Many Canadians who play online casino games have to use offshore platforms. What’s more, no business entity is legally permitted to operate online Canadian casinos from Canadian soil, with the exception of Quebec where Loto Quebec runs Espace Jeux.
The Canadian Federal Government has granted legal independence to Canada’s provinces and territories, allowing them to regulate their land-based and corresponding online gaming environment. However, Quebec is the only province to take advantage of this today. Besides that, if you want to play a good variety of online slots, poker, baccarat, blackjack and other popular casino games, you will need to create a player account with a legitimate international online casino site.

The Legality of Online Canadian Casinos

While it is not actually illegal for Canucks to enjoy convention casino games online, no operator may run a casino site from the country, nor may they actively advertise and encourage people to play casino games.
The laws imply that you can play games online at any international online operator that accepts players from your territory or province. So, it’s important to do your research and ensure that the casino you want to play at is free to offer their services to players in your area and that the operator has acquired the necessary legal certifications to do so. Failing which, you may not be protected from fraudulent activities.
As for licensing, most of the online casino operators that cater to Canadian players are run from outside the country but must abide by Canadian laws. Most of these operators have obtained their licenses from places such as Malta, Gibraltar and Curacao.

Are Canucks Taxed on Casino Winnings?

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is very clear when it comes to casino winnings. Any earnings you make from playing online casino games may not be taxed and you do not have report your winnings to the Agency. However, if you’ve made your money from business-related activities, they will be taxed.
So, whether you land a sensational progressive jackpot windfall, win the ultimate poker hand or have a lucky break with the roulette wheel and consider yourself a pro-level player, you might just have to report your earnings as a form of income to the relevant authorities. However, if you have a regular income stream by some other means and your winnings are an aside activity, you may be exempt from taxation.
Some players who regularly play at online casinos have attempted to claim capital losses due to gaming, but the Federal Tax authorities have not permitted this.

What Does the Future Hold for the Market?

Online casinos look like they have a promising future in Canada. The Ontario government is actually in the process of offering a variety of games, too, via the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. They’re currently engaging with private entities to help them.
British Columbia and Alberta, too, are in the process of launching virtual casinos via lottery terminals in shops. They’re also said to be considering mobile casino platforms.

While online casino is for the most part, perfectly legal in Canada, Canadians still encounter problems finding payment methods to play their favourite online casino games.

Issues with Canadian Online Casino Payment Methods

Firstly, online casino laws differ from state to state although most Canadian provinces have pretty lenient online casino laws. The biggest problem Canadians face is certain banks not allowing them to process online casino payments. If the banks are based in Canada, there shouldn’t be a problem, but if the bank is based in the U.S. where online gambling is illegal, you could run into problems using your debit or credit card. This is why digital payment solutions are extremely popular in Canada.

New Canadian Online Payment Method

A brand-new payment method has been introduced to the Canadian market called Interac. This is yet another online payment method that allows Canadians to transfer money from their bank account. Players can upload funds to their online casino account as long as they have sufficient funds in their bank account. Interac only works with Canadian banks. With many US payment solutions unable to legally transfer payments to online casinos, even outside their jurisdiction, it’s great to see a Canadian-focused payment solution that allows legitimate transactions with the legal online casino Canadian industry.

Interac Fees

Interac doesn’t directly charge for their services, but your Canadian bank might charge you a fee. The best thing about suing Interac is the ease of withdrawals. You can withdraw cash from ATMs, you might be charged a nominal fee for using your ATM, but it’s still very convenient.

Pros and Cons of Using Interac

Pros

• You can conduct your online casino transactions in Canadian dollars.
• Their service is extremely fast; you’ll have access to your funds almost instantly.
• There’s no need to create a third-party account; this means you don’t have to share any sensitive information.
• Top-class security

Cons

• Only used by Canadian players.
• Financial Institutions can set their fees for using Interac.

Conclusion

There are some reasons Interac is such a popular payment method for Canadian players. They need to know that the payment methods they choose are fast, secure and legal. It has also become extremely popular among virtual gamblers who want to boost their gaming balances and enjoy their favourite games as soon as they make a deposit and collect their casino welcome bonuses.

The Canadian Gaming Summit Of 2017

At the 2017 Canadian Gaming Summit (CGA) the rapid growth pace in Canadian online gaming was the focal point. Like in many other countries, Canada is no exception when it comes to the tricky subject of online gambling. Until the 1960s, Canada was an anti-gambling country, although once legal rights were granted to gambling activities within its borders, this attitude was completely reversed.

