Ontario Online Casinos – Ultimate Guide

WRITTEN BY CANADIAN PLAYERS FOR CANADIAN PLAYERS

Welcome to our reviewed list of regulated and licensed Ontario online casinos.

These casinos have been confirmed to be regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and are required to abide by the Standards for Internet Gaming.

In addition, these casinos have been checked with the official website of iGaming Ontario – the department that manages gambling licensing in the province.

Key Points

1. You must be 19 years or older
2. You can only place a bet while physically within Ontario
3. Carefully read the Terms and Conditions of Promotions
4. Licensed Ontario Casinos must display the iGaming Ontario logo
5. Licensed Ontario Casinos must provide a Self Exclusion option for you
6. Gamble Responsibly – if you are in need of support, please contact ConnexOntario

Following our comprehensive reviews, you can find details for what you should be aware of when playing at Ontario Online Casinos, advantages and disadvantages and Unlicensed Casinos that are legal and legitimate to play at.

Top 10 Ontario Online Casinos [ON]

	CASINO	RATING	BONUS	PLAY
1	BetMGM Ontario	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $3000 + $300 Cash Bonus Welcome Bonus	PLAY NOW
2	BetRivers Ontario	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $250 Welcome Bonus	PLAY NOW
3	Bally Bet	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Risk Free up to $100 Free Bet	PLAY NOW
4	Betway	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $1,500 Welcome Bonus	PLAY NOW
5	ComeOn!	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $1000 Welcome Bonus	PLAY NOW
6	CoolBet	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus	PLAY NOW
7	PokerStars Casino	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $100 1st Deposit Bonus	PLAY NOW
8	KnightSlots	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $100 + 50 Free Spins Welcome Bonus	PLAY NOW
9	888 Casino	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $200 1st Deposit Bonus	PLAY NOW
10	Bwin Ontario	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $400 Welcome Bonus	PLAY NOW

Ontario Online Casino Reviews

On April 4, 2022, iGaming Ontario (iGO) completed its implementation of online gaming regulations by launching licensed online casinos (operators) to the market. Subsequent to launch, other online casinos have also acquired licensing to be regulated and compliant.

The creation of a regulated market marks a turning point for safeguarding players in Ontario. Players now have a choice of choosing an iGO or an offshore casino.

The benefits of choosing an iGO casino are several:

• Gaming integrity and fairness
• Faster withdrawal
• Faciliation of dispute resolution
• Self Exclusion
• Gamble Responsibly Support

We therefore strongly encourage you to choose an iGO casino.

How to Choose an iGaming Ontario approved Casino

The easiest way to choose a licensed and regulated iGO casino is by selecting from our recommended list.

If you are unsure whether a casino is iGO approved, look for the iGaming Ontario logo which will be displayed on their platform (the logo is usually found in the header or footer of the website and/or mobile app).

Licensed operators must display the iGaming Ontario logo on their website and/or mobile app.

For further confirmation, we reference the Official iGaming Ontario listing.

Unlicensed Casinos are NOT permitted to display the iGaming logo. If they are caught, they could be fined and penalized, and banned from applying for an official license in the future.

BetMGM

Best Welcome Package

If you simply, just compare Promotions among the casinos, then BetMGM beats all others easily. With a massive 100% up to $3,000 plus $100 Cash Bonus, and a ridiculously low Wagering Requirement, NO OTHER online casino is even near.

But it’s not just the bonuses that are the standout feature of BetMGM Ontario.

When you first venture onto their online casino, you will be met with the MGM Lion (I love the Lion logo) then to the landing page which is superb.

It has everything, and it’s easy to find.

The black header with white background body that MGM uses should be copied by all online casinos, it just makes it easier to see and find the games you want to play. The graphics are crisp, clean and defined, and the site is fast with very little latency.

For games, their quality and choice is astounding. There are thousands of slot and jackpots to choose from. Live Casino is at the forefront with many variations for their table games and the professional dealers could not be any friendlier.

