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Whether you're looking to get the inside track on the best online casinos in Ontario or simply want to keep yourself up to speed with the latest gaming industry updates from the province, Gambling.com has you covered. Our team of casino gaming experts have been busy putting in the hard yards in order to provide you with everything you need to know about online gambling in the area, from the latest rules and regulations to the best welcome bonuses and free spins offers available.
Just as is the case in the United States, the legality of online gambling in Canada is a complicated and highly convoluted area. With all gambling legislation being governed on a province-by-province basis, the legal framework for gambling in Ontario was originally set out in the Gaming Control Act of 1992.
Enforced by the Gaming Control Commission Ontario, The Act was passed to control the growth of the gaming industry following the introduction of land-based casinos in Windsor and Niagara Falls and sought to ensure honesty, integrity, and financial responsibility of all participating casino vendors.
Now, with The Act almost 30 years old and the increasing prevalence of online casinos offering their services to Ontario residents, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLG) has picked up the responsibility of managing most racetrack slots, resort casinos, and lotteries in the province. While this state-run monopoly on gambling does ensure that Ontarians can play with peace of mind, sticking to local OLG-run venues does limit their options when looking for the best Ontario online casinos.
Thankfully, the online gambling laws in Ontario are such that players are not restricted in terms of the offshore online casinos they can play at. Most major online casinos offer their services to Canadian players and provide a superior selection of real money games. These include online slots, table games, and video poker, as well as a more enticing range of welcome bonuses.
Indeed, so long as Ontario-based customers are above the minimum gambling age of 19, they will be able to gamble online at most offshore casino sites. They have a choice of places to play online that greatly exceeds the number of traditional Ontario casinos that are available within the province.
With Canada being a relatively new country in the grand scheme of things, the history of gambling in Ontario is pretty fresh. Towards the end of the 19th century, most gambling was heavily restricted in the province, with the main exceptions being bets placed on horse races and events at local fairs.
This remained the case in Ontario until the 1960s when the Canadian Criminal Code was amended to allow greater concessions for gambling in several forms. The most prominent of these was the national lottery, an industry that grew rapidly in the decade that followed and continues to do so to this day.
The next big step came in the form of the Gaming Control Act of 1992. Introduced to coincide with the launch of the Windsor Casino, The Act provided the framework that regulated government-owned gambling venues in the province. With the Windsor Casino proving a hugely profitable venture that also benefitted the economy, many other Ontario casinos began to piggyback off its success. This included the Fallsview Casino Resort and the Casino Rama, both of which have flourished in recent years.
In 1998, The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (ACGO) assumed responsibility for the administration of legislation that was previously handled by the Gaming Control Commission. AGCO continues to control the licensing and regulation of brick-and-mortar Ontario casinos to this day, and in 2016, assumed responsibility for regulating horse racing under the Horse Racing License Act, 2015.
While AGCO's licensing and regulation of Ontario casinos has continued apace since 1998, in 2010 the government of Ontario turned its attention to online gambling and the scores of overseas, non-taxpaying online casino sites that its residents were playing on. Having seen the vast profits that had been levied from traditional brick-and-mortar venues, the government sought to claim their share of the money that was being generated by online casino play and thus a new site, Playolg.ca, was born.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission's mission statement is to “Generate revenue for the province; stimulate and enhance economic development; and promote high standards of responsible gaming — all in the best interests of the province of Ontario.” It does this by providing a wide range of gambling services to Ontario residents that are OLG-approved in terms of their fairness and integrity, while also funnelling money back into the local economy by way of the taxes levied on their venues.
The OLG operates slot machines at racetracks, table games, lotteries and Ontario sports betting, while also offering the only Ontario online casino that is provincially localized and available only to Ontario natives. While having a monopoly on government-approved gambling in the province it does have benefits in terms of better-controlling player protection and gambling problems. Other national authorities such as the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) offer similar safeguards while also providing a superior selection of games.
It is for this reason that we take a look at where the Ontario online casino players can find more bang for their buck at licensed offshore sites that offer their services to Canadian players. Indeed, with all of our top online casinos for Ontario offering a better bonus package and a greater game selection than you'll find at OLG's online casino, there are far better places for residents of Ontario to play casino games online.
One of the world's oldest and most established online sports betting brands, BetVictor is one of the premier online casinos for Ontario-based players. Featuring a 200% up to C$1,000 welcome bonus, the site boasts a huge selection of online slots — many of which include progressive jackpots —plus table games, live casino, and integrated sports betting.
Bringing the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip to a screen near you, Dream Vegas is considered by many Ontarians to be one of the best casinos online. With a C$7,000 welcome bonus plus 120 free spins on sign-up, the site boasts its own mobile app, meaning you can enjoy slots, table games, live casino, and progressive jackpots no matter where you are.
Famed for its surreal advertising campaigns, LeoVegas is one of the best online gambling sites to open its virtual doors to Ontarians. All new players can get off to a roaring start with a bonus package that includes a C$1,000 deposit match and 200 free spins, giving them plenty of extra firepower to play a range of titles including slots, table games, and bingo.