The Canadian Gaming Summit 2016

At the Summit it was estimated that Canadian players spend around four Billion Dollars annually on online sports betting wagering. Betting and playing in casinos for real money are some of the most popular entertainment activities on the territory of Canada. Local gambling laws, however, are considered a bit complicated. To date several forms of land based gambling activities have been legalised by the Government. Companies are not allowed to operate any online casinos and poker rooms in Canada, but in a twist, most offshore gaming servers are located on the Kahnawake Native Reserve, which is still on the territory of the country.

A Brief History of Gambling in Canada

Canada was born in 1867, but long before John A. Macdonald became the first Prime Minister of Canada, the natives were testing their luck with various forms of gambling. In 1497, John Cabot discovered a native population who played games of chance. Cabot dug deeper and unearthed proof that people were gambling as far back as the year 6000 B.C. using sticks and pebbles, but the basic gambling concept was the same.
In 1892, Canada banned all forms of gambling but by 1900, both bingo and raffles were permitted and then later, horseracing was added as an acceptable form of gambling. By 1925, fairs were permitted the right to hold gambling events.
By the 20th Century gambling was no longer seen as immoral, and legislative changes were recommended. Two of the biggest amendments that took place were the legalisation of public lotteries in 1969, and the transfer of gambling control from federal jurisdiction to provincial in 1985.
Since the turn of the century, online gaming in Canada has grown exponentially. The first to launch a provincial iGaming website in 2004 was British Columbia, while other such as Quebec followed in 2010 and by 2015 Ontario followed suit.
The online gaming industry in Canada was affected in 2016 when NetEnt, one of the leading developers of online casino software announced that it would no longer supply its products to brands in Canada. UK online gaming giant, William Hill left the Canadian market in May 2016 for regulatory reasons and informed players to withdrawal all their funds. Other online operators followed suit, including Paddy Power in 2011 and Betfair in 2015. By the 12th of May 2017, NetEnt announced that it secured its approval to provide casino games by Canada’s BCLC.

The Canadian Gaming Summit Of 2018: Theme “Technology Holds the Key”

This year, Canada’s Premier Annual Conference for gaming professionals will be held during June at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Topics covered will be Gaming Operations, Lottery, Charitable Gaming, Legal and Regulatory, Gaming Technology, Non-Gaming Amenities, Gaming Compliance and Special Summit Presentations. Delegates and gaming professionals will be offered talks on how to be better prepared to keep pace with the industry’s technological advancements.

The online casino industry requires constant innovation to keep on top of things, like a boxing match, the stakes are high against your competitors and it’s every man for himself and last man standing wins. Releasing new and innovative takes on much loved games is no easy feat., but Codeta Casino have invented a new feature called Skill Score This could be the next game-changer in the industry, so keep reading to find out more.

What is the Skill Score?

What, exactly is the Skill Score and what does it mean for you? An online casino that launches innovative gaming products to attract new players and keep them coming back, is a great casino. And the Skill Score is one such product that will help Codeta shine. They pride themselves on being a casino brand that’s focused on giving real players the ultimate live gaming experience.

So, the idea behind the Skill Score is no surprise—it helps players keep track of their gaming, their wins and their losses to give them real time data on their gaming experience and the casino games that they’re playing.

Players have the opportunity to track their progress and also compare these results with other players. This data aims to help players improve and become better at playing live casino games. Unfortunately, they haven’t developed this feature for online slots yet. All the information collected will be based on data gathered from Evolution Gaming’s live casino games.

The feature measures two important factors in a player’s gaming – the skill to win big and to keep winning over time. Codeta Casino have named these two factors, big wins and dedicated wins, respectively. If you can compare yourself to other players in real time, you’ll be able to learn from their gameplay, as well as your own, how you can improve your gaming skills and strategy.

The dedicated wins feature will present your ratio between wins and losses. The big wins feature looks at the result of earned payout-ratios. Only data from live games will be measured and your score will become active after you’ve gone through a minimum of 30 rounds and won at least one game.