Payment methods aren’t many, but they are one of a few casinos that offer Apply Pay alongside PayPal, VISA, MasterCard and Interac.

If you want to play at a quality online casino, then choose BetMGM.

Promotions

BetRivers

Best Wagering Requirement

There is so much action on the BetRivers platform that it is overwhelming to the senses. BetRivers has combined the casino and sports book onto the same platform, with rolling headers of winners. It’s actually a nice difference.

Underneath the hood is a massive range of games to play, all categorized and displayed with the smallest thumbnails of all Ontario online casinos. It truly is impressive, but the thumbnails could be slightly bigger so I don’t have to bring my face so close to the screen.

The Welcome Bonus has the lowest wagering requirement of Ontario Online Casinos at only 1x play through. The next lowest from other casinos is 10x, a huge gap when looking at it by any angle. So while the bonus is low in absolute terms, the Wagering Requirement is worth every penny.

Payment Methods are limited with only five different ways to deposit and withdraw – Trustly, VISA, Mastercard, PayPal and Interac, but this shouldn’t be a showstopper since most of us use at least one of these methods.

Promotions

Bally Bet

Best Risk Free Bet

Bally Bet is relatively new to the iGaming industry which gives it an advantage with offering something refreshing.

The game design is simple, uncluttered with very clean lines, so it’s easy to find your favorites or any new games that you would like to explore. The vast majority of games are slots, ranging from the classics, contemporary, 3 reel 5 reel, fruits – many with low playing lines.

There is also Live Casino, which is very popular in Ontario at the moment, and table casino games with some variations of blackjack, roulette, bacarrat and sic bo. Overall the number of games is not many, suffice to say this is a new online casino that is just starting out.

Welcome Bonus and Promotional Packages are healthy – it’s quite good when compared to others and belongs to the top with its $100 Risk Free Betting upon depositing a minimum of $10.

Bally Bet is operated by Bally’s Canada Inc. and is a trademark of the Twin River Management Group. The Twin River Management Group is famous for many casinos, especially in the US along the west coast.

Promotions

Betway

Most Safe and Secure

You know when you are entering a professional, safe and secure online casino when you log into Betway.

With its dedicated Ontario gaming platform, players will notice how smooth it is.

There is surprisingly very little latency when compared to other online casinos, and the graphics are crystal clear. They have put a lot of effort into the design and layout, ensuring a look and feel that not many other casinos offer.

Everywhere you look at their site, they promote the iGaming Ontario authority as well as responsible gambling via ConnexOntario.ca. Betway takes its betting responsibility seriously and is always compliant with licensing rules and regulations. You can be assured that Betway is, without doubt, safe and secure for Ontarios players.

The promotion for the casino is not too bad, but its the Live Casino bonus that is outstanding. At a maximum of $750 in available bonuses, this is something to seriously consider (Wagering Requirement is 50x Bonus Only).

Betway first began as a sports book, but it has grown quickly to expand to casino games, e-sports, poker and live casino gaming. It is a global market leader, and therefore has grown in scale to support excellent customer service.

Promotions

Wagering Requirement

• 50 x Bonus according to contribution percentages for various games.

Comeon!

Best Live Casino Bonus

Let’s just say, ease of use is not their strong point.

Comeon! uses GEO tracking BUT also a dedicated site for Ontario.

Mixing the two can cause a lot of confusion, because the site logic tries to be smart and give you the choice of choosing inside or outside of Ontario.

However, the site doesn’t explicitly ask your location, it simply asks would you like the “General” site. When offered this choice it’s confusing, because what is a “General” site?

To make sure you are within the “Ontario” Comeon! site, make sure the web address ends with “on” for Ontario.

Looking beyond this, the games aren’t too bad, but not too great either. There is a reasonable range, but nothing that jumps out. All the usual games can be found, such as slots, table games and live casino.

They also have sports betting and live sports betting which helps make it different to some other iGaming Ontario registered operators.

Promotions at ComeOn! are good for Casino and GREAT for Live Casino.

