Online Casinos are a booming business. Practically not a day goes by without a new casino joining the ranks.
During the last couple of decades bricks and mortar casinos in Canada have been replaced in popularity by online casinos. Without the physical cues you may be used to, picking a quality online casino can be quite tricky.
- Fully Canadian-owned
- Multi-faceted sports betting library
- Super organised dashboard
- No wagering requirements
- More than 2,800 casino games
- Mobile-friendly website
- Bonusninja recommends!
- Very reliable and good partner
- Huge variety of games
- Cool Mega Reel function
- Great promotions
- Very fast payouts
- Great offers!
- Very good sportsbook and virtual sports
- Helpful customer support
- One of the best casinos
- Huge amount of games
- Fast money transfers
- Interactive live dealer games
- Customizable gaming library
- 24/7 customer support
- Generous loyalty program
- 600+ casino games
- Numerous poker varieties
- 3,000+ games
- 24/7 customer support
- Mobile-friendly website
- Various payment methods
- 3,000+ games
- 24/7 customer support
- Mobile-friendly website
- Instant deposits and fast payouts
- User-friendly mobile interface
- Game library of over 1000+ games
- Amazing loyalty program
- Over 550 casino games
- Five deposit bonuses
- Mobile-friendly website
- 550+ casino games
- Excellent safety features
- 15+ payment methods
Quality casino reviews from Bonusninja.com
Here at Bonusninja we spend a lot of time researching and getting to know as much as we can about online casinos. So how do you separate the quality from the junk? When putting together our casino reviews we take the whole player experience into account.
Home Page
The first thing you’ll notice about an online casino is their home page. Think of as the storefront. The window dressing. It gives you a clear idea of what you will find inside. There are a number of aspects here that act as a cue to the quality of the casino.
Web Design
You may think that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but having an aesthetically pleasing website does actually tell you a little bit about its contents. If a casino has a great-looking home page, it suggests that they have hired a great team of developers and graphic designers. Having a great team of developers onboard means that the site is more likely to run smoothly.
Device Compatibility
Online casinos have come far in the last two decades. With the increase in popularity, casinos are working harder and spending more to set themselves apart from their competitors. Something that has become essential is device capability.
A quality casino will allow you to play not only on your desktop but also on whatever mobile device you fancy, regardless of operating system.
Regulation
A major concern for many players is the safety and security of an online casino. Any Casino worth its salt will include info at the foot of the website detailing exactly under which regulators they are registered. Not being able to find this info should be a huge red flag.
It’s also important to note that not all regulators are created equally. Regulators like the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) and the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission are the most respected in the industry. So, these are the licences you really want to look for to ensure that an online casino is safe and trustworthy.
Game selection
Game selection is a great way to assess the qualify of an online casino. Some casinos choose to specialise in one type of game, while other casinos prefer to offer a wider variety.
Slots
You’ll struggle to find a casino that doesn’t offer at least a few slot games. Slot games vary and come in all shapes and sizes.
Slots are probably so popular because of their simplicity. Some games feature plot lines, free spins and bonus rounds. But at their core, all you really need to do is click “play” or “spin” to start playing.
Games vary from old school slot machines to video slots with impressive graphics. And don’t forget there are also the all-impressive progressive slots where jackpots can often run into the millions of dollars. One example of such a game is Mega Moolah. Just this year one lucky player already won in excess of CA$4 million.
Table Games
Table games tend to offer the highest Return to Player (RTP) in a casino. This means that if you play a theoretically perfect game, you are more likely to win at table games than you are at say, slots.
The most popular games offered are Roulette and Blackjack.
In some casinos you might also have the opportunity to play Craps, Baccarat, Sic Bo and Casino War. Each game usually comes in different varieties, so chances are you’ll find something that suits your playing style.
Live Casino
Nothing brings you into the feel of a real casino more than the Live Casino. When you enter, you’ll be seated at a table with Live Dealers. You can interact with them and other players at the table through live chat. Again, the most common games offered are Blackjack and Roulette. Recently a few more games have been added to the Live Casino repertoire including speciality games that are a bit similar to TV’s Wheel of Fortune.
Other Games
Some casinos really like to focus on diversity of games. Although slots and table games are the most common, often you can also play video poker and speciality games. Speciality games include Keno, Scratch Cards and Bingo.
Free Play at a Canadian quality casino
With all the casinos out there, it’s no surprise that you might want to try before you buy. There are several ways you can try out a casino before you even make a deposit. This is one of the methods we use at Bonusninja. So, we highly recommend it.
Play for fun
Before even signing up for a casino, you can take a spin on a few of the games.
As soon as you open the home page, you will be able to click on: Jackpot slots, hot slots, popular slots or something else similar. When you click on these games you might be met with one of two options. One may require you to sign up to the casino, the other will ask if you want to play for free. The second option allows you to have a go at the game without having to sign up for the casino or make a deposit.
Signing up for an online casino
You can sign up for a casino without making a deposit. Not all casinos show their available bonuses and promotions unless you are signed in. After you sign up and log-in you’ll have a better idea of what is on offer.
