🇨🇦 Best Online Casinos in Canada
Our main goal with Lion Casinos is to offer transparent reviews of online casinos that accept players from Canada. Unlike many of our competitors, we pride ourselves on being objective and not letting advertising fees cloud our judgment on which brands are the best for players.
How so? It’s quite simple actually – when our objectives align with yours, it’s great for business and you keep coming back for more, as our seal of approval actually holds value. That’s what you’ll get from casinos that are accredited by LionCasinos.com
Now you can either jump into the list of sites presented below or take a look at what are some of our core values for reviewing casinos slightly lower on this same page. We presented some of them on our homepage too, but here we’ll go into more detail.
These days, fans of online casino games are being spoilt for choice. More and more brands fight to attract new players and keep the existing ones from spending their money at one of the many competing sites, and eventually, players benefit. At the same time, it gets increasingly difficult to decide where to play.
We know that you’d rather spend time having fun than waste hours trying to find a safe gaming venue able to satisfy your needs, so we’re doing the research instead. Our comprehensive reviews address crucial elements of the casino’s offering and assign ratings based on safety, fairness, and quality of the gaming experience. If you care to read on, we’ll explain the metrics used.
Too long; didn’t read? Let us summarize in one sentence: PLAY WHERE YOU’RE TREATED BEST!
Best Canadian Online Casinos
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Our Value Proposition
An Approval Seal That Has Value
Truth be told, most sites are full of it and their rankings are strictly based on the fees casinos pay them.
Instead of using this morally bankrupt approach, we test each casino individually and offer an honest overview of what is offered.
Brands then earn our seal only if they are worthy of it and we’d be comfortable depositing at the casino in question ourselves.
Monthly Payout Reports
Oh, the glorious promises of fast payouts at every online casino you visit! Yeah, right…
Instead of praying that you get paid after winning big, how about doing proper groundwork (research!) beforehand and picking a site with a proven track record of paying big winners.
That’s exactly the purpose of this monthly test – we’ll compare all the approved casinos based on the speed they process our withdrawals.
New Casinos & Slots
Sometimes you’re just tired of the same old routine and want to try something new. We got you.
We review the new casino brands that launch and are able to tell you which ones are worth trying out, and which ones are rogue, and will simply steal your money.
The same goes for slots, although it is definitely more subjective in this area.
We try to review most of the worthy new releases and offer an educated opinion on these.
When it comes to new casinos, we list most of the promising ones with basic due diligence, but these are in no way equal to the approved ones.
Casino Promotions Tracker
Promotions are an easy way to get more value out of playing casino games.
Want to play live blackjack? How about participating in a live casino raffle while you are at it?
Immortal Romance? Grab a reload bonus and get some of that extra RTP.
Here’s a little secret – promotions generally offer better value than signup bonuses, as they are a part of a larger scope player acquisition campaign and the outcome is harder to predict or measure beforehand.
Sometimes casinos are willing to lose a little money to make noise, use it to your advantage. We’ll help you with that!
Before you jump into the amazing world of online casinos, we would like to take this moment to remind you that playing casino games should only be a form of entertainment.
If you feel like it is turning into a problem, please refer to our responsible gambling section for extensive advice on how to better control yourself.
Our Promise
We want you to have an enjoyable online casino playing experience and thus we follow a couple of simple, but important principles to ensure that this will in fact be the case.
All casinos approved by Lioncasinos are:
- Licensed in reputable jurisdictions and safe to play at.
- Approve payouts within 72 hours.
- Do not stall the verification process.
- Have high monthly withdrawal limits.
- Offer original games with fair RTPs.
- Take problem gambling seriously.
- Provide great customer support via e-mail, phone and live chat.
What Makes a Good Canadian Online Casino?
$CAD Accounts + Local Banking Methods
Needless to say, you will be wanting to play in Canadian Dollars to avoid monetary loss from currency exchange.
This is why we’ll mainly work with online casinos that have $CAD.
The only exception to this will be cryptocurrency sites working with coins like Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum.
On top of that, being able to quickly deposit and withdraw with a bank card or even bank transfer is a major benefit as well.