I like that both are quite high at $1,000 and $1,500 respectively, but also that it has straight Wagering Requirements without variations to the contributions (a slight setback is that the Wagering Requirements are calculated on both Deposits AND Bonuses.)

What also sets ComeOn! apart from the others is the CashBack on Losses. No other casino offers CashBacks in its promotions.

Promotions

Cashback

• Every Thursday 10% cashback on losses

CoolBet

Best Payout Ratio

CoolBet has a very different look and feel to the other Ontario online casinos.

It’s new, it’s flashy, but it just doesn’t feel right. It mixes casino with sports book at the home page, which makes it difficult to know what you are looking at.

Filters are a nice feature, but overall, it feels very cluttered. There is too much going on. And yes, the dark background (which I admit is a personal preference) isn’t something that I like.

Searching through the Promotions and other options is very difficult as a user. It skips too fast to the next link, not giving enough time to completely understand what you are reading. Pulling to scroll down doesn’t pause, but rather it immediately proceeds to another page (unintentionally), so you need to back pedal if you haven’t read fast enough all the details.

There are a few teething issues with bugs to fix on the lobby page.

Nevertheless, there is a huge range of games to choose from, and is the only casino that actually shows the Payout Ratios. So if Payout Ratios is how you decide which games to play, then definitely choose CoolBet.

Promotions

Welcome Bonus – Casino

• 1st Deposit 100% up to $200 | Bonus Code CMCO1
• 2nd Deposit 100% up to $300 | Bonus Code CMCO2
• 3rd Deposit 100% up to $500 | Bonus Code CMCO3

Wagering Requirement

• 35 x the contributions from different games vary

For example, table games only have a 10% contribution which converts to a massive Wagering Requirement.

Pokerstars Casino

Best No Deposit

Pokerstars Casinos is a very good all round casino.

A pioneer poker gaming, making a name for itself with the much publicized and followed poker tournaments, it has recently turned to casino gaming to expand into.

There are thousands of games to choose from, having partnered with many top iGaming software providers.

On surface, the Welcome Bonus package appears to be very impressive. But what is unclear is the wagering requirement, which is based on points earned. How many points are needed, and which games are included (or excluded) is difficult to know. As a result the traditional wagering requirement based on a multiple of deposit and/or bonus is unavailable.

On the other hand, Pokerstars Casino has the best No Deposit Bonus of 50 Free Spins.

Choose Pokerstars if you want to have a quick play at the slots.

Payment Methods

Apple Pay, InstaDebit, Instant eCheck, Interac, Mastercard, MuchBetter, PayPal, VISA.

Promotions

No Deposit

• 50 Free Spins

Welcome Bonus

• Deposit 100% up to $3,000 | Bonus Code CASINO1500

Wagering Requirement

• To claim the bonus only Interac, Mastercard and Visa is valid

Knight Slots

Best No Frills Casino

Knight Slots is a very clean site, offering quality gaming.

I really like the Knight Slots layout. Previously I had never heard of this casino, until I reviewed all the licensed sites for Ontario.

It’s easy to get around and doesn’t lead you through a maze of pages to find what you are looking for.

The background is clear and white, with a side panel bar in large font to make it uncluttered and easy to read.

What helps with the uncluttering is that there is no sports book to be distracted with. Other Ontario gambling sites mix their casino with sports book betting, and when they do this, it is confusing.

Knight Slots, on the other hand, is dedicated to casino gaming, which makes it simple and easy to use.

Sadly, the promotions are a slight let down. It has one of the poorest Welcome Bonuses and it took me over half an hour to find the Wagering Requirements. This is disappointing, because everything else is very positive.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for simple slots, casino or live casino gaming, then Knight Slots is the one for you.

Promotions

Welcome Bonus

• 100% up to $100 + 50 Free Spins

Wagering Requirement

• 30 x (Deposit + Bonus)

888 Casino

Lucky Number 8

888 Casino is a global juggernaut of interactive gaming.

Its offerings for Ontario players is nothing short of astounding. Having a long history of providing quality casino table games, Live Dealer betting, poker and now expanding beyond into e-sports and poker, you can be assured that 888 is safe and secure to play at. Game favorites include Mega Moolah, Rags to Riches, Lightening Slots and many more.

