The Best Online Casinos in British Columbia

Online Gambling’s Legality in British Columbia

Like all Canadian provinces, the legality around online gambling in British Columbia depends on where it takes place. At the time of writing, BC residents are officially only allowed to gamble at the state-run site, PlayNow — an online casino launched in 2004 and owned by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. The majority of PlayNow’s games — which include slots, live dealer experiences, table games, poker, and instant-win titles in the form of scratch cards and keno — are supplied by Scientific Gaming.

As is the case in other provinces, Canadian gamblers are legally allowed to access offshore sites regulated in foreign gambling jurisdictions, but this practice results in the profits of Canadian bets going to other nations.

The BC government regularly approves new software to be integrated into the PlayNow site, but has not yet allowed for the introduction of private third-party sites. All across Canada, provinces are considering arguments that favour the introduction of these sites, understanding that there’s a lot to gain in a financial sense from tapping into the revenue potential of online casino gambling. 

With the Canadian parliament’s passing of Bill C-218 — also known as the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act — it’s clear that the tide is slowly turning on the legal status of online gambling across the country.

‘The Grey Zone’

If online gambling’s legal status in Canada seems a little unclear, you’re not alone. In fact, most of the online casino activities taking place in Canada occur in what’s known as the grey zone — so-called to represent the grey area in Canada’s gambling laws that forbids private operators from offering services in the country, while still allowing Canadian gamblers to access offshore casinos licensed in other jurisdictions. 

This flexible approach to legislation has motivated provincial governments to lobby for industry change, arguing for opportunities to increase revenues by opening up online casino gambling to the kinds of offshore sites already in use throughout the country. There is nothing illegal or unsafe about making use of licensed offshore casinos, but critics of the state of play believe more stands to be won by regulating the industry from inside Canada’s borders. 

How We Review the Best Online Casinos Available in British Columbia

Our round-up of British Columbia’s best online casinos involves an extensive review detailing all facets of the online gambling experience. No casino makes it onto our site without performing well in several key areas, which have been outlined below.

Licensing

Casino licences are issued by regulatory bodies around the world. Two of the most respected are the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Malta Gaming Authority — we love seeing licences granted by these authorities, but there are plenty of other reputable licensing bodies. Such licences ensure a degree of protection for players when using their favourite sites, ensuring no games are manipulated and pay out at the advertised rate, and that the operator meets security and privacy requirements when it comes to customer data. 

Games Selection

The top British Columbia online casinos will host games from the world’s best developers in many different categories; from blackjack to bingo, we want to see it all. Performing well in this area also depends on depth within each game type, with the best sites offering hundreds of different roulette tables, for example, in order to suit a range of playing styles and budgets. 

Bonuses and Promotions

It could be the highest-performing casino in all other areas of our review, but if a site’s bonuses and promotions aren’t up to standard, then we won’t recommend it to our users. Bonuses and promotions make or break a gambling site — we expect to see a generous welcome bonus offer, followed by plenty of opportunities for existing players to capitalize on great promotional deals. This section of our reviewing process requires us to go deeper than skimming over bonus offers on the surface, since the quality of any casino bonus largely hinders on the player-friendly nature of its terms and conditions. We always take these into consideration when assessing the value of a site’s offers.

Customer Support

If a site wants to be thought of as one of the best, it must prove so by providing excellent customer support services. There are lots of different communication channels through which casinos can offer customer support — we like to see as many in action as possible, including live chat features, email and phone support, use of social media accounts, and a helpful FAQs section. 

Site Design and Layout

We love to see bright and colourful sites, presented in a clear and easily navigable way. While this may not be considered a priority for many online casino players, we believe good design has a huge influence on a casino’s ability to retain its members. And aside from anything else, nobody wants to gamble at a site prone to glitches, especially when there’s money on the line. 

Casino Games in British Columbia

There’s something for everyone in the games libraries of the best British Columbia casinos. Here are the most popular gaming categories you’ll encounter. 

