Your Complete Guide to Online Casinos

Vienne Garcia

6 min read

If you’re looking to play at an online casino, then you’ve landed at the right place. At Casino.Guide, we’ve put together the best online casinos for players worldwide. Our team of seasoned professionals analyse all the aspects that make for a good gambling experience. We compile detailed and objective casino reviews so that you can quickly see what highlights and pitfalls to expect.

What you can find at Casino.Guide:

• Objective casino reviews and ratings
• Listings of trustworthy & licensed casinos for Canadian players
• Top info on the latest casino bonuses and hottest promotions
• Expert analysis by seasoned professionals
• Answers to the most common casino FAQs
• Current and useful information on the top brands

We find, test and rate online casinos. Thoroughness and neutrality are our core values in our gambling site reviews. Our team prides itself on its objectivity and expertise! Vienne Garcia – Online Casino Expert

The Top 10 Online Casinos in September 2021

We’ve listed the top online casinos in the table below, complete with their latest welcome offers. Among many other things, we’ve tested them all recently to check out their:

• Games
• Payout
• Customer Service

They’ve all passed with flying colours. These sites have an excellent reputation among players and are some of the best online gambling sites for Canadian players.

All casinos are fully licensed 🔒 Recommended by experts ✅

Casino	Bonus	License	Recommendation
SpinAway Review	$1,500+ 100 Free Spins	Curacao Gaming	95%Highly Recommendedvisit SpinAway
Stake Review	VIP	Curacao Gaming	95%Highly Recommendedvisit Stake
Lucky Days Review	$1,500+ 100 Free Spins	Curacao Gaming	95%Highly Recommendedvisit Lucky Days
Roobet Review	Roowards	Curacao Gaming	95%Highly Recommendedvisit Roobet
Fairspin Review	4 x $4000+ 140 Free Spins	Curacao Gaming	94%Recommendedvisit Fairspin
BitStarz Casino Review	$2,000 or 5 BTC+ 180 Free Spins	Curacao Gaming	94%Recommendedvisit BitStarz Casino
LeoVegas Review	$1,000+ 200 Free Spins	MGA Malta UK Gambling Commission Schleswig-Holstein	94%Recommendedvisit LeoVegas
Winny Casino Review	10% Cashback	MGA Malta	93%Recommendedvisit Winny Casino
Betsafe Review	$1,000+ 50 Free Spins	MGA Malta UK Gambling Commission	93%Recommendedvisit Betsafe
Mr Green Review	$1,200+ 200 Free Spins	MGA Malta	93%Recommendedvisit Mr Green

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⏱The brands and bonuses above were last updated on 31. August, 2021. We test and check casinos regularly to provide up-to-date information. However, there may still be instances where there may be differences between a casino's newest offering and the listing on this site.

Best Online Casino - Full List

About the Team at Casino.Guide

Our team at Casino.Guide is comprised of experienced players and professionals who have watched the world of online casino gaming evolve over the years. We’re passionate about the games and our expertise helps us distinguish the hidden gems from the undeserved hype. Our team includes:

• Experts who specialise in casino bonuses, checking various sites’ latest offers and comparing them with those at other casinos.
• Professionals who specialise in payment methods.
• Players who try to push all the buttons with a casino’s customer service.

This all comes together in casino reviews that give you the full picture, along with a clear and objective analysis in the fine print that the average player may often gloss over. As they say, the devil is in the details.

Who we are – introducing our team of experts

How Do We Test Online Casinos?

We test online casino brands in several ways.

The good old fashioned way. We send our players in to play with real money. This way, we get the full picture of how the casino works:

• from the sign up process,
• to the first deposit,
• to claiming the welcome bonus,
• to trying out all the different games,
• to contacting customer service, and
• finally to cash out.

That’s how we get a first-hand account of what it feels like to play at that casino from a player’s perspective.

But that is not enough and we dig even deeper. Our testers also pay special attention to things like:

• how easy it is for Canadian players to bank at the casino
• the payout timeframes
• the different payment methods available
• the competence of the customer service team

Our specialists go into each site to check and test all these things diligently before they write the casino report.

What is the Best Online Casino for Real Money?

We recommend these online casinos without any reservation. These sites have proven to the best real money casinos in our quality tests:

• 🥇 Spin Away: Best casino among 40+ sites
• 🥈 Stake: Trusted crypto casino with super fair RTP
• 🥉 Spin Away: Great choice of slots & fast cashout
• ⭐️ LeoVegas: Multiple award-winning casino
• ⭐️ Winny: Awesome promotions incl. requirement free cashback

After we’ve conscientiously tested the brand, we give it a detailed rating so you can get all the essential information at a glance.

Best in Class Casino: These casinos are the crème de la crème when it comes to online gaming. These operators get everything perfect and they go the extra mile to take care of Canadian players at every level. Only a few select online gambling sites will ever get this distinction. You should definitely try these out if you’re looking for a new place to play.