888 offers a wide variety of payment methods – Interac, Credit Cards, Skrill and Neteller. Unfortunately, bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are yet to be made available, whether or not this will become available remains to be seen.

Customer Service is prompt, friendly and responsive. However, due to the large volume of players, you may find a lag at times. Nevertheless, overall, you will be happy with the support that they give to their players.

888 is particularly popular among Asian players. 8 is an auspicious number, thought to bring a lot of luck. The pronunciation of the letter 8 in Chinese is similar to the Chinese word for “prosper”, hence playing 888 is triple the luck for many.

Promotions

Welcome Bonus

• 100% up to $200

Wagering Requirement

• 30 x within 90 days, dependant on contributions per game type
• Payments via Skrill and Neteller are NOT entitled to the bonus

LeoVegas

Best All Rounder

LeoVegas Casino is mega popular in South East Asia, and has now entered the foray into Ontario with a dedicated site. It has over thousands of slot games, a Live Casino and traditional RNG Casino gaming.

Whilst the promotion is not the largest in absolute dollar amount, it is reasonable with a balance of bonus and free spins.

LeoVegas’ stand out is the regular and various player reward, promotions and touraments. They are run very well, attracting many returning players.

If you are looking for an all round casino, then choose LeoVegas.

Payment Methods

• iDebit
• LeoCard
• VISA
• Mastercard
• Interac
• Instant Bank Transfer

Promotions

Welcome Bonus – Casino

• 100% up to $500 + 100 Free Spins

Welcome Bonus – Live Casino

• 100% up to $500 + $20 Cash Bonus

Northstar Bets

Best New Casino Entrant

NorthStar Bets is predominantly a sports book but has extended into offering casino gaming.

It has therefore blended all its gaming onto one platform, in doing so has done a reasonable job.

The layout is graphically sci-fi or is it fantasy? Very hard to tell, but whatever.

The game thumbnails are super big.

It really jumps out and hits your face with the jumbo size icons.

After a few seconds, I realize why the icons are huge. It’s because the game range is very limited. A little disappointing, because the lobby is very slick, clean and fast.

Promotions are running in the middle of the pack. Not the leader but not coming last either.

Overall NorthStar Bets is a reasonable option, though there are others that I would choose first.

Promotions

Welcome Bonus

• 1st Deposit 100% up to $1,000

Wagering Requirement

• 10 x dependent on contributions

Party Casino

Best Combined Platform

Party Casino has a platform that offers all three popular forms of gambling – casino, sport and poker. If you like playing at all three, then this is the preferred option for you.

The promotions are quite reasonable, with bonuses and rewards more towards the top reviewed casinos than what is offered at the bottom.

Promotions

Welcome Bonus

• 1st deposit 100% up to $1,000 + 50 Free Spins

Wagering Requirement

• 10 x dependent on contributions

Royal Panda

Best second choice option

Royal Panda is an excellent second choice, if you are wanting to claim another bonus, or open another account at a different casino.

The site is super fast providing a great playing experience. Many games to choose from, with the slot favorites of Mega Moolah and Star Bursts.

Promotions are good with the similar payment methods as other operators.

Royal Panda is a good overall second option, if you have exhausted your first casino’s Welcome Bonus.

Promotions

Welcome Bonus

• 100% up to $1,000

Wagering Requirement

• 35 x (Deposit + Bonus)

Bet365

Most Payment Methods

If you don’t want to search through all the casinos listed for your payment method, then try Bet365. If they don’t have it, then no one else will.

Bet365 has the most payment methods, more that the typical five that other casinos offer. We like that it offers Apple Pay which is not typically offered by operators. But Bet365 accepts EFT from partnered banks such as Royal Bank of Canada and TDI, Debit cards and various e-wallets.

