Gaming in Canada

Throughout the world, where gambling is popular, Canadians must be counted among those who love playing games. According to reports, almost 19 million people in Canada play gambling games, both offline and online, ranking Canada as the 8th largest gambling country in the world, with revenues amounting to more than $16 billion each year:

Legal Overview

The first question that pops up in every gambler's mind is whether the Canada online gambling market is regulated or not. For now, the regulation of online gambling is under the jurisdiction of the provinces: every province from Ontario to Newfoundland has its own gambling regulating body. 

All of the provinces allow land-based gambling and most of them regulate online gambling to some extent, with the only exclusions being Alberta and Saskatchewan where there are still no special online gambling regulations. The legal age for taking part in gambling is either 18 or 19 and varies from province to province, similar to the drinking age.

Where To Play

As for land-based gambling, it is allowed in all the provinces resulting in more than 100 casinos across Canada. The largest casinos are:

* 'Casino de Montreal', located in Montreal, Quebec, ranked as the third-largest casino in the world, offers more than 3000 slots, 26 poker tables, and 75 table games.

* 'Casino Niagara', located in Niagara Falls, Ontario offers spectacular views of the Falls with 1600 slots, 38 table games and 26 poker tables.

* 'River Cree Casino', located in Enoch, Alberta, is one of the largest Native American casinos, with close to 40 table games, 12 poker tables and a thousand slots.

Local casinos already exist in several Canadian provinces, including 'PlayOLG Casino' in Ontario, 'Espace Jeux Casino' in Quebec, 'PlayNow' in British Columbia and Manitoba, plus 'ALC' casino in Atlantic Canada. These casinos are quite popular and compete for action alongside their international counterparts.

Fun Facts

Who plays gambling games in Canada? As we can see from the statistics, women constitute 20% of gamblers in Canada while young men are the main target audience. Women prefer quick gambling on the go, as more than 40% of them only make bets in mobile casinos, making Canadsa the only country where more women are using their smartphones for gambling than men.

Canadians' favorite gambling activities of sports betting, slots, and poker are also rated at sites like canadiangambler.com.

Canada tries to make gambling safe for players and takes the issue of problem gambling and gambling addictions quite seriously. A special institution , the 'Responsible Gaming Council' ensures safer play and help those who have problems with self-control when it comes to gambling. In some provinces, players can request a temporary or even a lifetime ban from casinos if it's the only way to regulate spendings.

There is also a casino licensing body in the Mohawk Territory in Quebec — the Kahnawake Gaming Commission that issues licenses to brick-and-mortar, plus online casinos, noted as one of the first jurisdictions in the world to start licensing online gaming websites.

Canada might not be a heaven on earth for gaming fans, with laws and regulations constantly evolving, yet there are enough casinos and money opportunities out there to have some great gambling fun...