On April 4th, 2022 the world of online gambling, known as igaming, changed in the province of Ontario.
That was when a legal igaming market was launched, where online sportsbooks and casinos have to get regulated to be able to promote in Ontario.
This has had widespread effects not just across Ontario, but the whole of Canada. and it’s all good news for the casino player.
Prior to April 4th, online casinos had their doors open to players from Ontario and Canada and didn’t have to do anything special to really attract them. Now that things have changed, any casino that is promoting in Ontario is now spending a lot of money to do so.
That means player acquisition is more important than ever. Which means a very competitive market when it comes to casino bonuses. Deposit bonuses by online casinos are still the most attractive method to sign up new players, and so that has led to a very competitive market with a lot of excellent bonuses out there to take advantage of.
Now there may also be online casinos that accept players from Ontario, which are not regulated. We cannot advise signing up with these because there is an immediate lack of trust with these sorts of online casinos. Any regulated online casinos are immediately safe to use and you can trust that you will be able to get your money promptly upon a withdrawal.
In saying that – now there is over 20 online casinos that are regulated within the Ontario market, this gives them a step up over the competition. So the casinos that are not yet licensed and regulated have to really step up their game and that’s where casino bonuses again come into play.
When looking at casino bonuses in Canada, there are a few things you should consider:
Bonus Match Percentage: You may not have a lot of money to deposit, in which case you will be looking for a bonus that has a high bonus match percentage. If you have $100 to deposit, and you deposit it at a casino with a 100% match bonus, you will only have $200 to play with.
But if you deposit at say Crystal Slots, they offer a 1000% bonus up to $1,000. That means that you will get a $1000 bonus plus your initial $100 deposit to play with, giving you $1100. This is one of the advantages of regulation; many online casinos have now stepped up to the plate and are offering incredible bonuses like that. Prior to April 1st, the best you could find was usually 150%-200% on your initial deposit.
Rewards Programs: Sometimes you have to look beyond the bonus, and look at what rewards programs online casinos offer so you can get more bang for your buck.
You may also want to look for specific features that online casinos offer besides just games. Spartan Slots for example, offer numerous race for spins where you can complete to win free spins on particular slots. They also have a loyalty cashback program, and then do various rewards such as a weekly lucky spin tournament.
It’s important to see what else an online casino offers behind just the bonus and game selection, as there can be a lot of great rewards to take advantage of. With the competition in Canada and Ontario, more online casinos are offering more long-term rewards programs to keep you playing beyond just the deposit bonus.
Wagering Requirements: It is always important to look at the wagering requirements for any deposit bonuses that you are looking to take advantage of. Thankfully with Canada being a more competitive market, we have seen various casinos promoting to the Canadian market drop their wagering requirements quite significantly.
This means that it is more likely that you can clear the wagering requirements in a lesser amount of time, and be ble to withdraw any winnings to your account.
Based on all of that, here are a few casinos that we would recommend that are very competitive in the Canadian market:
Royal Vegas Casino: An excellent online casino that primarily uses Microgaming software. Along with a $1200 deposit bonus, they offer regular promotional events where you can win prizes such as cruise tickets and sports cars. They have an excellent mobile casino and also an app to use if you prefer that.
Cherry Jackpot: If you like to use cryptocurrency to deposit, then Cherry Jackpot is one of the best online casinos for that with a 300% BTC bonus. They run various rewards and coupons which you can redeem at any time, such as 150 monthly spins every month, or an 80% weekly slots bonus. They also offer a 60% other games special in case you aren’t a slot player.
Andromeda Casino: An excellent casino that encourages crypto deposits with a 10% bonus on top of your original bonus if you use that. Andromedia offers 75 free spins every single week for players, and has up to $5000 available spread over your first five deposits as a welcome bonus.
Andromeda Casino also have an excellent vip club with various different levels. The platinum level which is the max level gives you a personal VIP host, 15% in cashback, and a special birthday bonus.
Overall, the Canadian casino market has changed and it is only for the better. The competition between all of these online casinos for the Canadian market is excellent, with a lot of great bonuses to choose from no matter whether you are a casual player or a high roller.