Playing Canadian Slots

Slot machines have never been as popular as they are today and millions of people all over the world regularly enjoy online slot machines at a variety of different websites. North American gamblers are no different to their counterparts in other areas of the globe and a growing number are playing, or thinking about playing, online slots in Canada.

It might seem a little confusing at first, not least because the gambling laws in Canada, like in many other countries, are not always so clear cut, and with online gambling still being a relatively new industry, it is not always easy to know what is or isn’t allowed.

In this guide we aim to clear up any misgivings you might have about the legal aspect of playing online slots in Canada and give you some helpful hints as to what to look out for in terms of both positive and negative slot machine websites which accept Canadian players.

Canadian Gambling History and the Law

Attitudes towards gambling have changed throughout the world through time and in Canada this is equally true. There was a time when gambling was seen as being anti-religious or impure or immoral and it was a ‘dirty’ activity that people would keep hidden from friends or family. It was actually completely illegal to gamble in Canada in any way at one time, but thankfully the world has changed.

It was popular to gamble in Canada way before the arrival of Europeans to the country and in the 1800s it really increased in popularity when gold prospectors arrived during the Gold Rush. Needing entertainment in their down time, many of these men turned to gambling and several people were more than happy to give them the opportunity. Faro was the game of choice back then, but it more or less died in popularity at the same time as the Gold Rush ended.

The Canadian Criminal Code made some forms of gambling entirely legal within Canada in 1892. The industry was regulated and allowed people to enjoy some forms of gambling without fear of recrimination, but the choice was limited and there was still a great deal of illicit gambling taking place throughout the country.

The law was changed in 1970 to allow provinces to have more jurisdiction over gambling. This led to casinos being built in several provinces and the emergence of several lottery games. The law has since been applied to online gambling, including casinos and slot machine sites.

Is It Legal to Gamble at Online Slots Sites in Canada?

Due to the fact that each Canadian province is responsible for enforcing its own laws when it comes to online gambling, this can often be a tricky question to answer. Each province regulates its own gambling and while it’s not illegal in any province, the law is somewhat relaxed in some places compared to others.

One thing which is universally not allowed throughout Canada is the use of offshore gambling websites. It is difficult to enforce as offshore operations do not need to conform to Canadian gambling law. However, the majority do not accept Canadian players and those that do are putting players at legal risk within Canada. This significantly reduces the amount of choice a Canadian gambler has. However, there are still plenty of options available for those wishing to play online slots in Canada.

We only recommend 100% legal slot machine websites for Canadian players and they are the ones you should stick to. Another important thing when choosing a legal Canadian slots website is to check that it is regulated and licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

What Makes a Great Canadian Slot Machine Website?

Legality is important to ensure that you aren’t committing a criminal offense, but from a player’s perspective there are several even more important factors to consider when choosing an online slots website in Canada.

Reliability

Something every player is concerned about is their money. While you can sleep safely at night knowing that your chosen website is fully legal and regulated, can you say the same about the safety of your cash? Unfortunately, there are some sites that don’t appreciate the importance of quick payouts. Nobody wants to be kept waiting for long periods of time to receive their winnings and it is certainly in a player’s best interest to check whether a website is trustworthy in this respect.

Some sites don’t welcome winners either and there are horror stories of players having winnings withheld and even accounts closed for seemingly no reason other than that they’ve enjoyed a big win.

Always check that we have judged a site’s reliability before signing up to it.

Choice of Games

As a player you want to have the best choice of games possible. Some sites might stick to one provider and while all the games will be of the highest quality, the choice may be somewhat limited. If you find your favorite game among them then that’s great, but as a rule it’s best to use online slot machine websites who offer games from several providers or have a generally impressive library of different games available.

Software

Players don’t just play online slots in Canada because they love to gamble, they also want to be entertained. You should ensure that the games available on a particular website are up to scratch when it concerns graphics, sound and playability. Any site that requires you to download proprietary software in order to play should ensure that it is regularly tested for bugs and glitches in order to give players a good experience.

Also, the mobile version of a slot machine website needs to function properly for all players who wish to play slot machines on the bus on their way to work or in any other situation where they want to enjoy mobile gameplay.

Sites to Avoid

We’ve already mentioned some of the bad experiences slot machine enthusiasts can have on some websites and of course you want to avoid ending up in any of these situations. We want you to avoid them too and that’s why we have a list of casinos and slot machine websites which we consider to be blacklisted. Pay attention to these and avoid them and you’ll have a smooth slot machine playing experience.