Codeta’s First Skill Score Tournament

For the product launch of the Skills Score feature, Codeta have decided to put together a tournament for their players with €2500 prize pot up for grabs. This exciting competition will begin May 20th
10 skilled Live Casino players will fight for their share of the €2500 pot. The prizes will be divided based on their skill and their scores. based on their scores. Cash Prizes will be awarded as follows:

1st place – €625
2nd place – €500
3rd place – €375
4th place – €250
5th place – €200
6th place – €175
7th place – €150
8th place – €100
9th place – €75
10th place – €50

NetEnt Launches Live Online Casino Roulette Game

The football tournament of the year is upon us and NetEnt is getting in on the action with its latest offering, online live casino roulette which comes on the back of the software developer’s World Cup Free Round Widget.

NetEnt’s latest offering, Live Sports Roulette is all set to be launched on June 14 and will be made available to players throughout the World Cup.

Online Live Casino Fun for All

The live football experience is reportedly designed to allow players to keep up with real-time updates and scores while enjoying their favourite online casino game. As you play, you can look forward to Dealers commenting on the World Cup games and competition as a whole, complete with live sports feed that will show you a summary of scheduled games, group tables and even up-to-the-minute game statistics.

Live dealer roulette will be made accessible on both desktop and mobile devices, allowing players around the globe to closely follow the action as and when it happens.

There’s A New Promotion on the Way, Too

What’s more, during the World Cup tournament, the favoured online casino software developer will be accompanying the live dealer roulette alongside a brand-new promotion dubbed Goal Smash Roulette. This exciting competition comprises two parts, including daily giveaways and seriously enticing prize draws with a total prize pool of more than 70,000 Euros.

NetEnt’s chief product officer, Henrik Fagerlund, has been reported as saying that the company’s live sports roulette offering is set to be a genuinely immersive football experience, allowing online casino players to enjoy all the action of both the sport and the live games. With the World Cup upon us, it seems to be a perfect time, according to Fagerlund, to launch Goal Smash Roulette, giving valued players fantastic chances to win prizes daily while keeping on top of the football action.

Both the Goal Smash Roulette and its Live Sports counterpart are to be made available to all online casino operators on an opt-in basis during the football tournament and both are integrated seamlessly for NetEnt Live customers.

Once the World Cup comes to an end, the technology will continue to be available for roulette as well as any kind of event. Online casino operators will have the chance to include live roulette in their game stream which means they can look forward to a greater chance of engaging any target group by displaying contests, tournaments, events and the like.

Goal Smash Roulette, according to the software developer, will run for an exclusive period between midnight on June 14, 2018 until 23:59 on July 15.

Will You Be Playing?

Roulette has long been a favoured online casino game the world over. Thanks to incredible advances in technology, now you can play with live dealers and enjoy all the interaction and thrills of a brick-and-mortar casino right from the comfort of your home or in the palm of your hand.

Will you be playing live roulette during the World Cup?

The May 2018 Slots from NetEnt are looking good—we’ve got a great one called Bollywood, a colourful world that hasn’t been explored before in slot gaming. The other new arrival on the scene, Lost Relics, is yet another treasure hunting adventure.

NetEnt had no plans to release any new slot games in May, a big indicator that they’re working on something big behind the scenes. However, these surprise releases are a welcome start to the summer and NetEnt continue to impress fans with their slot releases.

Lost Relic Slot Game

As the name Lost Relics suggests, this is a deep jungle hunt for relics and you’ll find plenty of treasure in this slot game.

The main payouts in this game come from the Cluster Pays, they offer a win when the symbols join either horizontally or vertically beside each other to form a linked group or cluster. Lost Relics needs a minimum of six adjacent symbols to result in a payout.
Of course, the total amount depends on your chosen coin value and bet level, alongside the winning symbol value.

Because of the Cluster Pay game structure, the Lost Relics grid almost doubles its size to a five-reel and five-row game. You can also unearth treasures if you can encounter hidden chests during the Free Spins feature, known as the lost relics round.

Being a NetEnt game, you can rest assured that the graphics and soundtrack are top-class, and that the gameplay is immersive.

Bollywood Story Slot Game

Based on the love stories of the Bollywood cinema scene, this NetEnt slot game is a classic 5-reel, 3-row game with 9 pay lines. No Bollywood love story would be complete without some impediment to the beautiful couple’s love in the form of an evil-stepmother, but we think playing this NetEnt game will definitely offer you a happy ending.

