Your Rights as a Player in Canada
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3 Min Read
Online gambling is remarkably popular nowadays for various reasons. However, despite the fun and excitement on offer, you must be careful. Learning your rights as a player is a fundamental part of playing online.
Knowing Your Rights
Many players aren’t aware of their rights, which can lead to serious consequences. Familiarizing yourself with your fundamental player rights when playing at an online casino in Canada allows you to remain cautious when selecting your preferred bonus and when using the casino's banking services.
Overall, learning about your rights will give you a better gaming experience, avoiding any unnecessary disputes or misunderstandings with your favourite casino. Keep reading for a breakdown of the main things to know and how Canadian gambling authorities are there to help players.
Provably Fair Games and Results
Licensed online casinos must guarantee their games use RNGs (Random Number Generators). These powerful pieces of software ensure that all games are completely random, thereby cutting out any potential for rigged or unfair games.
Gambling regulators regularly audit casinos to make sure the RNGs used haven’t been altered. This involves checking the game RTPs against what the software providers have designed. Other organizations, like eCOGRA, also guarantee fairness through third-party testing.
Banking Protection and Fund Segregation
All online casinos must show how they keep payments secure. Most regulators need to see high-level SSL encryption and watertight payment gateways to grant an operator a licence. Additionally, gambling regulators also require casinos to keep player bankrolls in a separate account to ensure they can still pay back deposits or winnings if they go bust.
Responsible Gambling Tools
Players must have access to a variety of responsible gambling tools to allow them to maintain healthy gambling habits. These tools include setting personal limits, reality checks, self-exclusion and more. Many online casinos will also provide external links to organizations, such as BeGamble Aware and Gamblers Anonymous, which offer support for those who need help managing their gambling activities.
Canada Gambling Laws
Gambling regulators in Canada are increasingly taking an active role in the proliferation of online gambling. Each province has its own regulator, with the Ontario Alcohol & Gaming Commission the only one currently licensing external casinos. Nevertheless, we expect more to follow soon. Here are the main Canadian regulators to know:
Ontario Alcohol & Gaming Commission Rights
The Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario started granting licenses to external operators in April 2022, seeking to eliminate the presence of dangerous offshore casinos. It sets strict measures for casino companies, especially with advertising. For example, operators are prohibited from communicating “gambling inducements, bonuses, and credits” in their advertising.
Elsewhere:
“Players must be provided an opt-in process whereby they actively consent to receiving any direct advertising and marketing of inducements, bonuses and credits, and must be provided a method to withdraw their consent at any time, where such marketing and advertising materials are available.”
The AGCO also requires operators to show responsible gambling materials on their websites and allow players to use tools such as self-exclusion and deposit limits.
Quebec Alcohol, Racing, and Gaming Commission
The Quebec Alcohol, Racing, and Gaming Commission doesn’t currently license or regulate online casinos in the province. However, residents are free to play on international casino sites that accept them. These are usually licensed by the Curacao eGaming Authority.
Kahnawake Gaming Commission
Some Canadian casinos enjoy licensing from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. This is the official regulator for iGaming and other types of gambling in the Mohawk Territory. It oversees over 250 online casinos as of 2023, requiring all operators to offer provably fair games and bonus promotions.
FAQs
Our listed casinos have been tested by us and independent authorities, to make sure that they offer fair games. On a similar note, we recommend casinos that have games by well-known providers such as Evolution, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt and Playson, which have been in the industry for a long time and only have legit software.
Yes, most online casinos keep their players' bankroll in a segregated bank account, so it will remain safe no matter what. Regulated casinos have their financial activities audited by local authorities, so they are transparent, and the risk to players' money is zero.
We always recommend that you try to sort out the issue with the casino itself via customer support. Even if it is a complex issue, they can escalate it to other departments. However, if that does not work, you can contact the licensing authority of the casino, and they can take over.
The licensing authorities include the AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario), iGaming Ontario, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Atlantic Lottery, and AGCL (Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis). They are responsible for overseeing every aspect of operations for regulated online Canadian casinos.
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Giuseppe Faraone
Content Resources Lead
Fact-checked by Valerie Lizotte
Reviewer
