The thrill of playing in an online casino is something that has captured the imagination of people all over the world, with Canadians being no exception.
There are now many different sites offering the chance to play games for money. There are also many Canadians who enjoy using them, so how do you get started and what do you need to look out for?
The Legal Issues
The legality of online gambling in Canada is a subject that not everyone is clear about. For the moment, it is down to each province and territory to decide whether gambling is allowed there. This is why there are lotteries and casinos in some parts of the country and not in others.
The main point to bear in mind is that, at the time of writing, it isn’t illegal for Canadians to gamble online. The law perhaps isn’t 100% clearly worded but plenty of Canadians now play in online casinos without any fear of breaking the law. Indeed, most of the different Canadian provinces and territories now have officially licensed sites for their residents to use.
Of course, while there is no need to fear legal problems while gambling online it is still necessary that you respect the legal minimum age. Under-age players could land themselves in serious problems if they visit any online casinos.
Choosing a Site
As we have just seen, there are some officially licensed sites to be found across Canada. These include the PlayNow site in BC and Manitoba, together with Espace Jeux in Quebec. These sites offer a range of betting options with the idea of putting part of the proceeds back into the community.
Apart from those sites, there are a number of others online casinos available for Canadian players. These include both sites that are based in the country and overseas options. It is important to check out the rules relating to residents of Canada before getting started on any overseas site. You will also want to see that they are registered with a gambling authority either here or in another country.
It is now common for internet casinos to offer decent bonuses to new players who sign up with them, so it is worth looking at a few options and seeing which one offers the best value.
Getting Started
Once you have settled on a particular casino it is time to get started on there. In some cases, you can try out the site just for fun without spending any money. Once you decide to sign up it is a simple case of filling in a few basic personal details. When you decide to make a deposit then you are given a list of different ways of doing so, such as by Visa, MasterCard, bank transfer and Skrill.
Another decision to be made is around whether to play in your PC’s browser, by downloading the casino to the hard drive or on a mobile device. These different ways of playing are all appealing and each has its own strong points to bear in mind.
After doing this, you can start to look through the selection of games on offer. The widest selections are available by downloading the software, while the mobile option is typically the most limited. As well as classic casino games such as roulette and blackjack, you can also expect to find slots games, scratch cards and other popular casino games online.
For those newcomers who aren’t familiar with casino playing there are playing guides on the best casinos. These are very simple guides that let you get started easily and without any hassle at all.
Tax Issues
A question that many Canadians have is around the issue of whether they need to pay taxes on any winnings they get online. The simple answer is that gambling winnings aren’t taxable in Canada. This is because they are seen as being the result of games of chance rather than due to a skill or profession.
There is definitely no reason to worry about getting started on an online casino in Canada. There are many of them to choose from and it is easy to get playing right away with no problems. Indeed, you can be up and running, placing bets and looking to win some money in a question of minutes.