Payment Methods

• Interac
• DebitCards – Maestro, VISA, Mastercard
• CreditCards – VISA, Mastercard
• InstaDebit
• Instant Bank Transfer
• Apple Pay
• paysafecard
• Click to Pay
• Wire Transfer

Promotions

Welcome Bonus

• 100% up to $500 + 50 Free Spins

Wagering Requirement

• Wagering Requirement: 10 x (Deposit + Bonus)
• Live Dealer games are excluded

Unibet

Nothing Stands Out

Unibet has a nice clean layout and a good offering of games. However it’s doesn’t really stand out with any features.

Its promotions aren’t exceptionally great, nor is it diverse – No Deposit, Free Spins, Cashback on losses are missing.

As a result, there’s nothing that really speaks out loud when reviewing UniBet.

Promotions

Welcome Bonus

• 100% up to $500

Wagering Requirement

• 25 x (Deposit + Bonus)
• Minimum Deposit: $10

DraftKings Casino

Not Player Ready

All North Americans would have heard of DraftKings by now. Alongside FanDuel, they began as the fast rapid providers of Fantasy Sports niche betting turned into gambling goliath. Their latest foray is into the Ontario market offering casino gaming.

As a first look, you will know this isn’t their expertise or background. The design and layout is a little bland, a dark background with simple gaming thumbnails for you to choose games from. There is no real understanding of how the games are placed, nor are the graphics slick like Betway.

Honestly, it feels like a college grad has pulled together this site as part of their overnight assignment.

What I also don’t like, but not so much of a big deal, is that there is NOT a dedicated site path for Ontario. The site uses IP Geo tracking to know if you are from anywhere in Canada, but is meant to specifically identify if you are from Ontario. It works sometimes, but can be a bit hit and miss, not so much if you are from Ontario, but rather if you are outside of it.

Promotions are quite hard to determine because the site is poorly designed.

It’s very hard to tell what is permitted as a bonus for Ontario vs outside of Ontario. I’m hoping that DraftKings will do a better job in the future to make it clear and transparent the terms and conditions for Ontarians.

Overall DraftKings Casino isn’t one that we would recommend you to try. Sign up for their fantasy sports but NOT casino gaming.

FanDuel Casino

Not Player Ready

First up, if your browser uses Ad Blockers and does not allow for cookies then you will need to either disable it or remove the extension to get to the site. An inconvenience which only a handful of online casinos sites have as a nuisance. If you can’t be bothered to jump through these hurdles, then straight up, look elsewhere. It’s not worth the energy to change your browser settings to simply get to an online casino that doesn’t offer that much difference to others.

After passing the Ad Blocker issue, accepting Cookies and proceeding to the landing page, suffice to say FanDuel and Draftkings are both terrible. It’s obvious that FanDuel’s focus is on sports betting (fantasy), while casino gaming appears to be simply an opportuntistic extension.

By pass FanDuel for casino gaming.

Mobile Web Friendly

All of the licensed Ontario Casinos have mobile friendly viewing from any browser. Today’s technology allows for dynamic fitting on any mobile device shape and size, with perfect rendering. The game experience is no different between a downloadable app and playing via browser.

Casino operators often take advantage of the latest technology to cater for personalized features. Navigation through layout design can differ significantly between casinos, but most are effective and easy to use.

Some have filter functionality, and can easily switch between Live Casino and Casino.

Note: Cookies are normally required to be accepted to play. If you decline to accept Cookies in the settings, this may prevent you from proceeding to play. In addition, if you have an Ad Blocker extension on your browser, you may be required to disable it.

iOS Casino Apps

All of the top licensed Ontario Casinos offer an iOS gambling app. They understand that many players prefer this option. Accessibility via iPhone and iPad is available either direct from the casino provider or the App Store on an Apple Device. Some casinos have yet to create an iOS mobile platform but are aiming to provide one in the near future.

Android Casino Apps

Casino operators know that Android is just as popular as iOS. Many have made specific gaming Android apps that can be downloaded in a minute. Play anywhere, anytime in the palm of your hand. To download, go to the casino operator’s website and follow the instructions.