This game is packed with features. Except for the scatters, your Floating Wild will substitute all the symbols in order to form the highest winning pay line possible. The scatter symbols trigger a round of Free Spins if you land 3 of them on the reels. The Free Spins game is where you can really boost your winnings and you can trigger moreFree Spins within this round by landing more scatters. This high volatility slot game has a payout percentage of 96.1%

Bollywood Story covers a great theme that hasn’t been explored before in a slot game. The rich culture of the Bollywood scene captures the imagination of millions of people around the world. And the visually arresting graphics, great soundtrack and immersive gameplay really showcases the pure joy of Bollywood films.

Summer Slots are Here

These bright new slots mark the start of the summer for NetEnt who didn’t have any plans for any new releases this May. This might have something to do with their creation of a new live Sports Roulette game that promises to keep football fans at the heart of the action during the upcoming World Cup tournament.

Online Casino Platforms Trump Land-Based Casinos

While it remains a contentious subject, online casino platforms are safer for players than their land-based counterparts. Well-regulated online sites protect their players better than brick-and-mortar casinos. Let’s take a look at other reasons why online casinos trump land-based establishments.

1. Online Casino Platforms Allow You to Control Your Habits

When you walk into a land-based casino, you sit and play slots or table games until your wallet is empty. Then you can get up, draw more cash, and carry on. The casinos ply you with plenty of perks, too, to keep you there and keep you spending. It can quickly snowball into a dangerous situation. Self-control all comes down to you.

When it comes to online gaming, it’s a different world, and a much tamer one at that. Reputable online casino operators provide safeguards to protect players from themselves based on innovative technology. When you open a new player account, there is usually a section where you can set your betting limits, including wagering, loss and deposit limits – something that’s becoming the norm for online operators licensed in Europe. Some casinos even allow you to set max bet protection for each spin of the slots. Further, many casinos offer self-exclusion periods, during which time you cannot re-open your account under any circumstances.

2. Self-Exclusion and Network-Wide Bans

Certain online casinos take self-exclusion seriously. If you opt to self-exclude, they will effectively ban you through all of their licensed platforms, especially casinos licensed in the UK, Malta and Gibraltar. You can self-exclude and immediately not be allowed back in.

3. Robust and Accurate Identification Verification

Under-age online casino playing is also a big concern, but it’s actually rather rare. Land-based casinos may sporadically check player’s ID if they look underage or win over a certain amount.

On the other hand, online casinos are properly licensed and require stringent verification. For starters, you typically need to provide a copy of your identification documents and a utility bill, along with your banking details. Most of your information is then cross-checked in the casino’s data bases or even with other third parties. Online operators take underage gambling very seriously, and security and encryption is never skimped on.

4. So Many Options

Most online platforms publish Return to Player (RTP) percentages for each and every game, including poker, roulette, blackjack and slots. Sometimes they will publish both actual and theoretical RTPs. Ask a

slots manager at a land-based casino what a game’s RTP is and they’ll probably shrug and move on. Or they won’t tell you. On that note, RTP rates tend to be way lower in land-based casinos.

Conclusion

As you can see, online casino gaming is far safer than sitting in a brick and mortar casino. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be exercising due diligence. With so many online casinos around, make sure you only play at reputable operators that offer transparency, solid customer support and flexible deposit and withdrawal options in your local currency.

The New Face of Online Casino Gaming in Canada and AI

The Canadian casino industry is big business. In fact, it carries an annually estimated worth of about CA$13 billion. That’s nothing to scoff at and it’s certainly one industry that’s injecting welcome funds into the economy. It shows no signs of slowing down either, especially when we consider the ever-increasing popularity of online casino gaming.

As with any industry, it does have a few underlying issues. But, these are issues that may well be possible to resolve thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). Already widely used across sectors, this latest technology might revolutionise how the world of online casinos work, creating a highly improved experience for Canuck players.

Online Casino Gaming Opens Up to a World of Possibilities

While AI technology has certainly developed at lightning speed, the intersection between gaming and AI is actually not new, having come into effect some twenty years ago when IBM’s Deep Blue computer defeated well-known chess superstar, Garry Kasparov. Progress has led to the continuation of the trend within the casino arena with Libratus AI famously winning thousands of poker hands over some of the best players in the world last year.

AI, though, has the potential to extend even further beyond man versus machine. AI offers the exciting possibility of a significantly improved user experience and in turn, this could help online casino operators create a platform that’s been built completely with the individual player in mind.

