able to enjoy themselves either alone or at a “table” full of online players, something that may have been greatly distressing for them in the real world. The same goes for those with physical disabilities who may not be able to get around easily or sit in a casino chair for long periods of time. Online, everyone can gamble however they feel comfortable.
- Online casinos are a great place for those just learning complicated games, like poker, to get a little bit of real play experience. This may be just for fun or in a build-up to entering a tournament, but either way, it’s a convenient practice space.
- Canada’s regulations ensure that gambling online is incredibly safe. There is no need to be concerned about personal information being misused or funds being misappropriated at all!
What Trends Are Reshaping the Canadian Gambling Scene?
As times change, so do the trends in the gambling scene. As people have become more and more connected with one another, thanks to the rise of the internet and smartphone technology. Therefore, one of the newest additions to the igaming scene is mobile gaming.
Most of us are on our phones for multiple hours a day now, whether that’s for business or pleasure, and it only makes sense for iGaming companies to expand their businesses into this area, with more and more online casino apps available on the app store every day.
Following a huge rise in popularity in livestreaming sites like Twitch, where users can stream themselves doing all kinds of activities – ranging from just chatting with their audience, to playing online video games, sometimes with the audience as well – online casino sites have also recently embraced live streaming technology. They have introduced live dealer games, allowing players to watch and comment on the action in real-time as the game unfolds.
This has allowed players to enjoy a more immersive casino experience with a dealer who can talk to them, rather than a computer-programmed series of images, making their experience feel a lot more personal and engaging, even for those who can’t physically come to the casino.
The Future of Gambling in Canada
As the saying goes, it takes all sorts. There will always be die-hard brick-and-mortar gamblers who love nothing more than a weekend vacation at an incredibly appealing location, like the Great Canadian Casino and Resort, or who have a weekly date with their friends at the slots or maybe even in a bingo hall.
There will also always be those who prefer the comfort of home and the extra benefits that gambling online can sometimes bring. It is the combination of both types of players that will keep Canada’s still-thriving gambling scene spinning, both now and into the future.
With Canada’s laws becoming more progressive, it’s a sure bet that both online and brick-and-mortar casinos will continue to play a vital role in Canada’s entertainment industry and economy.