Table Games

There are over hundreds of table games to choose from, with many variations. All provide for blackjack, roulette (American, European, French), bacarrat, sic bo, casino wars (a.k.a Dragon Tiger) and many others.

Slots

iGaming providers know that everyone likes a good game of slots. As a result, you will find thousands of different slot games to choose from. There are hundreds of igaming software providers that specialize in slot gaming. However, you will find that not all are available at licensed casinos. Ironcially some only chooose to provide their software to unlicensed casinos because these continue to attract Ontario players who prefer the anonymity, broader selection of payment methods and less regulations to abide by.

Live Casino

Live Casino has grown in popularity in Ontario. There are several casinos that choose to display Live Casino separately in its own category on the header.

Live Casino games host many variations of blackjack, roulette, and bacarrat.

Often, Welcome Bonuses will exclude Live Casino as contributing to the Wager Requirement.

Payment Methods

You will find that payment methods for licensed Ontario Casinos are limited when compared to unlicensed. Ironically, because of the legitimacy and transparency that licensed casinos bring, banks and other financial institutions will not support the payment. Therefore, there are only a handful of payments that can be found.

Interac (Interac e-Transfer)

The most common payment method among Ontario Online Casino’s is Interac. Interac is the most digital payment method in Canada, created by Canadians. It’s broad use translates to easy and fast deposit and withdrawals which is the most attractive benefit for players.

VISA and Mastercard

The second most popular payment method is via credit cards – VISA and MasterCard. Be aware that debit cards are less common and popular than the credit card.

EFT (InstaDebit)

Not many banks will facilitate deposit and withdrawals with online casinos, even if they are legitimately licensed with iGaming Ontario. Those that do, include: Royal Bank Canada, CIBC, and TD Canada Trust.

E-wallets

Other popular choices are Paysafecard, MuchBetter and PayPal.

Apple Pay

Apply Pay is a surprising payment method that is offered among Ontario Casinos. You can find that the top quality casinos such as BetMGM will accept Apple Pay without any transaction fees.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Licensed Online Casinos

Year 2022 is history in the making for Canada, with the launch of the official licensed gambling framework by the provincial government of Ontario. This has been an awesome boon for us (Players), expanding the gaming options to include licensed online casinos. This brings forth a whole different set of rules, regulations and bang for buck that we should now consider, alongside unlicensed casinos.

That’s right, although a new licensing framework has been launched, we still have the legal option of playing at unlicensed casinos – we have the best of both worlds!

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to consider:

• different rules and regulations to abide by,
• varying terms and conditions for promotions, and
• other different things to watch out for.

1) Marketing Promotions are NOT permitted

Licensed casinos are not allowed to market to you directly with their Promotions.

Promotions include:

• Welcome Bonuses
• Welcome Packages
• No Deposit Bonuses
• Free Spins
• Cashback on Losses
• Cash Bonuses
• Risk Free Bets
• Wagering Requirements, and
• any other material talks to monetary rewards to attract Players to sign up

This is a huge inconvenience, for comparing promotions requires you to log directly onto each licensed casino.

Your deposit method may preclude you from claiming the casino bonus. Read Terms and Conditions carefully for an online casino bonus entitlement.

2) iGaming Ontario does not resolve disputes

You need to navigate disputes yourself

In most jurisdictions where onshore licensing is in place, there are policies and procedures in place that allows the regulator to resolve any disputes between a Player and Online Casino.

In Ontario, there is no policy or procedure that requires iGaming Ontario to resolve disputes.

The onus is on us to reach out to the Online Casino and attempt to resolve ourselves. Should we continue to be unsatisfied with the outcome, we can lodge a complaint with iGaming Ontario. A lodged complaint does not require iGaming Ontario to take action.

3) Be within Ontario Borders to Play

You cannot play outside of Ontario

Licensed online casinos can only accept bets from you if you are physically within the borders of Ontario. If you are physically outside of Ontario, you technically CANNOT place a bet. However, logistically enforcing this rule is notably confusing and technically difficult.

