The Best Online Casinos in Nova Scotia

Online Gambling’s Legality in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of four provinces known collectively as Atlantic Canada. As such, gambling activities within the province fall under the remit of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) — an organization that governs, regulates, and distributes gambling verticals to residents in the Atlantic provinces. The ALC runs an online gambling site offering slots, bingo titles, and table games such as blackjack and roulette.

The official government line is that Nova Scotians can only gamble online at the ALC site. For a long time, this has been a blanket rule for all Canadians, with provinces only permitting online gambling at state-run sites; however, there is no law that forbids Canadians in any province from legally accessing offshore online casinos licensed in other gambling jurisdictions. 

In February 2021, the ALC agreed to launch an exclusive online casino for players in Nova Scotia. This follows the launch of a similar site in New Brunswick in 2020, splitting the ALC into separate gambling territories while still overseeing activities within its four provinces. 

‘The Grey Zone’

Although provincial governments ban the practice of online gambling at private casino sites within their borders, Canadians are legally allowed to play at offshore sites licensed elsewhere. So, when we at BestOnlineCasinos.ca discuss the best online casinos in Nova Scotia, we’re referring to the best sites available to those residing in the province. These sites are all safe and licensed by reputable gambling territories, such as the Malta Gaming Authority or UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

You’d be forgiven for thinking this approach to online gambling seems unclear. Indeed, the framework supporting Canada’s gambling laws has created a space known as the grey zone, so-called to represent the uncertainty around legislation and the missed financial opportunities to regulate the industry within Canadian borders. 

Governments at both the provincial and federal level are aware of the amount of gambling that occurs at offshore sites. The ALC has even estimated that around $100 million leaves Atlantic Canada alone every year through residents gambling at these sites, and arguments have been made to allow this revenue to benefit the citizens of Canada rather than foreign gambling territories.

How We Review the Best Online Casinos in Nova Scotia

As gamblers ourselves, we know what players look for at an online casino. That’s why any site listed at BestOnlineCasinos.ca is first subjected to an extensive review, covering all parts of the online gambling experience — here are the key areas we assess. 

Licensing

It’s simple: if a casino doesn’t have a licence from a major gambling regulator, it won’t be recommended on our site. Licences are essential to providing players with a safe and regulated service, ensuring that customer data is protected and that games haven’t been manipulated in any way. Gambling licences are upheld by third-party auditors, who perform multiple checks throughout the course of the year to ensure everything is as it should be, and non-compliant operators risk financial penalties or loss of licence.

Games Selection

You’ve come to the casino for some fun, so you’ll want to see an excellent range of games suiting a variety of tastes and budgets. Nova Scotia’s best online casinos achieve this by offering titles from the world’s best software developers, including Microgaming, NetEnt, and a whole host of others. We like to see as many gaming categories as possible — from bingo to keno to instant-win scratchcards — as well as depth within these categories, such as a good selection of blackjack variants. 

Bonuses and Promotions

It’s not enough for casino sites to offer one outstanding welcome bonus — in addition to this, we also want to see a string of consistent, accessible and player-friendly offers throughout a member’s time at the casino. This requires us to dig a little deeper, taking a look at each bonus’s terms and conditions in order to determine its true value. Bonuses and promotions are often what makes a casino in the eyes of our users, and we couldn’t agree more. 

Customer Support

If something has gone wrong with your account, you’ll need assurances that you’re supported by an excellent customer service team. The best Nova Scotia online casinos put themselves in a position to offer this by making use of the full range of communication channels at their disposal — we look for live chat facilities, active social media accounts, email and phone support, and some helpful FAQs. 

Site Design and Layout

Aesthetics may be low down on your list of gambling priorities, but clever design goes beyond simply what the site looks like. A considered user experience makes interacting with the casino a joy, with games libraries easy to navigate through useful categorization, and account features and promotional opportunities clearly presented.

Casino Games in Nova Scotia

You won’t be short of gaming options at the top Nova Scotian online casinos. Here are some of the most popular gaming categories. 