Highly Recommended Casinos: These are also great places to play. Good choice of games and promos, coupled with highly efficient banking and customer service are some of the trademarks to our highly recommended casinos.

Recommended Casinos: These are good online casinos. You’ll find more than enough games that will keep you busy. Customer service is solid and a fine time can be had.

Passable Casinos: These casinos do the job well enough but aren’t particularly exciting compared with the other options out there. If you are just bored or looking to pick up a welcome bonus for some extra chips, then these will do the trick.

If you want to get started right away, try our Best In Class casino brands in the different categories below:

The best online casino should be exceptional in every single one of these aspects. Doing the minimum is just not good enough.

Needless to say, a casino that goes out of its way to cater to the needs of players in Canada gets extra points!

1. The Casino Product
2. Casino Games Offerings
3. Software Providers
4. Casino Promotions
5. Mobile Casino Options
6. Customer Protection & Service
7. Banking and Cashout
8. Customer Service
9. Casino Fairness
10. Security
11. Online Casino FAQs
12. Should I play at more than one casino?
13. Can I play at online casinos for free?
14. How to Deposit into a Casino Account?
15. Do online casinos charge fees for deposits or withdrawals?
16. Why do online casinos need my personal data?
17. Is there a fool-proof strategy for playing casino games?

The Casino Product

1.) Casino Games Offerings

Once upon a time, online casinos used to have games from just one or maybe two software providers. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see operators hosting games from more than two dozen developers so that you can easily find:

• old school fruit machines
• crazy video slots packed with tons of features
• thousands of ways-to-wins slots
• progressive jackpots
• live casino games

There are lots of online slot sites if that’s all you want to play, but we do recommend trying a casino that also has table games and live games. These have come a long way and you will see numerous variations on Blackjack, Roulette and Poker games.

Screenshot Mr. Green Live CasinoMoreLess

Our TIP: Live casino games are really not to be missed. It’s a lot more than live blackjack or live roulette. Many casinos have innovative live game shows that require no particular skill or knowledge to have a blast!

2.) Software Providers

The software providers are the companies that develop the casino games. This means that these are the developers who design the games you will play. A good provider will make sure the games meet the legal requirements for Canadian gaming.

We suggest choosing a casino with reputable developers like

• NetEnt
• Microgaming

along with smaller game studios like

• Yggdrasil
• Red Tiger Gaming

This way, you will get both the most tried and tested games as well as the cutting edge titles that will be the next big thing in online gaming.

3.) Casino Promotions

If you go to Vegas, you might get a free drink on the house. Online however, you can expect much more. Almost every online casino will have a welcome bonus that will typically double your bank roll by matching your first deposit in free chips. Some offers might even have an extra dash of free spins thrown in.

There are so many promos that it’s like walking into a candy store sometimes. To help you find the best offers, our team at Casino.Guide has carefully curated the best offers for you.

• We look at the fine print of various casino offers to see how they translate into your potential winnings.
• We also examine how budget friendly they are, before delivering a full report for our readers.
• Our review team also takes into consideration the loyalty reward programme and what kind of daily or weekly promotions the casino has.

These extras help to keep your play spiced up.

Top 3 Bonus Offers for Canadian Players

#	Casino	Bonus facts	Bonus Review
1		Bonus: Welcome Bonus Amount: $2,000 or 5 BTC Bonus in %: 100%	BitStarz Casino Bonus Review
2		Bonus: Deposit Bonus package Amount: $1,500 Bonus in %: 100%	SpinAway Bonus Review
3		Bonus: Deposit Bonus Amount: $1,000 Bonus in %: 100%	LeoVegas Bonus Review

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⏱The brands and bonuses above were last updated on 31. August, 2021. We test and check casinos regularly to provide up-to-date information. However, there may still be instances where there may be differences between a casino's newest offering and the listing on this site.

Read our Bonus Review

4.) Mobile Casino Options

Can you switch from playing on your computer to your phone or tablet easily? Practically any self-respecting online casino will be mobile ready nowadays.

A good online gambling site should be built on HTML5 so that it always plays straight out of your web browser, whether it’s on your computer or mobile device.

Some brands will offer a casino app that you can download too.

If you are on an Apple device, it would make things even more seamless if the casino takes Apple Pay. The best mobile casinos will also stock up on games that have been designed with the unique features of mobile in mind, taking full advantage of swipes and taps to deliver a more immersive gaming experience.

Customer Protection & Service

5.) Banking and Cashout

We’re talking about real money gaming, so banking is important. You need to put real money in, in order to get real money out. Our team checks to see whether the casino accepts the most popular Canadian payment methods like Interac, and what the cashout process is like.

We also look to see if there are any associated fees for making deposits and withdrawals. Most online casinos will need some time to process your withdrawal but this timeframe can be as fast as the same day, to 2 or 3 business days. Obviously, the faster the better!

6.) Customer Service

As smooth as things can be, there will probably come a time when you need some help. Sure, FAQs are great, but it’s much easier to actually speak with someone.