To track your physical location you are required to download software to your PC or mobile device which enables location tracking. For mobile apps, you will be required to activate GPS via device settings. If a location tracker is not enabled, you will be unable to place a bet.

4) Self Exclusion is Offered

Not Centralized in Ontario

All licensed casinos must provide a Self Exclusion option and display it prominently on their site and mobile app. If you feel you need support, you can register for Self Exclusion.

Currently there is no centralized database of Players that have registered for Self Exclusion. This means, you will need to Self Exclude yourself to each licensed casino, if you want to exclude from ALL licensed casinos.

5) Gamble Responsibly

ConnexOntario provides Mental Health and Gambling Support

All licensed casinos must display and offer Gamble Responsibly resources. The local Gamble Responsibly organization is ConnexOntario. They have several tools to help assess and support you if you need help.

Remember: Online gambling is exciting, fun and rewarding! BUT you need recognize when you have a problem. Ontario’s dedicated Responsible Gambling organization – ConnexOntario, will help you. Do NOT hesitate to contact them for their support.

6) Wagering Requirements

Different, Varying, Exclusions, Inclusions and Contributions

Wagering requirements vary significantly across licensed online casinos. Wagering Requirements is a condition that requires you to bet a certain amount before you are permitted to withdraw the deposit bonus. Often it is calculated as a multiple of the deposit and/or bonus.

Wagering Requirements may exclude some games. For example, often bets placed on Live Casino games will be excluded. Or Wager Requirements may only stipulate what games are included, meaning you can only play at these games if you wish to withdraw the bonus in the future.

Lastly, to meet the threshold for games that qualify some online casinos will place a Contribution Percentage. This means that only a percentage of the bet will be included, forcing you to play more games.

Pay attention to the Wagering Requirement Terms and Conditions if you wish to withdraw your bonus in the future.

7) Payment Methods are Limited

The payment methods are very limited when compared to unlicensed casinos. The vast majority have only a handful of payment methods, but rest assured the most common are accepted.

Common Payment Methods are:

• Interac
• Interac e -Transfer
• VISA
• Mastercard
• EFT (InstaDebit) – TDI, Royal Bank of Canada
• ecoPayz
• paysafecard
• Apple Pay *
• PayPal
• Neteller
• Skrill
• MuchBetter

* Apple Pay is not common among unlicensed casinos. If you intend to place a deposit with Apple Pay it is easier to find an online casino licensed with iGaming Ontario. However, some casinos will not allow you to claim their bonus if you use this deposit method.

Licensed Ontario Casinos must navigate deposit and withdrawal facilitation with local banks and financial institutions. These local banks and financial institutions typically charge a high transaction fee and also restrict how money can be received and sent. Hence payment methods are more limited at licensed casinos.

8) Not all have Mobile Apps

If you are wanting to play with a downloadable mobile app, take note that not all online casinos will offer this.

Though this isn’t as important for casino gaming as for sports betting, we have found that the iOS app is far more readily available than Android.

Nevertheless, all online casinos will have the ability to play online through a web browser. So this should be such an issue for you.

9) Poor Experience, Bugs and Glitches

Unfortunately, with the implementation of the iGaming Ontario framework there are several casinos that simply weren’t ready for launch even though they had acquired a license.

These casinos include DraftKings and FanDuel which, to be fair have their quality sports book up and running, but sadly not their casino gaming.

There is no doubt, that these casinos will improve their gaming experience, however, if you want to be safe, avoid DraftKings and FanDuel for casino gaming for the time being.

Unlicensed Casinos

An unlicensed casino is a casino that is licensed outside of Ontario. It can be confusing, particularly in Canada, whereby Players are permitted to play at any online casino, whether they be licensed from Ontario, other provinces and territories in Canada, or even outside of Canada.

To illustrate, you are allowed to play at a Kahnawake Gaming Commission licensed online casino.