The brands that are most recommended by us generally offer Interac and InstaDebit as deposit methods both of whom let you deposit from a Canadian bank account instantly, securely and cheaply.
Strong Track Record
We start by paying close attention to the company that stands behind the casino in question, making sure they have an impeccable track record when it comes to treating players fairly.
Any problems they may have experienced in the said department in the past would immediately raise red flags.
We want all our readers to only play at venues that boast excellent reputation and are 100% safe and secure, meaning we will immediately eliminate any websites from our approved list that do not meet these requirements.
Sometimes even we miss something though, so make sure you get in touch in case you’ve heard or experienced something bad about an approved casino.
Fast KYC Procedure & Support
Any casino that wants to hold a seal of approval from Lion Casinos has to offer a smooth KYC process, where they do not try to stall the procedure in any way.
We’ve experienced the pain when a casino is trying NOT to verify your account in any way by giving you lousy excuses such as asking you to physically mail them copies of your documents.
That is absolutely not acceptable, and we will not grant a seal of approval to operators like this.
On the other side of the coin, you’ll have casinos that will review and approve documents within 1 hour.
These are exactly the kind of casinos we want to work with and recommend.
Software & Games
Then it’s time to take a close look at the software providers and the quality of games on offer, since we believe that the overall gaming experience is also very important.
Most online casinos nowadays employ numerous software developers to ensure their customers have access to a diverse and impressive game library that contains feature-rich video slots, classic card, and table games, video poker, progressives and more.
Generally the more providers, the better, but we also pay attention to the quality of these. If they are what we would refer to as top-tier that is worth a lot more than having 20 game suppliers we have never heard of before.
Bonuses & Promotions
Casinos are operating to make a profit and you will not be able to make money from them in a sustainable way.
Now when that is out of question lets talk bonuses and promotions that will improve your bottom line by prolonging the playing time.
These generally come in two types – ones lure you in to deposit, but end up being bitter disappointments with unrealistic expectations while the others add great value to your time spent playing.
Our aim is to introduce you to the latter – deposit bonuses and casino welcome packages.
High Monthly Withdrawal Limits
What’s the point of playing if you cannot withdraw when you win big? We’ll do our best to point out withdrawal limits at casinos that are listed on this site.
Sometimes it does make sense to recommend a site where the withdrawal limits are relatively low ($10,000 per month for example) if they have another unique selling point, such as proprietary games.
However, we will aim to be transparent in this regard as much as possible.
Another feature that makes a casino much more legitimate in our eyes is withdrawal flushing. This lets you lock in a withdrawal request without any way to cancel it. One of our favorite all-time casinos, Rizk, offers this.
How We Deconstruct a Casino Site
We’ve borrowed this awesome ideology of deconstruction from Tim Ferriss, who does this with hundreds of successful people all over the world to understand how they got to be who they are.
This same 
method can be used to judge whether an online casino is worth depositing and playing at or not.
We start by coming up with the metrics that work as a foundation for a successful gambling site and these are displayed below.
Please note that we also get into less trivial sides of casinos in the end of this page that work as bonus points for brands that have already earned our approval.
Casino Licences Explained
Malta License
Malta or MGA license is the crème de la crème for Canadian players and the most commonly found license among LionCasinos approved casinos too.
This works as a stamp of approval that the casino is serious about their business, has enough cash on hand to operate and takes problem gambling seriously.
You should still do some basic due diligence of course because even with an MGA license, the casino can delay your withdrawals, offer borderline-rogue terms on their bonuses and whatnot.
We’d rate Malta license as 8/10 in terms of ensuring that license holders have the necessary funds and adequate operational knowledge in place to offer the right kind of environment for players.
Curaçao License
Curaçao is the other popular choice in terms of licensing for Canadian casino sites and this one is wildly different than the MGA one.
We’ve heard multiple claims that the license can be acquired in as little as 24 hours with little to no due diligence.
So are all Curaçao casinos a rogue operation? Not, but don’t use this license as a stamp of approval for a casino being trustworthy.
We have tested hundreds of Curaçao licensed sites and some of them are amazing while others are horrible.
