What We Look for in the Best Canadian Casinos
To gain an overall impression of any given site, we review lots of different areas that we think play a crucial role in the quality of an online casino. Each individual will have opposing ideas about which of our reviewing criteria ranks as the most important, so we present the facts and leave it to our users to make informed decisions based on their own preferences. Here are our main areas of interest.
Licensing
The first priority of our casino reviews is licensing. You won’t find any online casinos listed on our site that aren’t licensed to operate in Canada, and you should always avoid placing bets at unlicensed casinos. Licences protect online gamblers from unregulated games and casinos, providing a series of checks that ensure a fair and safe gambling experience and insuring players in the event of hacks and fraudulent activity.
At the moment, licences in Canada are only issued to state-run operators, but changes in gambling legislation will allow Ontario – and any other province that wants to capitalize – to open its doors to private online casino operators. Before this new legislation comes into practice, Canadian players can continue gambling online at a range of recommended offshore casinos on our site, all of which hold appropriate licences from regulatory authorities.
Game Library
Delving into gambling sites‘ game libraries involves making sure players can find all the familiar classics, including the best slot titles, classic table games such as online roulette, and popular card games like poker and baccarat. We also take a look at the variations within these games; for example, multi-deck variants of blackjack that affect the casino’s house edge. While we’re taking a look around at the casino games on offer, we’ll also make a note of how well-represented the industry’s best game developers are on the site, such as Microgaming and NetEnt.
Bonuses and Promotions
Accessible, high-quality, and frequently distributed bonuses and promotions can make all the difference at a gambling site. In many cases, it’s the initial welcome bonus after a first deposit that attracts new players to an online casino, but we also consider how regularly bonuses are offered to existing players and how hamstrung these bonuses are by their terms and conditions.
Design and User Experience
Given that’s there’s so much competition in the online gambling world, first impressions go a long way. That’s why we assess the aesthetic of all of our casino recommendations before listing them on our site, understanding that careful design and intuitive dashboards will have a significant impact on whether players stick around or not.
Customer Support
If you’re having any trouble with your online casino account, you’ll want the reassurance of good customer support that can resolve your problems quickly. Making use of multiple communication channels – such as on-site chat features and social media accounts – that are friendly and responsive throughout the majority of the day is what we consider to be good customer support.
Payment Options
The best Canadian casinos will have a long payment method menu, giving their customers plenty of choice when it comes to paying for their bets. These options should cover bank cards, e-wallets, eChecks, and more.
Innovative Ideas
Casinos that can offer unique and innovative features to their customers will receive generous praise in our reviewing process. With so many casinos to choose from, we pay close attention to each site’s individual identity, assessing how effective its characteristics are in a competitive market.
Terms and Conditions
If you like player bonuses, you’d better get used to terms and conditions as well. There isn’t an online casino in the world that doesn’t saddle its bonuses with T&Cs of some description, but some are friendlier than others. We take a close look at them to assess for ourselves how much they impact the overall quality of a bonus or promotion.