In 2018, there are thousands of different real money online casino options. Each of these can offer vastly different experiences, based on factors like available games or payment options. Thankfully, Gambling.com has sifted through the minutiae of testing site, app and game details so you dont have to! We provide expert reviews and strategy guides focusing on the top options in each casino category!
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The software provider that an online casino chooses to partner with is one of the most crucial aspects of that casino's identity. Beyond determining site functionality, the games available at a given casino is also affected by who they work with.
Ever since the inception of internet casino games in the final years of the last century, players around the world have been able to discover the joys of safe online casinos from the comfort of their own home, the workplace, and even on the move via mobiles and tablets.
While some countries have resisted the move from brick-and-mortar casinos to online slots and blackjack, many have welcomed the phenomenon, changing the landscape and culture of real money casino wagering forever. Understanding how to evaluate real money online casinos can help ensure a quality, safe, and enjoyable experience.
You might be wondering, "Where do all these reviews, ratings, and bonuses come from and can I trust it all?" Gambling.com and its sister sites, such as Canadian online casinos haven Casinosource.ca, have teams dedicated to researching and analysing a wide array of all the premier casino sites to choose from.
First, each site is judged for safety and security above all else. Next, reviewers ensure not only does each site have adequate security, payment, and game options, but you are also getting the best possible bonus from that casino. Our independent and impartial casino ratings help make it quick and easy to find the perfect fit based on exactly what you’re looking for.
When it comes to safety, one way to ensure you are enjoying a secure online gambling experience is to guarantee you are also playing with a licensed and regulated online casino. Most of the time it does not even matter where you're signing on from, as long as the casino accepts players from your jurisdiction and the online casino is licensed, players can rest easy in terms of safety concerns.
Nearly all reputable sites utilise secure SSL connections that encrypt the data when it is sent to and from the online casino, so that players' money is not at risk. Likewise, deposits back into players’ accounts are made using the same secure system, and can be transferred using many, if not all, of the methods used to pay into the casino.
Legalising online casinos in major gambling jurisdictions was not much trouble relative to ensuring players from outside the jurisdiction are legally accessing the online casino sites. Thankfully, most of that regulation has been cleared up, meaning if you're enjoying Canadian online casinos, you are most likely working well within your legal rights and at no risk.
Some online casinos offer the ability to play offline by downloading a desktop client or mobile app. While downloadable casinos proved popular during the early days of iGaming, as it cut down on data transfers and the reliance on slow internet browsers, it also meant that many games were played for fun, and not for money.
Offline games can still be enjoyable and used to hone skills, but many prefer to play against other real-life players rather than a computer simulation. With higher internet speeds, more secure connections, and a wide range of internet browsers to utilise these days, playing instant-play online casinos is fast, fun, and, for experienced players, often profitable.
| Downloading an Online Casino | Instant Play Online Casinos |
|---|---|
| cut down on data transfers | more secure connection |
| relied on slow internet browsers | wide range of internet browsers to utilise |
| many games played for fun | fast, fun, and, for experienced players, often profitable |
| dedicated desktop icon for easy access | no shortcut to access |
| software updates needed | no software updates needed |
Yes, players looking to choose from a list of top online casinos should always consider the game providers partnered with each casino. The transition from downloadable online casinos to instant play online casinos has bred a new industry of game designers and developers, figuring out how best to design online casino games that could be enjoyed by everyone around the world.
Industry leaders such as Net Entertainment have managed to build grand, epic games with Hollywood-style visual effects and soundtracks. Choosing a casino partnered with Net Entertainment would ensure you get to play some, if not all, of the top NetEnt games on the market including all their world-class titles like Gonzo's Quest and Starburst.
Another group of software experts have been building frameworks so that online casinos can host these games, both for desktop and mobile use. With the rise of cross-platform coding such as HTML5, online casino architects have been able to implement the same designs over both desktop and mobile browsers, so that players can switch from one to the other seamlessly.
Before the advent of smartphones or tablet devices, players were still relatively fixed to how they could play online casino games – through either a desktop or laptop computer. Advances in technology mean that people can now join a roulette table or play a handful of video poker games from their mobile phone, provided they have a Wi-Fi signal or data plan in place.
Not only does this offer freedom of movement, but also time management, as players can play in transit or while waiting for a meeting. While mobile casinos have come on leaps and bounds, desktop gaming at the same casino almost always offers a wider range of games, while access to live dealer games is normally a desktop-only affair.