Our rating on Curaçao’s license is 3/10. This license isn’t really worth anything in terms of solving complaints and ensuring that operators treat their players in a reasonable way.
The Purpose of Licensing
Platform Used
iGaming Cloud
These guys are behind some of the most popular casino sites in Canada like Rizk and Guts.
Their rise to the top was fast, mainly thanks to being one of the pioneers for the players-first approach.
Guts were the first brand to process withdrawals almost instantly, with the aim of the average being under 1 hour.
They set the standards for the whole industry and Canadian players loved it, along most of the other countries too.
These days you’ll still see their brands featured in many spots on Lioncasinos, but other brands have surely caught up too.
White Hat Gaming
These used to be our go-to casinos for some of the biggest casino deposit bonuses in the business. You could literally get an unlimited match deposit bonus at some of their properties.
It would appear they’ve calmed down a lot since then, but their casinos are still a great choice for Canadian players.
The deposit bonuses offered are still above average and their main competitive advantage against competitors.
We counted more than 70 game suppliers integrated at some of their properties too, so if you’re into a mood for discovery of new slots, White Hat brands are a decent match!
Softswiss
Even though these guys operate under a Curacao license, their casino sites have quickly gained a lot of popularity due to a number of reasons.
Firstly, the payout speed at their brands like Bitstarz and King Billy Casino is world-class – usually under 24 hours to get your withdrawal processed.
Secondly, they’ve integrated most of the top tier game suppliers.
But then there’s also something that distinguishes them against most other platform suppliers – all Softswiss casinos accept crypto deposits alongside FIAT.
You get to quickly switch between playing in $CAD, Bitcoin or even cryptos like Ethereum and Dogecoin.
L&L Europe Group
We’ve had these guys disregarded for quite a while, as we always assumed that they don’t take a player-first kind of an approach that we are all about.
Truth be told, they do and some of their top tier brands like Fun Casino are up there competing with the best in the world.
They’ve got Interac transfers and an outstanding selection of game suppliers including SG, WMS, Bally and a great range of Megaways slots.
Their brands are fresh, offer great UX and withdrawal speed is up to par. We cannot ask for much more from a group of white labels.
Track Record of The Owners
There 
are other ways to overcome doubts raised by having to enter into a relationship with someone you don’t know, especially in an industry that has recorded some truly magnificent blowouts.
You may have heard about once-popular poker site called Full Tilt whose directors built up a kind of Ponzi scheme and consequently defrauded players out of over €300 million.
To quote District Attorney Preet Bharara, “insiders lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited within the company.”
Rogue casinos, part of the Virtual Casino Group, have a long history of non-payment of winnings, slow withdrawal processing and stalling of payments. In 1997, the group owner was convicted and jailed for conspiracy and mail fraud in the US, and a frustrated player who visited the company’s offices to find out why he wasn’t paid was beaten up.
There’s a number of unlicensed casinos running fake and rigged NetEnt and Playtech games and doing their best to hide information of ownership. There’s little doubt that those who have decided to play there got cheated.
These things do happen, but they needn’t to happen to you. If you were a professional considering doing business with a new supplier, you’d probably check their track record, financials and references.
The same thing can be done with an online gaming service provider. Make use of the internet, an accessible resource with plenty of reports and reviews published by independent and unbiased industry watchdogs such as Ask Gamblers (before they were acquired by a public company) and The POGG.
Research the owners to confirm the website is managed by one of the reputable companies or iGaming groups. Check to see how long the casino has been operational; those launched more than a decade ago are less likely to disappoint than a brand that is only a month or two old.
You’ll probably be safe if playing at a site owned by a publicly-traded company, such as Kindred (Unibet, 32Red, Roxy Palace) and MT SecureTrade Limited/GiG (Guts, Rizk, Cashmio, Dunder).
Being listed on a Stock Exchange means the company’s financials are closely monitored and owners will do whatever it takes to avoid scandals likely to impact price of their shares.
It’s important to point out that both public and private companies can run legitimate brands, such as is proven by Casumo, BitCasino, Casoo and many other safe Canadian casino sites..