One of the newer online casinos to welcome Ontarian residents, Barz Casino prides itself on offering "a lot of everything". Whether they're playing on-site or via mobile app, players will discover a plethora of online slot machines, table games, and progressive jackpots, with a 100% first deposit bonus up to C$500 plus 50 free spins available to get them started.
A slightly quirkier entry on our list, Lucky Dino is one of the best casinos online when it comes to its ongoing loyalty bonuses. While players can still claim a C$400 welcome bonus and 100 free spins on sign-up, the real value comes in the form of Dino Rewards, which credit your account with further free spins as you play slots, table games, and live casino titles.
We have described only part of the online casinos available in the province of Ontario, you can find more on specialized resources. There are a lot of them, so you need to choose them after conducting a detailed analysis. The choice of our redaction fell on sts-canada.ca. You can find a detailed overview of all casinos available in Ontario at the link - https://sts-canada.ca/ontario-casinos/
While many online casino portals will send prospective customers to a site at the drop of a hat, here at Gambling.com, we take every care when making our recommendations to ensure you're only getting the best of the best. Our team of reviewers use an extensive list of criteria when assessing any gaming site and only give it the thumbs up when we feel it offers something genuinely special to players.
The ratings we give in our casino reviews are borne of a rigorous testing process that sees us consider everything from how generous the welcome bonus is to how the game selection stacks up against the competition. On top of that, we consider additional factors like mobile compatibility, site functionality and security, and payment options to ensure you have all the info you need before making a decision.
If you're considering signing up to an online casino, one of the first things you'll need to check is the type of bonuses it offers. When we make our recommendations, we go over the small print of a casino's welcome bonus with a fine-tooth comb to make sure it delivers on what it promises and that there are no hidden wagering requirements to stop you from claiming the full value.
Beyond that, we consider a casino's range of ongoing promotions and deposit bonuses to make sure they reward your continued custom. We believe the more offers, the better, so we regularly review the promotional calendars of our recommended sites to ensure they stay on top of their game when it comes to providing you with regular free spins offers and other great rewards.
Naturally, when recommending an online casino, we have a duty to ensure that the highest standards of safety and security are adhered to. All of the sites we promote feature 128-bit SSL encryption to keep player data safe and use games that have been independently audited and certified as fair and random.
On top of that, we believe strong customer service is integral to a good online casino experience, so we judge our recommendation's support on a number of factors. These include available contact methods, operating hours, and languages offered as well as feedback from customers on the quality of service.
When it comes to choosing from the various Ontario online casinos out there, we know one of the most important factors for customers is the range of mobile options available. When we hand out our scores, we judge prospective sites on how they perform on android, iOS, and most other major mobile devices.
Indeed, most of the sites we recommend feature their own mobile app, meaning that you can quickly and conveniently access all the games you want to play on the go and enjoy the very best online slot machines, table games, and video poker titles no matter where it is you choose to play from.
Online casino deposits and withdrawals should be easy and hassle-free — that's why before we give the thumbs up to Ontario-friendly online casinos, we examine all available casino payment options from e-wallets such as PayPal and NETELLER to major credit/debit cards like Visa and Mastercard.
We take extra care to score casinos on the range of options that they give players to fund their account and request withdrawals, also considering things like the speed of transactions and whether there are any restrictions placed on how much and how frequently you can withdraw money from the site.
After fundamentals such as site security, payment methods, and bonus offers, an online gaming corporation is only as good as the products it offers. With that in mind, we make sure that all of our recommended Ontario online casinos offer the best selection of slots, table games, and jackpots.
We also consider things like whether a casino allows you to play poker in an integrated poker room and whether sports betting is available. On top of that, we check the RTP% of the most popular slots and ensure casino games offer player-friendly odds that give the house the smallest edge possible.
Of course, all of the above accounts for very little if the site itself is dated or doesn't perform as it should. That's why we carefully review the interfaces of our recommended casinos to confirm whether or not they're functional, paying special attention to things like game categorization and ease of navigation.
We also consider the range of software providers that are supported at the casino and whether games from big-name brands like NetEnt, Microgaming, and Pragmatic are offered. Typically, the casinos we recommend feature slot machines and casino games from the industry's best-known companies.
Undoubtedly the biggest range of games you'll find at our recommended Ontario online casinos comes in the form of slots. There are literally hundreds of titles to choose from, with big-name games such as Starburst, Immortal Romance, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire rubbing shoulders with slots from smaller providers like Pulse 8, Alchemy Gaming, and more. On top of that, most casinos offer a range of games linked to progressive jackpots including Mega Moolah, Hall of Gods, and Mega Fortune.
