The Best Online Casinos in Ontario

Is gambling legal in Ontario?

Since 1969, every province in Canada gets to decide on its own gambling laws. Just like in the USA, there is no federal ban on gambling in Canada including Ontario. Legal gambling in Ontario arrived in 1985 when the province decided to legalize lotteries and gambling on video devices, computers, and playing slots. Land-based casinos were regulated with the Gambling Control Act in 1992. This meant more protection and transparency for players. When it comes to online casinos, Canada does things differently than others.

Since all the provinces control online gambling, the majority of them offer personal virtual services. These province-run sites include online casinos, instant lotteries, and sports betting sites. And, while some may think that this prohibits offshore casinos from offering their services to Ontario players, they’re not forbidden. As a matter of fact, they’re much popular and usually offer a higher number of games compared to local sites.

As long as you find a reputable and legal online casino, you can play all you want. No need to look for them on your own – bestcanadianonlinecasinos.com has ranked the top Ontario casinos for your convenience. The sites on our page are based outside of Ontario and licensed elsewhere. In most cases, the licenses come from the MGA or the government of Curacao. Due to that, they don’t have to comply with Canadian laws and are perfectly safe to join.

Online Casinos in Ontario

Ontario’s official online gambling regulator is known as OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming). This is pretty much the province’s official lottery. It’s an online service for pretty much everything else related to betting in the province. OLG allows players to bet on sports, play casino online games, or buy lottery tickets to hunt for that jackpot.

Ontario players can brag about having something other provinces don’t. All online casinos are powered by IGT software, the studio behind hits such as LobsterMania and Cleopatra. Cleopatra is one of the top-10 most popular slot of all time in both land-based and online casinos.

IGT also develops card and table games as well as enticing progressive jackpots. If you’re from Ontario, you can look forward to hundreds of fantastic games, many of them with quite exciting payouts.

Land-based casinos in Ontario

What about land-based gambling? For all the popularity online casino sites enjoy, Canucks can still enjoy Ontario casinos in the flesh. With the province having the highest population of them all and nearly all Ontario residents based in the Southern parts, most players are not further than a one-hour drive from a legal land-based venue. In 2011, almost 90% of Ontario’s residents admitted to have played in a brick-and-mortar casino at least once during the year. It’s no lie that people in the province love to gamble and will continue doing so.

Besides being able to play casino games online, Ontarians love enjoying the green felt. There are 28 land-based venues in the province from government-run charity organizations to private entities. They’re all great to play at and don’t skimp on luxury too. Some resorts like Fallsview shine with their interior where players can enjoy hundreds of slots and table games.

There’s a live casino around every corner in Ontario and players love spending time at them. Some have even expanded their services and facilities. For example, Casino Woodbine is one of the most ambitious expansion projects and should be completed by 2022. A new casino will soon join the fray when the Pickering Casino Resort opens its doors later in 2021. When it comes to choosing land-based venues, Ontarians are definitely spoilt for choice.

Here are the top Ontario land based casinos:

1. Casino Niagara, Niagara Falls, Ontario

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Casino Niagara is located on the shores of the Niagara Falls. It offers hundreds of tables, around 1,300 slot machines, and sports betting and live entertainment on 95,000 sq. feet. Some of the most notable table games include Blackjack Switch, Casino War, High Card Flush, Mississippi Stud, and the famous Dynasty Baccarat and Dynasty Blackjack.

2. Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino, Ontario

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Caesars has made quite a name for itself in Ontario. It is one of the most popular Ontario casinos, offering a slew of table games and award-winning accommodations. If you’re ever in the casino, make sure not to miss the high-stakes tables of poker and roulette.

3. Casino Rama Resort, Orillia, Ontario

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Casino Rama offers close to 2,500 slot machines which makes it one of the leaders in that particular segment. There are over 100 tables as well along with a fantastic performance program. Regular play in the casino makes you eligible for the VIP program where you can earn some stunning rewards. When it comes to table games, Casino Rama offers blackjack, roulette, craps, dice, and dozens of other tables.

4. Elements Casino, Brantford, Ontario

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Unlike the other Ontario casinos on this list, Elements is a charitable entity. It was founded at the end of the last century and still goes strong after all those years. The casino excels with hundreds of different slot machines and dozens of table games. Among them are classic low- and high-stakes poker and blackjack tables, but what truly makes it so great are the progressive jackpot tournaments with hundreds of thousands of CAD at stake.

5. Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Ontario

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Yet another casino with a view of the Niagara Falls, the casino zone is embedded in a hotel full of shops, restaurants, and boutiques. Niagara Fallsview also has a fitness center with a spa and top-of-the-line theater. On the gaming side, there are around 100 table games and 300 slots. You can play a huge variety of blackjack games as well as classic and modern variants of roulette, dice, craps, and poker.

Horse Racing in Ontario

One of the most popular sports among Ontario bettors and sports fans is definitely horse racing. The province has a long history with horse racing that stretches back hundreds of years. There are many venues scattered across the province and quite a few races. Pari-mutuel horse race betting has been the only legalized form of gambling in Canada for decades before online betting brought other sports to the forefront.

In 1950, the Canadian government established the ORC (Ontario Racing Commission). This agency governs, directs, controls, and regulate all horse racing in the province and the racing clubs in Ontario too.

Further legislation arrived in 2015 when the Government of Ontario introduced the Horse Racing License Act. This act integrates the sport into the province’s gaming strategy and includes the transfer of regulatory responsibilities from the ORC to the AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario).

Sports betting in Ontario

Apart from horse racing, sports fans can bet on a wide range of other sports in the province. Bettors can easily place bets via Ontario casinos with sportsbooks or in land-based venues. There are some rules you must follow. For starters, at least two games must be wagered on. Bettors can choose from various options such as over/under, totals, point spreads, and so on.

The Liberal Party from Canada submitted a bill last year that would allow Canucks to bet on singles. It might pass in 2021 already, extending the betting options in the country.

Lottery in Ontario

Lotto games are extremely popular among Ontarians. As one of the earliest legalized forms of betting in the province, they’re controlled by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. Ontario has the largest lottery network in North America, with a fiscal revenue of $3 billion reported in 2011.

The game of chance is played every day and week by millions of players. So far, players can take part in different types of lotteries such as Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Ontario 49, and many others.