Canadian legislation allows online gambling, and this is good news for all casino fans who prefer playing their favorite casino games from home. In Canada, online casino sites can offer their services to the local players only if the site is run from abroad; in other words, only offshore companies can operate web gambling platforms targeting Canadians. As a result, according to casinoshunter.com, gamblers looking for safe online casinos in Canada face difficulties, because the offers are abundant, but double-checking the reliability of each site becomes challenging.
Many online casinos for Canadian players offer amazing bonuses, promotions, rich choice of games, this way misleading people and making them mistake an attractive offer for a realistic or fair offer. Many gamblers get lured into real money gambling on unreliable sites without being aware, and eventually their user experience is far from positive.
So, what to do to opt for the truly reliable and high quality casino sites for real money bets? First things first, one has to be able to tell a good site from scam.
Are All Online Casinos Scam?
No, not all online casinos are scam, especially in Canada. To be able to operate on the Canadian web gambling market, the casino site must hold an appropriate international gambling license (by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission or other relevant body), offer adequate Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, and Responsible Gambling tools, and meet other requirements.
In reality, today most businesses in the online casino gambling niche work towards making the web gambling industry more transparent and fair, and ensure it is generally less associated with crimes, money laundering, and similar activities. The less the niche is associated with criminal activities, the more other decent businesses (like payment processing providers) will be willing to work with it. So, the general trend we can track is that online gambling becomes safer and more transparent.
However, the fact that the Canadian web gambling market is controlled and regulated does not mean the players are completely protected and safe from any scam. Firstly, some nasty sites still try to sneak in and lure some unwarned players by mouth-watering bonuses and promo offers, before anyone tracks their scammy services and reports them, and they get blocked. Such sites are never decent, because they do not have a goal of being decent in the first place.
Secondly, some beginner level players are just unaware what to look for, and how to check the trustworthiness of a casino site. This is actually a problem for both parties – the gamblers and the casinos – because inexperienced gamblers get attracted rather by huge bonuses and unrealistic but tempting offers rather than (possibly) mediocre but potentially more realistic promotions and conditions. Some gamblers just don’t know what a good casino site looks like, or don’t have the patience to investigate each site long enough.
Casino reviewing website, the table below shows some of the most crucial aspects to check, and how differently these aspects can be addressed by high quality and low quality casinos.
Differences Between Safe and Scammy Casino Sites
Safe Casino Site | Probably Scam |
Active license by a relevant license-issuing authority; the license badge is linked to the document; full license information is provided on site | License is not mentioned; no badge; the badge is not linked to the actual license; no clear information about the license is provided on the site |
Software testing badges and additional certification badges; third party seals of trust; each badge is linked to the relevant website | No additional badges, no certifications whatsoever; or the badges are not linked to any sites |
Information about the owner and legal address is provided clearly; the owner can be googled | The owner is unclear; no legal address; the owner has no trace whatsoever online |
Technical security is in place – SSL, two-factor authentication, recaptcha | No SSL sign, no additional security measures is seen |
Numerous payment options for deposits and withdrawals; minimum and maximum limits are indicated; currencies are indicated; withdrawal waiting time does not exceed 72 hours | No Banking page; few banking options; no minimum and maximum limits; accepted currencies are not clear; there is a default internal currency; withdrawal options are fewer than those for depositing; withdrawal waiting time exceeds 72 hours |
Complaints are handled by an independent party in the industry, by eCOGRA, or by the license issuing authority | Complaints are only handled by the Customer Support |
Customer Support can be contacted via Live Chat, email, and phone; Customer Support speaks more than 1 languages; Support is available 24/7; Support is actually helpful | No phone number; Live Chat is a bot; responses are slow or no response at all; limited languages for Customer Support; Customer Support works limited hours; you are only able to contact the Support from your casino account |
Responsible Gambling policies are carefully explained and followed; full range of Responsible Gambling tools is available; all tools are available to each customer directly in their account | No clear Responsible Gambling policies; no tools; limited tools; Responsible Gambling tools can only be activated after contacting the Support and explaining the case |
Attractive but realistic bonuses; wagering requirements are only applied to the bonus money; all rules are explained clearly; the bonuses are valid for realistic time; the winnings can be cashed out | Bonuses are too huge to be realistic; wagering requirements unclear, too high, or apply to both bonus and deposit; bonuses are valid for a short period of time; winnings cannot be cashed out |
Where to Look for Reliable Casino Sites?
The aspects described above definitely give more information, and a bigger picture, of any gambling website than when one just checks the bonuses and games. Some sites are very skilful in concealing certain information from potential customers, preparing some unpleasant surprises for them later.
Checking all the criteria discussed in the table will take lots of time and energy from an average online casino gambler. Some players may find this stuff too boring to follow. Luckily, online casino reviewing sites do a good job of explaining what casinos are decent enough for real money gambling.