Bringing the thrill of brick-and-mortar action directly to your screen, the best Ontario online casinos all feature live casino games broadcast 24/7 from state-of-the-art studios around the world. Options include staples such as blackjack and roulette as well as niche interest titles like Dragon Tiger, while you'll also be able to enjoy live gameshows such as Mega Wheel, Dream Catcher, and the Crazy Time.
If you prefer playing your favourites at your own pace, you'll be pleased to know all of the best Ontario online casinos feature a dedicated section just for table games. Here you'll find virtual versions of popular games such as blackjack, roulette, and baccarat at stakes to suit all budgets, while most of our recommended casinos also offer a decent selection of solo poker games such as Casino Hold'em Poker.
If you're looking for the best online poker rooms in Ontario, the good news is that there are a number of safe, regulated offshore sites that accept Canadian players. While not all of our recommended casino sites offer their own stand-alone poker room, big-name operators such as 888poker, PokerStars, and GG Poker all accept players from Ontario and are not ring-fenced, meaning you can play cash games or tournaments with players from around the world in formats such as No Limit Hold'em and Omaha.
All of the best Ontario online casinos offer bonuses to players in one form or another. In the main, these fall into one of two areas — welcome bonuses for new players and ongoing rewards or loyalty programs for returning customers. That being said, within these two categories there are a number of offers available, with matched deposit bonuses, cash back and free spins all featuring prominently.
Typically, a matched deposit bonus will see a player receive a percentage of their real money deposit as a bonus. This bonus amount will allow them to essentially play for free with their bonus funds, though it will need to be wagered through a certain number of times before it can be withdrawn as cash.
Cashback, however, is an ongoing reward offered by most online casinos that sees players earn extra funds as they play. These funds are usually based on a percentage of a player's net losses over a certain period and are issued as real cash, making it a very useful incentive when luck's not on your side.
While we've already run the rule over some of the best Ontario online casinos players can choose from, it's important to remember that gambling in the province really took off thanks to its incredible range of brick-and-mortar venues. Below, you'll find the best places for Ontarians to hit the gaming tables.
OLG Owned:One of the biggest recent developments in online gambling is the advent of mobile gambling. Thankfully, all the Ontario online casinos we feature in our reviews are fully mobile compatible, meaning you can enjoy all of your favourite games on the go, no matter what device you choose to play from.
While most major online casinos use Flash or HTML5 to ensure they work natively on as many mobile devices as possible, even those that don't tend to offer their own apps to ensure you can still download and access them from your preferred iPhone, tablet or Android device whenever you like.
As we've mentioned before, making sense of the Ontarian online gambling laws can be a little tricky if you're unfamiliar with the various regulatory bodies and their functions. The most important thing to remember, however, is that online gambling is allowed in the province, and providing you are of legal gambling age, you are free to choose where you play — even if that happens to be at an offshore casino.
Essentially, if a casino, racetrack, or sports betting operation — whether offline or online — is based in Ontario, it must be approved by AGCO and its operations will typically be run by the OLG. If it's based offshore, however, local regulations will apply; and providing it's licensed by a recognized igaming body and legally able to offer its services to Ontarians, you won't be breaking the law by playing there.
While it's true that Ontarians love to gamble —with around 83% of the population claiming to have indulged in some form of annual gambling activity — enforcing responsible gambling measures is a hot topic in the province. Roughly 3.2% of all Canadians have experienced a gambling problem, and with Ontario being the country's most populous area, the province accounts for a fair portion of that stat.
Fortunately, both OLG-owned gambling venues and licensed overseas operators that accept players from Ontario take responsible gambling very seriously. Both offer a range of tools to control gambling problems including optional deposit limits, cooling-off periods, and even voluntary self-exclusion, with the former also running PlaySmart centers and websites to better educate players about gambling.
Horse racing has always been a massive part of the gambling industry in Ontario, with several major tracks featuring their own on-site casino. The province offers numerous different methods of pari-mutuel betting and options for harness racing, standard breed racing, and thoroughbred racing can be found throughout Ontario. The list of major horse racing tracks in the region includes:
** all horse tracks have OTB in Ontario.
The first law specifically relating to online gambling in Ontario — Bill 152 — was passed in 2006.
The legal gambling age in Ontario is 19 for both brick-and-mortar venues and gambling online.
An Ontario-friendly online casino will use your IP address to detect where you're playing from.
Yes. All winnings from real money bets are paid out in cash and may be withdrawn to your account.
If you're playing at an OLG-run casino, you must be from the province. However, Ontario-friendly offshore online casinos accept bets from players all across Canada.
Whether you're gambling offline or online, your winnings are not taxable in Ontario.
Yes. Whether OLG-run or not, as long as an online casino holds a reputable igaming license, it will have passed rigorous checks on safety and security.
Yes. The vast majority of Ontario-friendly online casinos offer free play versions of their games.
As legal Ontario casinos are taxed by the government, a portion of their profits goes back into the local economy. However, with a poorer selection of games and offers, they may not be the best choice.
The government-owned Playolg.ca launched in 2015, but offshore operators were accepting Ontarian players long before that.
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