Games at Canadian casino apps come in a variety of forms, with many showcasing stunning, state-of-the-art computer-generated visuals, while at the same time trying to recreate the aesthetic of a physical casino. Despite desktop's current popularity, mobile casino apps are considered the future of real money online casinos.
For those players interested in joining the mobile casino revolution, simply head over to our list of the all top mobile casinos on the market and pick your favourite; choose from a stellar list of the world's most popular mobile casinos and apps with all the best signup bonuses!
For those who prefer the experience of a live dealer, online casinos usually come with a special live-dealer section, broadcast from a studio dressed as a real casino dealer pit. Here the dealer is able to see the names of the players and communicate with them. Some are even able to send and receive messages via a chat function, offering an extra level of interaction.
Another advantage many online casinos have over their real-life counterparts is that they are able to accept various forms of currency from around the globe, as well as Bitcoins. Paying money to (depositing) and getting it from (withdrawing) online casinos could not be easier.
In fact, real money Canadian online casinos offer more payment methods than a physical casino. As well as standard VISA, MasterCard and Maestro cards, plays can opt for a direct bank transfer, or use one of the many supported eWallet or online payment systems such as Neteller, Skrill (Moneybookers), or Entropay.
Most online games, especially online video slots, come with a host of bonus games, which can pay out thousands of times the original bet. These games sometimes come in a progressive jackpot form, meaning that everyone playing the same game around the world is contributing to one jackpot, which one lucky player will eventually win.
Online casinos offer a wide range of bonuses to their players. From a treasure-trove of welcome bonuses for all new comers to game-specific free spins to free bets and so much more. Some of the most popular online casinos even offer unique point systems to represent bonuses so players can earn points and get generous casino bonuses!
As well as individual game rewards, most online casinos offer all-encompassing rewards and loyalty schemes. For example, many offer a joining bonus in the form of a free bet, or a deposit bonus equal to or sometimes double or even triple what a player has originally transferred. Loyalty schemes work on a ranking system: the more time a player spends online playing, the higher up the rankings they rise.
With every tier hit, there will be a higher bonus. These may take the form of a prize draw, access to an exclusive event or game, free deposits, or even cashback on money spent in the online casino. To enjoy one of the top signup bonuses available today, check out of our list of the best real-money casino bonuses!
The advent of online gambling introduced keen gamblers to betting without having to visit a casino, yet many players still yearn for the experience of playing real casino games while sitting at the table, watching the cards turn or the dice roll.
As technology has developed, so too has the simulation of these table casino games, offering online players a superior experience to being in a brick-and-mortar casino. For those who still wish to retain that link to real-world casinos, many online gambling operators offer games with real dealers broadcast directly to your screen, better known as live-dealer games.
With the exception of roulette and craps, all other table casino games involve a dealer. Poker is almost unique among casino games, as players do not actually compete with the dealer but with each other – unlike blackjack or baccarat. However, there are some variations of poker where this is not the case, such as Caribbean Stud poker, where the dealer represents the house.
The person dishing out the cards is the face of the casino in both blackjack and baccarat. In baccarat, the dealer deals a player hand and a banker hand, with three possible outcomes: either the player wins, the banker wins, or the game is ruled a tie. Similarly, in blackjack, a draw results in a push, meaning that the player is given their bet back. However, certain casinos may insist that a draw rules in favour of the house, so if both the player and the dealer score the same, the house wins.
There are many variations of standard casino games, some of which may not be available in real-life casinos; fortunately, online there's a much wider variety. Listed are three of the most popular casino games and a break-down of their variants:
Betting limits are often utilised by casinos to suggest the skill level that a player has if choosing to sit at that particular table. For example, a novice poker table may have a low cap on its largest bet, while a professional poker play table or a high rollers game will feature a sky-high ceiling on the bet amount, if one exists at all, in which case it would be no-limits.
Most online games will have a certain limit, which is designed both to protect the player from irrationally betting too much, and also to protect the casino from a severe loss.
Each casino game carries vastly different odds, which are dependent on a number of factors: from the amount being gambled to the variations or specific rules being adhered to. All games have a house edge – the percentage by which the house is more likely to win.
Even in games of chance such as roulette, the odds in the European variant favour the house by 2.70%, because there is only one zero. But the American version features two, which doubles the house edge to 5.26%, explaining why many players seek out the former.
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