The Best Interac Online Casinos in Canada

What is Interac?

Interac is a Canadian interbank network that allows financial institutions and other enterprises to make electronic monetary transactions, and also serves as Canada’s debit card system.

Interac’s e-transfer and online payment services are popular banking methods at Canadian online casinos. The e-transfer function is commonly used to send payments to friends and family, but doesn’t involve the direct transfer of money between two different bank accounts.

Instead, payments are approved via a third-party payment solutions company called CertaPay, which then authorizes the transaction and sends a notification to both participants by email. Interac e-transfer is widely available at both Canadian financial institutions and casino sites, and is regulated by the Bank of Canada.  

When using Interac e-transfer at a gambling site, the casino will issue users with a specified email address as a destination for the transaction, followed by a security question as a layer of authentication. Interac e-transfer can therefore be used by any customer with an email address and a Canadian bank account.

Interac Online

For Interac online, or Interac debit, customers can pay for deposits by directly transferring funds through the online banking system. This option is faster and more seamless than Interac e-transfer, as there’s no need to authenticate payments through email addresses and security questions.

However, the downside is that Interac online is not as widely available as Interac e-transfer, as the service is only available to customers of four of the five largest Canadian banks: RBC, BMO, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust. CIBC, the sole outlier, uses Visa Debit payments for online transactions between bank accounts.

History of Interac

Interac, whose current CEO is Mark O’Connell, was founded in 1984 as a joint venture between five of Canada’s biggest financial institutions: RBC, Scotiabank, CIBC, TD, and Desjardins. Today, the number of participating institutions has risen to over 250.

In 1994, Interac launched Interac Debit, which allows users to make purchases using the money stored in their bank account. Almost 10 years later, in 2003, Interac expanded into the world of electronic payments with their e-Transfer service. These two services, Interac Debit and Interac e-Transfer, still form the basis of the Interac company model.

Interac’s headquarters is located at the Royal Bank Plaza in Toronto.

How to Make Casino Deposits with Interac

Follow this simple step-by-step guide and you’ll be making an Interac casino deposit in no time:

1. Browse through our recommended list of the best Interac online casinos
2. Read our reviews and compare the welcome bonuses on offer at each 
3. Click through to the gambling site that best suits your needs and interests 
4. Sign up by entering your personal information, such as your name, address, and email address
5. Click through to the cashier page to make your first deposit
6. Select your Interac deposit method – either e-transfer or online services 
7. Key in the deposit amount and follow the on-site prompts
8. Select your banking institution and click confirm
9. Wait for verification checks and processes – this can take a bit of time when new players first sign up to an online casino 
10. Place your first wager!

Benefits of Using Interac

While playing at an online casino – which can sometimes be a pressurized environment – gamblers want to feel secure about their online banking infrastructure and the method by which they’re depositing their own money. Since Canadians have been familiar with the Interac brand for a number of decades, it’s a well-established candidate for online casino transactions.
Of course, if Interac was a perfect online casino payment method, it would be the only one to choose from. While Interac is an excellent all-round banking option, each individual will have their own set of preferences when it comes to payment methods based on their own gambling habits.

Games Available at Interac Casinos

Once you’ve signed up and deposited some funds at an Interac casino, you’ll have a whole library of exciting online casino games at your disposal. For those who are new to online casinos, or are interested in trying out a different sort of casino game, below is a brief summary of some of the most popular options.

Slots

Slots are the most common type of games at online casinos, and you’ll no doubt be greeted by quite an overwhelming number of options when you enter your new Interac casino. 

The best course of action is to try out some free slots before deciding which ones you want to stake real money on. Another nice way of navigating your way through the slot offering is by learning about the different types of slot games. Progressive jackpot slots, for example, feature jackpots that accumulate over time, and can therefore produce some astronomical jackpots. In 2019, for example, a Canadian player won $20,059,287 CAD on the popular progressive jackpot slot, Mega Moolah, from one of iGaming’s biggest and best slot providers, Microgaming.  

