Canada has been one of the world’s largest online casino markets per capita. Whether it is the six-plus months of winter forcing us to spend all of our free time inside, or some other as-of-yet unknown sociological factor, Canadians love to gamble online. The first online casinos entered the Canadian market in the 1990s.
At that time, the online gambling industry was still in its infancy, and people were still using dial-up modems to get online. Things have come a long way since those early days. Now the number of different gambling games and online casinos you can play at is huge by comparison. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of online casinos that are open to Canadian customers. And now that popular Canadian deposit methods like Interac money transfer are becoming the norm, it is easier and cheaper to deposit to online casinos than ever before.
The industry is massive
Online gambling in Canada is estimated to be a four billion dollar industry. Between poker, table games, and slots, Canadians love to play online. That is why more and more online casinos are focusing on the Canadian market. Canada is a prosperous, first-world nation, and Canadians have a lot of disposable cash to put on the virtual felt.
With so much money up for grabs, is it any wonder that jurisdictions like Ontario are trying to get involved in the action? Read more to find out. Ontario, Canada’s largest province, has made a move to regulate and tax the online gambling industry. While previously online gambling has existed in a bit of a gray market, which wasn’t exactly legal but not exactly criminalized either, now only licensed and regulated online casinos will be allowed to serve customers in Ontario.
The player count keeps growing
An estimated 19 million+ Canadians (half the total population) placed some sort of a wager online in the last year, making it one of the most lucrative casino markets in the world. And gambling is popular for Canadians of all age groups as well.
One of the most well-known poker professionals in the world, Daniel Negreanu, is from Canada, and he is representative of a sizeable portion of the Canadian population who love poker. And as online gambling becomes more regulated and has the government’s seal of approval, its popularity among all sections of the Canadian population will only continue to grow.
Bonuses are getting more tempting
For Canadians who are gambling online, there is nothing sweeter than a deposit bonus to increase the value of your gambling dollar. Online casinos and sportsbooks use deposit bonuses as a means of attracting customers, and a savvy gambler can really take advantage of them. With a deposit bonus, you can start playing with house money right away.
I mean if you are going to be gambling anyway, why not take advantage of a deposit bonus and boost your bankroll before you even place your first bet? With competition between online casinos at an all-time high, bonuses are getting more and more tempting to take advantage of every day.
Conclusion
Online gambling for Canadians is big business, to the tune of four billion bucks every year. Canadians love to work hard and we love to play hard as well, and that includes gambling online. A lot of Canadians may live in more remote areas, where they do not have immediate access to a casino, so playing online is a convenient way for them to get a little gambling fix.
Canadians love every sort of gambling game, be it slots, table games, poker, or sports betting. If there is a game of chance, there is a Canadian betting on it. Given the rabid popularity of online gambling among Canadians, as well as our relatively high-income levels, it is no surprise that so many online casinos are focusing on the Canadian online gambling market.