When many Canucks think about gambling, they picture a large building with seas of slots machines, beautiful table games and hundreds of revelers. They think of a place with no clocks, immaculately dressed dealers and beautiful albeit expensive hotel rooms.
But what defines a good online casino? Is it a professional website with a license from Malta? Do you check its games or safety requirements? Discover more below.
Safety and Trustworthiness
The ideal casino for Canadians can best be described using two words: safe and trustworthy. Safety guarantees protection for your money and data. Trustworthiness assures you of reliable services.
Safety in a casino revolves around several features. First, there’s licensing. Every genuine online casino is licensed. In Canada, the best operators hold licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission.
Still on safety, look for SSL encryption, account protection features and an independent audit. Encryption protects your data from hackers. Of course, you need a password for your account and Two-Factor Authentication if necessary.
When it comes to trustworthiness, there’s one great way to know you can trust an operator. The best online casino Canada webpage has some great casinos listed and also shows you the ways they distinguish themselves from the competition. There’s proof those websites deliver pure casino goodness—quality games, quick payouts, reliable customer service and 24/7 technical support.
A Mobile-Optimized Website
Data from research firm Statista shows roughly 30M Canadians use their cell phones to surf the Internet. Unsurprisingly, Canadian online gamblers prefer to bet through their iPhones and android devices than to use desktop computers.
In light of that information, the ideal Canadian casino site needs to be mobile-optimized. Some operators have apps you can download and install on your device. That’s alright. However, native apps are not compulsory.
Instead, look for a casino whose website runs smoothly on your mobile device. Look at the graphics, the layout and animations. An optimized site will fit seamlessly on your screen. It loads fast and navigating through different features is stress-free.
Consider playing a few games with demo modes on the site to test its reliability. Far too many sites invest in graphics but fail to deliver a smooth gaming platform.
A Full Range of Games
The days when casinos leased games from one software provider exclusively are long gone. Nowadays, most operators offer hundreds of slots and table games from multiple developers. This helps increase variety of games you can play.
Needless to say, settle for nothing less than a library full of your favorite games. Maybe you love slots. Look for fan favorites like Gonzo’s Quest, Book of Dead, Mega Joker and Mega Moolah.
If you’re not familiar with slot names, look at the software providers: NetEnt, BTG, Playtech, Evolution, Microgaming and IGT. These companies supply many top-rated games, including live casino games.
For the uninitiated, live casino games provide an immersive video gambling experience. That’s right. You can see and chat with dealers and fellow gamblers while playing live dealer games like blackjack and poker.
Fair Bonuses
Canadians love casino bonuses. If you need evidence, look at the homepage of every gambling site in Canada. There’s a conspicuously placed welcome bonus worth as much as $5000. These bonuses increase your bankroll.
However, they’re not free of terms and conditions. As a result, you shouldn’t grab just about any offers. Look for free spins and poker betting credits with fair terms. For example, choose a site that matches your deposit 100% over a site that gives you 25% of your amount.
Next, look at the wagering requirements. Many bonuses come with a rule that states the amount of cash you must spend at a casino before you can withdraw your profits. It’s calculated as a multiple of your bonus amount.
An example is a $20 bonus with 30x wagering requirements. You need to spend $600 at the casino before you can withdraw your money. Logically, choose bonuses with a small number of playthrough.
Smooth Deposits and Withdrawals
Banking is an essential part of online gambling. You can’t play real money slots unless you have cash in your account. Likewise, you can’t cashout your profits unless you have a safe way to cashout your money.
Casinos provide a list of ways to deposit and withdraw your money. They also create policies regarding limits, fees and withdrawal times. Choose an operator that supports your favorite payment companies.
Think of PayPal, Google Pay, iDebit, Visa, MasterCard, Bitcoin, Skrill and bank transfer. What’s your favorite way to send and receive money online? If you love PayPal, choose a PayPal casino.
Next, look at the fees, limits and speeds. Choose a gambling site with low fees, decent limits and quick deposits and withdrawals.
Efficient Customer Service
No one joins an online casino hoping to spend a lot of time looking for assistance from customer service. Yet, you’ll inevitably need customer assistance at some point as a gambler. The website might crash after you’ve won. Or a cashout request could take too long.
Customer assistance agents are the only people that can get your problem fixed. Of course, that can’t happen if you join a site with non-existent customer service. Look for active communication channels in a casino: chatbots, emails, phone contacts and social media.
It’s essential to read online reviews for the sole purpose of learning about a casino’s customer service. Find out whether a casino indeed replies to emails and if it provides helpful feedback.
Innovative Features
The best casinos set themselves apart from competitors with innovative features. In the online space, the biggest innovations revolve around VR, 3D graphics, no-registration casinos, cryptocurrencies and pay by phone technologies.
These innovations improve your gambling experience immensely. No account casinos, for example, save you the time needed to provide personal information. They also secure your privacy. Bitcoin acceptance, by comparison, improves convenience.
Basically, innovation is good for the casino industry. It changes the way we bank, gamble and interact with fellow players. That said, many operators that embrace new ideas tend to rank highly on review sites.