Table Games

There’s a number of different table games available at Interac casinos, which will each suit different kinds of players. We’re sure you’ll already be familiar with most of these, but just in case you need reminding, here’s a brief description of the most popular:

• Blackjack – For the uninitiated, the aim of blackjack is to get closer to 21 than the dealer without going bust. Your options are to hit, stand, split, double down or, at some blackjack tables, surrender.  
• Roulette – Roulette is all about betting on the potential outcomes of the spin of the roulette wheel. You can bet on the roulette ball landing on red, black or any various selections and rows of numbers, with varying payout odds. 
• Baccarat – The winning hand in baccarat is that which gets closest to 9 from a two, or sometimes three card deal. Unlike blackjack, which is quite a similar game, players can bet on which hand will win between theirs and the dealer’s, or even on a tie. 
• Craps – Craps is a game based on the potential outcomes of two-dice rolls. Though this may sound simple, the rules are rather complicated. In short: rolling a 7 or an 11 is a win; a 2, 3 or a 12 is a loss; any other number establishes a ‘point’. To win after the point is established, you’ll need to roll that number again before rolling a 7. Of course, you can bet on a number of different outcomes, so it’s not quite as simple as winning or losing, but those are the basics.  
• Keno – Keno is a lottery-style game in which players place bets on up to 20 numbers between 1 and 80. The more selections you get right, the bigger your payout. 

Leading Software Providers at Interac Casinos Canada

We’re always on the lookout for the best software providers when reviewing Interac casinos in Canada. They not only provide assurances about the quality of the games on offer, but being partnered with industry’s most esteemed developers is also testament to an online casino’s trustworthiness and reputation. If you’re not sure who the main players are in terms of software providers, here’s some brief information on a few of the biggest names. 

Evolution 

Evolution is a world leader in the field of live dealer software development. Headquartered in Stockholm, its popular live casino titles — which include both table games and live game shows — are played at online casinos in Canada and worldwide. Evolution owns studios and streams from real casinos across Europe and North America. Among Evolution’s best games are its Lightning Roulette and Blackjack titles, and exciting live game shows like Monopoly Live and Cash or Crash.

Pragmatic Play

Founded in 2015, Pragmatic Play is another specialist in live dealer games, but it has also produced an astonishing number of award-winning slots and table games, especially for a company that is much younger than many of its major competitors. If you like to stick to live dealers, we highly recommend its exciting, dice-based live game show, Boom City, but if you’re more of a slot player, check out its 2022 Slot of the Year-winning title, Gates of Olympus.

Play’n GO

Play’n GO was formed in Sweden in 2005 and is one of the leading slot providers in the online casino industry. Over the years, Play’n GO has been responsible for producing some of iGaming’s most successful slot games, the most famous being its hugely popular Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead series. That said, Play’n GO has also developed a number of different table games, including Double Exposure Blackjack, European Roulette Pro and Casino Stud Poker, which you’ll find in the games libraries of many Interac casinos.

NetEnt

NetEnt is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in iGaming software. Formed back in 1996, it has been around almost as long as online gambling itself, and continues to be a leading pioneer in iGaming innovation. If you’ve spent any time at online casinos in the past, it’s more than likely that you’ve played some of NetEnt’s games. Mega Joker, Gonzo’s Quest and Aloha! Cluster Pays head up the almost never-ending list of their best slot games, alongside an excellent portfolio of table games.

Bally

Bally Technologies is an American iGaming software provider based in the mecca of gambling, Las Vegas, Nevada. Bally started developing and distributing slot machines to land-based casinos in 1979, but has since made the necessary leap into the world of online casino software, where it has driven innovation in terms of slot mechanics and cross-compatibility. If you’re a fan of Will Ferrell, why not try out the Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy slot. 

Playtech

Founded in Estonia in 1999, Playtech is one of the most versatile software developers in iGaming. Its impressive, multi-award-winning games catalog includes slots, table games, bingo rooms, poker and live dealers. Recently, its production has focussed on developing live dealer games with high production value, such as its impressive Quantum Roulette title. 

Microgaming

With NetEnt, Microgaming is another one of the oldest names in online gambling. Founded in 1994, Microgaming is renowned for its slot games, such as Thunderstruck II, Immortal Romance and Mega Moolah. What distinguishes Microgaming’s slots are their high-quality graphics, and some eye-watering progressive jackpots. In terms of table games, it offers blackjack, roulette, poker, sic bo and keno. It also offers a fantastic range of live dealer titles. Essentially, Microgaming has everything you could ever want from a iGaming software provider, and its games can be found at the majority of Interac casinos.