Kahnawake is part of Canada and belongs to the Mohawk Territory. They have established their own licensing and regulatory authority, which accepts Players from Canada and around the world. Ontario Players are NOT excluded from playing at a Kahnawake licensed casino, and is a legitimate option.

You can therefore play at any online casino that is licensed, irrespective of the jurisdiction.

Common offshore jurisdictions include: Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Curaçao eGaming, UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and Cyrpus Gaming Commission (CGC).

You should be aware of the below points:

1) Promotions, Bonuses and Player Incentives are marketable

Unlike licensed Ontario Casinos, unlicensed casinos are permitted to market their player promotions. This means, you can easily compare Welcome Bonuses, Deposit Bonuses, Wagering Requirements among casinos because they will be displayed in website search engines, adverts, email listings and other methods of promotion.

Top 5 Unlicensed Ontario Casinos

	CASINO	RATING	BONUS	PLAY
1	Arlekin Casino	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	100% up to $6,000 + 100 Free Spins 1st Deposit Bonus	PLAY NOW Review
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2) Legal, Lawful and Legitimate

You are lawfully allowed to play at unlicensed casinos legally and without risk of being fined or penalized. Unlicensed casinos have their own laws and regulations which they must deal with, such as working with Canadian financial institutions, however this does not impact you as a Player (but if you plan on being an Operator, then that is a different story).

3) No Border Restrictions

There are no Player border restrictions when playing at unlicensed casinos. You are therefore not required to download GEO tracking software to your PC. This could be regarded as a safer playing option than a licensed casino, because the scammers often penetrate Player accounts via malware hidden in downloads.

4) Self Exclusion not Necessary

In the past, Self Exclusion options were not common at online casinos. Recently these are becoming more readily available, particularly at new online casinos that are aware of their social license. That said, having a Self Exclusion option is not mandatory in many offshore jurisdictions.

If you prefer playing with the option of Self Exclusion then stick to a licensed Ontario casino.

5) More Payment Methods

It is chalk and cheese comparing the number of payment methods at unlicensed vs licensed casinos. There is no doubt that the market of players that an unlicensed casino caters for is much bigger than Ontario. As a result, you will find many payment methods available that would not preclude bonus entitlement.

6) Dispute Resolution is the same as Licensed Casinos

You may have thought that resolving a dispute with a licensed casino would be easier and quicker than at an unlicensed casino. In fact, the process is the same. Both require you to first contact the online casino and seek resolution.

If there is no satisfactory outcome, a complaint can be lodged with the regulator. This process is the same whether it be with iGaming Ontario, MGA, UKGC, Cyprus and Kahnawake.

Summary

As a player in Ontario, you are spoilt for options – you can play at either Licensed or Unlicensed Casinos.

There are pros and cons of choosing either.

We like licensed casinos for their integrity and fairness of play. They are subjected to iGaming Ontario audits. They are also required to offer Self Exclusion and promotion of Responsible Gambling.

We dislike licensed casinos for the lack of transparency of Promotions, limited payment methods, and border restrictions.

Overall, the difference between playing at a licensed and unlicensed casino is not that great. Both will give you a great playing experience.

Other Canadian Provinces

• Alberta
• British Columbia

Full List of Licensed Ontario Casinos

• 888 Casino
• 888 Poker
• 888 Sport
• Bally Bet
• Bet365
• BetMGM Casino
• BetMGM Poker
• BetMGM Sportsbook
• BetRivers
• Betway
• Bwin
• Caesars Sportsbook
• Comeon!
• Coolbet
• DraftKings Casino
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• FanDuel
• Jackpot City
• Knightslots
• LeoVegas
• NorthStar Bets
• PartyCasino
• PartyPoker
• Partysports
• Play Fallsview
• PlayOJO
• PointsBet
• PokerStars
• PokerStars Casino
• PokerStars Sports
• Rivalry
• Royal Panda
• Royal Vegas
• Ruby Fortune
• SlotsMagic
• Spin Casino
• SpinGenie
• TheScore Bet
• Unibet

FAQ