Are you among the 60 percent of Canadians who love to gamble at least once a month? Online casinos make it easy. You can play anywhere, anytime, and because Canada is eighth on the list of countries that embrace the online gambling experience, plenty of online casinos welcome Canadian players.
Your options narrow a little if you’re after live dealer games, though. After you get bored of slots and sports betting, you’ll soon discover that not every online casino offers them, and not all go out of their way to give you a great experience.
Want to get as close as possible to a land-based casino experience with professional, friendly human dealers and exciting table games? You’ll have to dig a little deeper. Here’s how.
Why do Canadian players love live casino experiences?
Online casinos have been on the rise since they first arrived on the scene, but there’s no question that the pandemic sped things up. A lot. Their popularity didn’t dip afterward, though, and it’s easy to see why. Online gambling is convenient, and Canadian live casinos (and others that welcome Canadian players) usually offer extremely generous bonuses that give them a real edge over land-based casinos.
Slots are an easy way to get into online gambling, but they won’t give you the adrenaline rush of winning a live game. If you’re after a more thrilling experience, live casino games are where the action’s at. The best live casinos almost make you feel like you’re at a physical casino, while giving you all the benefits of playing online.
The most popular live table games offered in Canada include:
- Live blackjack
- Live poker
- Live baccarat, including baccarat squeeze and speed baccarat
- Live roulette, including lightning roulette and immersive roulette.
If you want to branch out, you’ll have no trouble finding online casinos that welcome Canadian players and offer live sic bo, casino hold ‘em, craps, three-card poker, dragon tiger, and dream catcher.
OK, so how do you choose the best live casino sites?
Some Quebecois players will specifically want to look for French tables, while CAD tables and live casino games that offer bonuses targeted at Canadians are another huge draw. Having said that, actually looking for a live casino to play at can be tricky.
Google results are heavily SEO-based and don’t necessarily give you casinos that jive well with your play style or the exact games you’re excited to play.
What should you pay attention to as you pick the right Canadian live casino experience?
1.Licensing
Because online casinos are, well, online, they can be licensed in various offshore jurisdictions. You don’t need to limit yourself to live online casinos based in Canada to look for options that offer Canada-specific advantages.
Licensed casinos have oversight to make sure that your gambling experience is safe, transparent, and fair — through features like SSL encryption, transparent dispute resolution, timely payouts, and random number generators.
Reputable licensing boards include:
- The Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission, located in Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory in Quebec. It licenses many online casinos that cater to Canadian players.
- The Malta Gaming Authority, which has a long history of being trustworthy,.
- The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority.
- The United Kingdom Gambling Control Commission.
There are others, too, but do your research. For instance, eCuracao has had some oversight issues, and the casinos they license deserve extra scrutiny.
One approach would be to simply go to your chosen licensing board’s website and look for a list of the casinos they regulate. That way, you’re always sure that your live casino experience is properly licensed.
2. Gaming Quality and Variety
No matter what casino you play at, casino software providers make it possible. The software providers with the best reputation for live table games include Evolution Gaming, NetEnt Live, and Playtech. Evolution generally has the biggest game variety.
Keep in mind that, although the stream quality depends on the software provider to some extent, it can still vary from one casino to the next.
Checking the quality of the stream, the camera angles, the user interface, and the professionalism of the live dealers before signing up can be a little tricky, but there are ways. Some Canadian online casino experiences offer demo videos, but reviews also help. Of course, check if your computer or phone meets the minimum specs before you sign up!
3. Bonuses and Promotions for Canadian Players
Once you’ve made a list of Canadian live online casinos that are properly licensed and safe, have the games you’re looking for, and offer fantastic quality streams, bonuses and promotions really determine which one is best to play at!
Look for Canadian live casinos that offer:
- The best welcome bonuses, including free chips and a great match deposit bonus.
- Leaderboards with impressive prizes.
- Wager-free bonuses.
- Special promotions, like birthday offers.
Ready to start?
With this look at top live casino experiences in Canada out of the way, you now have the skills you need to vet the casinos you’re considering. You don’t have to stick to one, but remember to check carefully before you sign up!