Customisation is one enticing application. For example, popular operator, LeoVegas already features 118 games that are available to Canadian-based players, including blackjack, roulette, slots and other favourites. What AI does is learn from each individual player’s gaming sessions to go on and create a personalised and player-specific homepage. This means a player no longer has to sort through hundreds of games by presenting their preferred options right there and then.

What’s more, AI means casinos can do away with impersonal, general customer service bots and replace them with a brand-new breed of intelligence that’s not just set up to meet a player’s unique needs but also delivers focused, faster resolution issues. In short, you’ll get a friendly, responsive and completely relevant automated system that does exactly what you need it to do.

It’s a Win-Win for Casino Operators, Too

It’s not just online casino gaming enthusiasts who stand to benefit from AI technology. The online casino operators will also enjoy certain advantages, such as making it even easier to root out cheaters and level the gaming playing field.

Helping to lessen the disadvantages that are associated with the powerlessness to physically monitor gamer’s behaviour, AI may allow casinos to keep a step ahead of fraudsters.

AI certainly offers a world of possibilities to the online casino sector and has the potential to transform the Canadian gaming industry, making it an even safer and more fun place to every player. AI can protect against manipulation while also allowing a more individual and efficient user experience.

7 World Famous Slot Games

It feels like online slot games just get better every day. Higher quality graphics, more immersive and complex gameplay and more and more popular culture themes to base games around. But, let us not forget the classics, the slot games that make a mark and remain consistently popular with players all over the world.

Let’s take a look at the slot games loved by people everywhere. We’ve chosen seven of the best world famous slot games.

Starburst Slot

What list could start without NetEnt’s eponymous gem of a slot game, Starburst. You’ll notice that online casinos often offer Free Spins as part of a bonus package, this is because it’s one of the most internationally loved, high-volatility slots to have ever been made
This brightly coloured slot game is difficult to miss, with its futuristic, shiny gemstones. The theme tune is also instantly recognisable. Six years after its creation and people still love the thrill of hitting that iconic expanding wild.

Mega Moolah Progressive

Let’s take a look at the reasons why Mega Moolah from Microgaming is slot game royalty. This year alone, Mega Moolah has made five millionaires already and we’re not even halfway through 2018.
Holding the crown for the world’s most famous progressive jackpot for fourteen years is no easy feat and it’s the big wins that have made this game legendary. Its record-breaking €17,879,645 win has yet to be beaten, and with three additional side jackpots—this slot pays out again and again.

Dead or Alive Slot

NetEnt’s famous Dead or Alive slot is a high volatility favourite. D.o.A., as it’s often called, is a very high-risk game, so it’s not to everybody’s taste. It’s a fast and furious cowboy adventure, with lots of scatters and wilds to match the wild west theme.

Gonzo’s Quest Slot

Gonzo’s Quest slot was one of the most visually innovative slot games ever seen when it was first released. It’s 3D graphics were a sight to behold and have influenced slot games ever since, making NetEnt a breakout star. This game offers so many ways to win and its avalanche feature is still a fan favourite. NetEnt have made versions of this flagship game in a mobile version and now a VR version too.

Mega Fortune Slot

The ever-present competition between NetEnt and Microgaming has created an excellent rival to Mega Moolah—NetEnt’s Mega Fortune. This is another famous millionaire maker that offers life-changing prizes regularly. Its record-breaking win of €17,860,868 is pretty close to Mega Moolah’s, so it’s no wonder it’s their biggest rival.

Immortal Romance Slot

There’s no bell tolling for Microgaming’s Immortal Romance slot yet. Since 2011, it’s been a popular presence at most online casinos. Sexy vampires have always intrigued popular culture but this release during the time of Twilight and True Blood was especially well-received. It’s not just the zeitgeist-capturing theme that made this slot such a hit, it’s also got huge winning potential Free Spins, multipliers and most of all the sought-after Wild Desire.

Cleopatra

Egyptian-themed slot games are all the rage, it’s a mysterious and powerful culture that’s yielded treasure to brave fortune hunters. However, IFT’s Cleopatra slot stands head and shoulders above the rest. Cleopatra boasts a haunting Egyptian themed soundtrack, pyramids, scarabs, the Eye of Horus, and several artefacts that offer you great riches.