Player Friendly Terms
Responsible Gambling Practices
Withdrawal Lock
Withdrawal locking or “flushing, as it’s called within the casino community, is a useful tool that allows the player to lock their withdrawal request as soon as it’s been made.
Once that’s done, the payment can’t be stopped no matter what. This makes it impossible for you to become impatient and lose all the winnings back.
Rizk and Casumo are a few of the gaming sites that currently support this feature and hopefully, others will follow.
Many casinos consider this tool ridiculous, as it leads to players cashing out more often so that the casinos have to pay additional fees and whatnot.
As players ourselves we can say that having the withdrawal lock and/or lightning-fast withdrawals is the best retention tool a casino can have to turn us into loyal customers.
Cooling Off Periods
Any casino that has been approved by us will take problem gambling seriously and honor your self-exclusion or periodic cool off requests. If this isn’t the case, please contact us and we’ll deal with them appropriately.
Other tools created for the benefit of players include daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits that come in handy when you’re steaming and perhaps chasing losses (we’ve been there).
This is where we have noticed the biggest difference between MGA and Curacao licensed casinos, as Malta ones are always taking problem gambling seriously while it’s very rare to see a Curacao licensed site do something about it.
Most of the time your self-exclusion requests will not be honored or they will re-open the account at your request.
Fair Games
Microgaming
One of the most iconic game suppliers in the business that basically built the entire industry.
Microgaming was established in 1994 and since then have created hundreds of amazing online slots including the Mega Moolah, Immortal Romance, Break Da Bank and many more.
Even though they aren’t the best of the best in slots these days, their old titles are still extremely popular among slots enthusiasts worldwide.
Netent
Another iconic game supplier that originated in Sweden and is still the most popular provider in the Nordics.
The most popular titles in their portfolio are Starburst, Guns ‘N Roses, The Wishmaker, Twin Spin and, in certain player categories, Dead Or Alive.
The company recently acquired another top tier supplier, Red Tiger Gaming, and has gone live with some games that seem to be appreciated by the community, such as a sequel for Dead Or Alive.
Play'n GO
Play’n GO is an online-only game supplier that earned their spot among the top tier suppliers by launching Book Of Dead – a better-executed version of Novomatic’s Book Of Ra slot.
They are also known as the pioneers of grid-based slots, where their Reactoonz is still highly played in the slots streaming community.
While Play’n GO is known for great RTPs on their games (usually above 95%), be vary that they are one of the few who let the operator choose between different RTP versions, so some brands opt for Book Of Dead with a horrific 88% RTP.
SG Digital/WMS
Scientific Games are an online gambling giant and under their belt, you’ll find many extremely popular slot machines that have been played for more than a decade at brick & mortar casinos.
Raging Rhino, Bruce Lee, Zeus, and Montezuma are just some of the titles offered.
Recently they’ve also signed a deal with Big Time Gaming and many of their games are now available utilizing the Megaways mechanics.
Summary
Online Gambling Canada FAQ
When choosing one of our recommended online gambling sites you will play at, pay close attention to the banking section and the currencies it accepts. All casinos featured on the LionCasinos gaming portal allow making deposits and withdrawals in a wide range of currencies including CAD. If you choose a gaming venue which accepts your own currency, it will save your time and money as you will not have to pay any additional costs on your transactions such as exchange fees.
Each new player who registers at a certain casino is eligible to claim a welcome bonus as soon as the registration procedure is completed. To make use of it, you need to make your first real money deposit.
In most cases casinos offer practice or free play mode you can use to learn the ropes as a newcomer. However, some casinos may require that you sign up with them. As long as you don’t make any payment, you can enjoy casino games for free.
With LionCasinos.com you will easily find reputable online gambling sites only in a few clicks. Scroll down the list of featured casinos and find one that suits best your needs.
Playing at online casinos is safe as long as you stick to reputable and trustworthy gambling sites. Despite the fact that they may not regulated and licensed by the gaming authority of the country you come from, the casinos listed on our website will provide you with an entertaining gaming experience in a fair and safe environment.