• Does the online casino have Live Chat?
• What about a Canadian number, preferably a toll free number?Sometimes it’s just nice to pick up the phone and speak with a customer service rep.
• Are the hours convenientand are the agents knowledgeable?

These little things all add up to your overall casino experience and we make sure our players test this thoroughly too.

7.) Casino Fairness

This is a common concern among players, and rightly so. If you are playing online slots, you are essentially playing against computer software. Who’s to say that it’s not rigged?

Thankfully, the online casino industry audits provided games and there are independent bodies such as eCogra that give their stamp of approval.

Many players will also look for the RTP of a casino. RTP stands for Return to Player and is largely the return a player can expect from a casino game over the long haul.

“A typical RTP for a slot game might be around 96%. However, it doesn’t make much sense to look for the overall RTP of a casino. The RTP of different games will vary and therefore when you average it out, you don’t end up with a very meaningful number. The best way to make sure you are playing at a fair casino is to read the casino review. Make sure the games are coming from reputable providers, and that the casino is licensed.” Martin Hill – casino expert

8.) Security

Last but not least, you want to play at a safe and reliable casino.

• Your transactions and data should be all encoded with the latest encryption technology.
• The casino should also be licensed for players in Canada.

Luckily for you, every single one of the online casino brands listed on Casino.Guide meets the highest safety standards and is fully licensed.

From BC to Newfoundland, betting both offline and online is considered perfectly legal in Canada, as long as the betting house or website holds a licence. That’s one less thing for you to worry about.

Online Casino FAQs

9.) Should I play at more than one casino?

It makes perfect sense! Different sites will have different game selections. Better yet, you will have access to more promotions when you play at multiple casinos. More promotions will get you more for your money. Many players like to sign up at new online casinos to take advantage of the 100% welcome bonus offers, which tend to be more generous when compared with other deposit bonuses.

10.) Can I play at online casinos for free?

For live dealer games and progressive jackpots, you will have to play with real money. On the other hand, most online gambling sites will let you play their slots for free in demo mode, along with table games that are played against software.

However, because it is in demo mode, you can’t actually win any money from the game. Demo mode is just designed to show you how the game works.

You can also look for no deposit bonuses that casinos offer new players on signing up for an account. These will let you play real money games for free, although they tend to be quite limited.

Play at 20Bet Casino

11.) How to Deposit into a Casino Account?

For players in Canada, the most convenient option is probably Interac or credit cards because you can just use your regular bank card to make the payment.

If you prefer to keep your bank account completely separate, then the best way to buy a prepaid voucher like Paysafe Card.

Alternatively, you could use an e-wallet like PayPal or EcoPayz. The advantage to using an e-wallet is that the cashout process is usually faster because it doesn’t require processing time on the bank’s side.

If you are playing at a mobile casino, you can also try the MuchBetter app or Apple Pay. It all depends on your preferences.

Below is a table of the most popular payment methods in Canada.

• 
  Interac Info
• 
  Much Better Info
• 
  iDebit Info
• 
  Ecopayz Info
• 
  Paypal Info
• 
  Apple Pay Info
• 
  Paysafe Card Info
• 
  Bitcoin Info

12.) Do online casinos charge fees for deposits or withdrawals?

Generally speaking, online casinos don’t charge a fee for deposits. If there are any fees involved, the operator should list them before you make the transaction. Some may charge a nominal fee for withdrawals. In most of these cases, the fee comes with better service that cuts down on the processing time so you will also the cash arrive on your side sooner.

While most casinos don’t have any extra costs for deposits and withdrawals, it’s not uncommon for payment methods like Skrill, for example, to charge fees when you withdraw from the e-wallet to your bank account.

13.) Why do online casinos need my personal data?

Understandably, you should be concerned about your privacy. However, a licensed casino will need your personal data and verify your identity. It’s a legal requirement.

This is to prevent money laundering. Plus, since it’s about money with payouts into your bank account, the casino does need to know who and where it should send the money to!

14.) Is there a fool-proof strategy for playing casino games?

There are different online gambling strategies if you want to approach your game play more systematically. The most common include:

• Card counting strategies
• Betting strategies
• Martingale system
• The Paroli System
• D’Alembert System
• James Bond Roulette Strategy
• Different Black Jack Strategies

» Find out more on the different casino strategies in our faq section

Our advice: The best strategy is to keep a budget for how much you can afford to play and then stick with it. This will make sure that you won’t be too impacted by losses while enjoying the pleasure of all the wins.

Visit Spin Away Casino

Online Casino Guide was compiled by Vienne Garcia

I’ve been working in the online casino landscape in Malta for more than 10 years and have seen how the industry works from customer service roles to the backend of the business. While I am lucky enough to call myself a native on the sunny island called Malta, I also enjoy travelling and have travelled across Canada! After wandering through the great white north, I have decided to share my knowledge and now work with Canadian players to compile accurate casino reviews to help players navigate through the hundreds of gaming sites online.