Slots

If you’re taking your first steps into the world of online casinos, you might be struck by the pervasiveness of online slot machines. Some casino sites host 2,000 of these games alone, and their popularity means that virtually every casino software developer in the world produces their own titles. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the best in the business, but some of the biggest games from the last decade are NetEnt’s Gonzo’s Quest and Starburst, Microgaming’s Immortal Romance and Mega Moolah, and Play’n GO’s Rich Wilde series. There’s so much variety by way of design, style, theme, and mechanics, and we like to see a good selection of classic, video, and progressive jackpot slots.

Table Games

Slots can be fun, but gambling purists might be more interested in the casino’s selection of table games. The most popular options in this category are roulette, blackjack, and baccarat, but the best Nova Scotian casinos will also offer games of sic bo and craps, both of which involve dice rather than playing cards. All of these games have fascinating histories — some of which stretch back to the 15th century — and come with lots of different variants; we favour sites that offer as many as possible. 

Poker

Poker exists in its own gaming category because it typically involves betting against other players as opposed to the house. Despite being a hugely popular game with lots of variants, poker is often overlooked by online casinos. So, we like to see poker rooms to suit all budgets, and some video poker options too. 

Live Casino

The innovation of live casino games exploded onto the online gambling scene around the year 2006 with the founding of Evolution Gaming — a developer that exclusively specializes in the production of these games. Live casino games stream professional dealers from studios around the world, reproducing an authentic casino atmosphere for players to enjoy from their own home. Evolution kick-started this trend and have created many blockbuster hits since then, including Lightning Roulette, Crazy Time, and Super Sic Bo.

Online Casino Bonuses

Casino bonuses come in a variety of forms. We’ve outlined the most common below, but before you jump in and make use of these, remember that your best chance of converting bonus money into withdrawable cash begins with a thorough reading of the T&Cs.

Matched Deposits

Most Nova Scotia online casinos offer matched deposits as part of their welcome bonus package. It’s a bonus type that targets a player’s first deposit at the site, where the operator credits the player’s account with bonus funds equal to their deposit at a certain percentage and up to a certain limit. In the case of an offer of ‘100% up to $75’, you’d land $75 in bonus funds from a $75 deposit, for a total of $150 to play with.

Free Spins Bonuses

Slot enthusiasts will be on the lookout for free spins bonuses, which are also frequently seen as part of welcome offers. For existing players, free spins bonuses are unlocked by a qualifying deposit — for example, an offer of 50 free spins when depositing $25. We love using them to try out new games or learn the mechanics of more complex titles.

No Deposit Bonuses

Fancy accessing a casino bonus without fronting your own cash? That’s exactly what no deposit bonuses offer, albeit at smaller amounts than their matched deposit cousins. Typically, these bonuses will be in the region of $5 or $10, and these funds will be credited to a player’s account as soon as they’ve completed registration. 

Payment Options in Nova Scotia

Casino players in Nova Scotia will be able to make use of a range of different payment options at the best casino sites. Here are some of the most commonly used, alongside their deposit and withdrawal speeds. 

Bank Cards

Debit card payments will be accepted at all Nova Scotia casinos, though players looking to play with credit cards won’t be able to do so at any site licensed by the UKGC, which banned this option in 2020 to help promote more responsible gambling. Bank cards are reliable and familiar, but withdrawal times are slow. 

e-Wallets

If you’re looking for the banking option with the fastest payouts, e-wallets are your best bet, with withdrawals usually received within moments. Skrill, Neteller, and ecoPayz are the biggest e-wallet brands used at Canadian casino sites, all of which will offer similar perks.

Prepaid Cards

If you’d like to keep a close eye on your budget, prepaid cards are a good option, since only preloaded funds can be spent at casino sites. They’re also great for those who’d prefer not to share their banking details with an operator. The most prominent option in this category is Paysafecard, which runs on a voucher-based system and authorizes payments through a unique 16-digit PIN. However, most online casinos can’t offer Paysafecard withdrawals. 

Pay by Phone Bill

Paying for your deposits has never been faster with pay by phone bill services like Boku — simply key in your phone number, enter the amount, and your balance will be updated. Whichever network provider you’re with will initially pick up the tab before charging it to your monthly bill. Again, there’s no option for withdrawing funds and there are also tight limits on deposit amounts, typically around $30 a month. 

Interac

There are two Interac options at Canadian casinos, Online and e-Transfer. If you want to make deposits and withdrawals, only the e-Transfer service offers both, and withdrawal times here tend to be as slow as bank cards.