Slots

At the slots, gamblers simply spin the reels and hope for the best. Software developers put most of their time and resources into creating online slots, so you’ll find more of these games than any other at an online casino. No theme is out of bounds when it comes to online slots, with anything from the quests of Spanish conquistadors to the battles of ancient gods used as inspiration for these games. We like to see slots in both the classic and modern styles, as well as a decent selection of progressive jackpots, where wagers made from players around the world all contribute to the same max jackpot.

Table Games

Roulette, baccarat, sic bo — whatever you like to play, it’ll be available at the top British Columbia casinos. Our highest-ranking sites here will do more than host games as token gestures, offering depth in the form of lots of different variants. Table games have been played around the world for centuries, collecting fascinating histories and interesting variations along the way, and we like to see as many as possible available to Canadian gamblers. 

Poker

Poker technically falls outside of the table game bracket because it typically pits players against other players, as opposed to the house. Although poker is probably the most popular card game in the world, its availability at online casinos remains fairly limited. Still, we expect the very best casinos to provide plenty of poker rooms at a range of buy-in levels.

Live Casino

Live casinos simulate the gambling experience by livestreaming professional dealers in real casino or studio settings for players at home to enjoy. Live dealer games can be played in all table game formats, which will suit a range of casino budgets. Live casinos were introduced around 2006 and continue to revolutionize the industry — the most exciting offerings make use of multiple cameras to truly immerse players in the action.

Online Casino Bonuses

You’ll come across lots of different bonus types throughout your time as a member at a British Columbia casino. Before making use of any of these, remember to always read the terms and conditions in full — whether any resulting winnings can be withdrawn will depend on wagering requirements, time limits, winning caps, game weightings, and more. Below are some of the most common bonus offers and what they mean.

Matched Deposits

When you make a deposit in line with a matched deposit bonus, your casino will match whatever you deposit at a certain percentage. This bonus will come with a maximum limit, and may look something like an offer of ‘100% up to $50’, where a $50 deposit would credit your account with an additional $50 in bonus funds, giving you $100 to play with in total. 

Free Spins Bonuses

Typically offered in exchange for a qualifying deposit, free spins give players goes on selected slot machines within a site’s catalogue without staking real money. These bonuses can’t be used on any other type of game in the site’s library, but they’re often seen as part of a welcome package alongside a deposit match bonus. 

No Deposit Bonuses

No deposit bonuses don’t require any financial commitment from players, and are usually issued as soon as a new member signs up to the site. Since these bonuses don’t depend on a deposit, their values are smaller, typically in the region of $5 or $10, and they’re usually subject to maximum win limits. 

Payment Options in British Columbia

We’ve broken down the most widely-used payment methods at British Columbia casinos below, alongside their expected deposit and withdrawal times. There are pros and cons to all of them, but which methods an individual prefers will depend on their gambling habits. 

Bank Cards

Deposit speed: Instant

Withdrawal speed: Slow, between 2–5 working days

The first place to start is bank cards, available at every online casino in British Columbia. If you’re playing at a casino licensed by the UKGC, you won’t be able to make deposits with credit cards, which were banned in 2020 at these sites. The major drawback of this option is that withdrawals are among the slowest, taking up to five working days to complete. 

e-Wallets

Although PayPal remains banned at Canadian casino sites, there are plenty of other e-wallet options available, including Neteller, Skrill, and ecoPayz. These brands offer online gamblers an excellent all-round service, with a high level of security and rapid transactions for both deposits and withdrawals. 

Prepaid Cards

Prepaid cards like Paysafecard function on a voucher-based system that can be purchased either online or in designated retail outlets. These vouchers are bought in predetermined amounts, before being transferred to a casino wallet via the input of a unique 16-digit PIN. Players purchasing vouchers online may be able to request a withdrawal at some sites, but those physically buying them won’t be able to do so. 

Pay by Phone Bill

In recent years, pay by phone bill companies like Boku have found a place on the list of payment methods supported by casino sites. These services link up with mobile network providers, who pay for the deposit on the player’s behalf before billing them in their monthly contract. Payments are authorized simply by keying in your phone number, but there are tight limits on deposit amounts and no opportunities to withdraw funds. 

Interac

Since Interac functions on the same network as banks, withdrawal times are equally as slow. However, Interac is available at most Canadian casino sites in both the Online and e-Transfer formats, although only the latter can accommodate withdrawal requests.