Online casinos have achieved a massive success in just two decades, reaching a record-breaking revenue of $57.54 billion in 2022. We cannot even imagine what the first poker room looked like as today we have an opportunity to choose from literally hundreds of different virtual casinos with their own modern features. Obviously, the number of casino games that are available online has increased significantly since the early beginnings of the iGaming sector.
However, there is one downside to the large expansion of the online gambling market and that is the lack of regulations in certain regions, which resulted in more opportunities for rogue casinos to operate illegally and enter the market.
There are far fewer barriers to entry for online casinos than in the realm of traditional casinos, which means that, unfortunately, there are still certain platforms that do not operate within the same realm of legal and reliable online casinos.
For this reason, we have compiled a detailed guide to help any beginner or anyone who wants to easily recognize safe online casinos and narrow down your options to only casino sites that are worthy of your time and attention. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at legitimate online casinos.
Online Gambling Licence
For a casino site to operate legally, it needs to hold a gambling license issued by national and/or international regulatory bodies. But how can you check the legitimacy of any online casino?
First, take a look at the “About” section or the footer of the website. You should find more information about gaming licenses from renowned organizations such as the Government of Curacao, the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, and many others.
The information regarding the gambling license should be easily accessible on the official website of the casino. Any online casino that operates legally will publicly demonstrate the seal approval by a renowned organization.
Moreover, every casino which has the seal of approval from a reputable gambling agency like the UK Gambling Commission functions according to the higher standards in the iGaming sphere. Not only it offers a fair and safe gaming experience and safe casino games that are tested for fairness, but it also provides multiple tools for responsible gambling on its platforms.
For example, online casino users are able to restrict their time on the site, put a limit on their withdrawals and deposits, or self-exclude for a certain amount of time. If you find a casino site that is licensed with a valid gambling license by a reputable agency, then you can rest assured that your personal and financial details are safe.
If the casino has multiple licenses, it further proves that it follows the standards and regulations of both regulatory bodies. That said, keep in mind that some countries have their own national gambling agencies, such as the Danish Gambling Authority in Denmark, the Swedish Gambling Authority in Sweden, or the Canadian Gaming Association in charge of the regulation of online casinos in Canada.
Casino Security Measures
The security of Canadian casinos when you’re playing online is of utmost importance. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to play slots or any other casino game, most casinos will ask you to verify your identity, and for this purpose, you might share personal information, which includes your address, utility bill, and phone bill, among other documents.
Furthermore, every time you make a deposit or withdrawal, you want to be sure that your financial and personal details remain safe. In order to learn more about the security of the online casino, start by reading the terms and conditions and reviews from other users.
And see if the online casinos for Canadian players have an SSL. SSL certificate means that the online connection is encrypted, your personal details are transformed into scrambled, unreadable data, and it also protects the transfer of information online between the operator and the casino member.
Online casinos that have a valid license are required to hold a valid SSL certificate and also to have an RNG certificate which proves that every game on the online casino is based on RNG technology. Moreover, you can also check out if the casino incorporates security measures like a firewall that further protect the casino from any cyber-attacks or malware.
Casino Games
The next factor which impacts the casino experience on Canadian online casinos and any other casino site is the casino games. In this case, reliable casinos have RNG certificates which sure that it ensures that every outcome in the game is randomly generated.
So, whether you play slots or table games, you’ll know that the outcome of the game is not manipulated. Online casinos also collaborate with third-party agencies like eCOGRA, which further test the games for fairness and prove that every game in the game selection is fair.
In addition, the casino games, need to be provided by reputable developers. You can find more information on the gaming site about the game studious that the casino has partnered with. Reputable online casinos make sure to collaborate only with high-quality and renowned brands that also hold valid gambling licenses. Some examples include Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Quickspin, and several other big brands.
Responsive Customer Support
You want to sign up on a trustworthy online casino for Canadian players which not only cares about the casino members but also cultivates a long-term relationship with its audience and offers multiple options for communication with the customer support department.
They will offer everything from communication on social media apps, communication via text messages, and phone-based support, email-based support among many other options. This will allow you to instantly reach the customer support agents and receive guidance for your issues.
So whenever online casinos don’t provide direct means of communication, or you don’t receive timely responses from the customer service agents and, in general, they are not easily reachable that this is also a red flag that you should keep in mind.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