You can also sign up to receive newsletters detailing current and special offers.
No deposit bonus
Unfortunately this option isn’t available at every casino, but it’s a great opportunity to have a go at the games a casino has on offer.
Usually a no deposit bonus comes in the form of free spins on popular games such as Starburst or Beach Life. It gives you the opportunity to not only try a new game, but also to get a feel for the casino as a whole.
Banking options
If you want to play for real money you are going to need to make a deposit. The banking options offered by a casino are a great way to find out about the quality of the casino. Remember to take note not only of the deposit methods, but also the withdrawal methods.
A casino that makes it extra hard for you to make a withdrawal is not a casino you should be entrusting with your hard-earned cash.
Credit and debit cards
The most popular method of payment at online Canadian casinos are Debit and Credit Cards. Visa, Master Card and Maestro are widely accepted.
eWallets and instant banking
eWallet basically use a third party to protect your financial information. It also makes online payments much quicker as you’ll only need to fill in your details once when signing up for an eWallet. eWallets commonly used at Canadian casinos include EcoPays, InstaDebit and WebMoney.
Recently there has been a new kid on the payment block. Instant banking is essentially an online bank. Examples include Revolut, Interac and eCheck.
Pre-Paid Cards
Pre-Paid cards or eVouchers can be purchased at several bricks and mortar establishments throughout Canada including convenience stores, newsstands, supermarkets and gas stations. When making a payment to a casino using this method, you won’t leave a financial trail. But on the flip side, you won’t be able to make a withdrawal using this payment method.
It’s important to note that very often casinos do not offer reload bonuses to customers who make deposits using Pre-Paid Cards and eWallets.
Bank Wire Transfers
Bank Wire Transfers were the very first electronic banking method. With this method you’ll transfer money directly from your bank account to your casino account. No third party required.
Cryptocurrencies
Not existing in physical form, cryptocurrencies are a completely decentralised currency not tied to any bank or country. Due to their increased popularity, more and more casinos are offering cryptocurrencies as a payment method.
There are even a few quality casinos in Canada that only offer cryptocurrencies as a payment method. Others have special offers that reward payments made via cryptocurrency.
Casino bonuses
Online casinos offer bonuses to attract, entice and keep customers around. Casino bonuses can come in many forms and are rewarded at different times during the customer journey. It’s very rare to find a casino that doesn’t offer bonuses, and if you do, we suggest you steer clear.
Sign-up Bonuses
As soon as you join a casino, you’ll be able to take advantage of their welcome bonus. This usually comes in two forms. The first is the no deposit bonus which we have already discussed.
The second is often a combination of bonuses and requires a customer to make their first deposit. Usually it includes a Reload Bonus. Sometimes a Reload is offered on your first few deposits. Some casinos also combine this offer with Free Spins to give you the opportunity to try some of their games for free.
Reload Bonuses
A Reload Bonus or Deposit Bonus is a bonus tied to your deposit. Usually you will be offered a percentage of your deposit extra, as bonus. This bonus is usually tied to wagering requirements, meaning you can’t withdraw any winnings until the bonus is wagered x amount of times through the casino.
Free Spins
Free Spins are often awarded on slot games. Basically, you are allowed to take a set number of spins on a specific game for free. Again, your winnings are usually tied to wagering requirements, so always be sure to check the terms and conditions.
Customer Service at Quality Casinos in Canada
This is another important aspect to look into when deciding if a Canadian casino is truly a quality casino. Having a good customer service department means that a casino is willing to build relationships with their customers and ensure that they are treated well.
It’s always a good idea to check on the casino’s website to see what sort of customer service is offered. Is it available 24/7? What methods can be used to get in touch with customer service? What is the lead time? Ideally you want to join a casino that offers multiple ways to get in touch, including a telephone number, live chat and email.
Most frequently asked questions
No, not necessarily. Although it’s great when a casino offers a diverse game selection, including Live Casino, a few casinos prefer to focus on one game type. For example, there are a number of great casinos that only offer slots or prefer to focus their resources on progressive jackpots.
Yup, that’s one of the biggest benefits of an online casino. Unlike brick and mortar casinos, online casino don’t need to keep set hours. However, there might be parts of the casino that aren’t available 24/7 such as the Live Casino and Customer Service.
It’s a competitive world out there. And there are literally hundreds if not thousands of online casinos competing for your patronage. Offering a welcome bonus is the bare minimum a casino can do. If a casino doesn’t offer anything to entice you, our guess is that they probably aren’t a quality casino.
No. Casinos use Random Number Generators to ensure that their games are fair and truly random. Online casinos undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they stick to this.
Yes, most casinos use SSL encryption to keep your personal and financial information safe. This is the same encryption used by banks and financial institutions.
Summary
Finding a quality casino isn’t always the easiest task. There are a number of aspects you can take into account to help you make the choice. But if you really want to make your life easier, why not check out our casino reviews right here at Bonusninja? We do the leg work, so you don’t have to.