While land-based casinos have stayed popular, online gambling is picking up stream in Calgary. There are numerous Calgary online casinos you can join nowadays including dozens of reputable offshore casino sites.
Online Gambling in Calgary – It Is Legal?
At the moment, Calgary doesn’t have specific laws in regard to online gambling. It is neither legal nor illegal in the province. With further clarification pending, the only two options is to play at Canadian licensed operators or offshore casino sites.
The latter are much more popular. There are numerous reputable casino sites that offer their services to Canadian players, Calgary included. We already gave you a list of the top ones, so all that remains is to make a pick.
With state-licensed casinos unavailable in Calgary and awaiting pending regulation, offshore casinos are your best choice right now.
Rules and Regulations
The fact that online gambling is not regulated doesn’t mean you can’t gamble in Calgary. There are plenty of land-based casinos and regulated lotteries too. There are seven land-based establishments where you can play casino games and dozens of offshore casino sites you can join. You shouldn’t be worried about playing online at all. The government won’t ban you at all, although you’ll find it hard to withdraw your money in a local bank.
Regulation is still in the early stages. Calgary plans to regulate online gambling soon, but until that happens, your best bet are offshore international casinos.
The History of Gambling in Calgary
Limited forms of gambling have been legal in Canada and Calgary for over a century. Parimutuel betting was the first form to be regulated, allowing Calgary bettors to bet on horse races. The horse race betting industry diminished in popularity over time, but a breakthrough came in 2015. The Century Downs Racetrack hosted the first horse race in almost a decade, adding even more races to the schedule.
It contributed to the growing expansion of gambling in the province. Casinos have been present in Calgary since the 1970s, with 7 operating right now. Video lottery terminals and lotteries have been a massive generator of venue for the province, and this could get an even bigger boost if online gambling is regulated. That should come in the following years, although there’s still big no movement on that front.
How to Choose the Best Online Casinos in Calgary
When looking for an online casino to join in Calgary, you can’t just pick the first that pops up on an ad. As a matter of fact, there are too many casinos out there and making the wrong choice can have dire consequences. Not all online casinos are created equal, so it would pay if you know what you’re looking for before you sign up.
The good news is that we have everything you need to look for right here. Our experts have reviewed an endless number of casinos by inspecting the factors listed below.
License
Not surprisingly, the license is the most important factor you should check before you join a casino. Since there’s no local license in Calgary, offshore sites should have a license by reputable governing bodies such as the MGA, Curacao, or UKGC.
Safety and Security
Another thing to pay attention to when looking for an online casino – make sure it’s properly protected. This means at least SSL encryption aside from a firewall. You can check for an SSL certificate by clicking on the tiny padlock button left of the address bar. It should be green and say site is secure.
If the casino site doesn’t have SSL encryption, something is fishy.
Bonuses and Promos
Make sure that the casino of your choice has plenty of bonuses you can earn. These include the welcome offer as well as free spins, deposit and no deposit bonuses, and loyalty rewards. The more offers it has, the merrier.
Of course, they need to have reasonable terms and conditions, including low wagering requirements.
Game Variety
A proper Calgary online casino should have thousands of games from top providers. Slots are the most popular game type, but make sure your casino of choice has table and card games too. You never know when you’ll be in the mood for roulette, poker, or blackjack.
Customer Support
Customer support doesn’t get the attention it needs as an important factor in casino reviews. You should count on it. A proper casino online should have several channels to get in touch with that are open 24/7 in addition to a FAQ or Help page.
Payment Methods
Since you’ll be playing in Canada, make sure the casino accepts CAD and that it has Canada-friendly payment methods.
Mobile Apps
The majority of top-rated online casinos in Calgary have dedicated mobile apps. These are available on Android and iOS devices and highly recommended. However, no need to worry if there’s no app to install. All online casinos have mobile-optimized websites that work great on your phones despite the lack of an app.
You can look forward to mobile-specific boosts and offers as well as plenty of games that should perform as smooth as butter on your phone.
Casino Games to Play in Calgary Online Casinos
Besides bonuses and promotions, casino games are the top ace in the sleeve Calgary online casinos have. They come in many shapes and sizes and are led by slots and jackpots. These come in the range of thousands, allowing players to enjoy them for free or real money.
The more games a casino has on offer, the better. You should never settle for just a hundred games by one provider – always pick casino sites with games from dozens of studios. That will likely mean thousands of games including table and card games and live casino games as well.
Slots
Online slots are the most popular game in the iGaming industry and understandably so. You can play them for fun and enjoy an experience similar to video games. Or you can try them for real money if you’re looking for sky-high wins. Calgary online casinos have thousands of games on offer from the biggest providers in the industry. Video slots range from classics with only a few reels and paylines to modern slots with thousands of ways to win.
Even if you’re not a slot fan, it would be a shame to miss slots in casinos. That goes double for Megaways titles and progressive jackpots. If you want to see what a modern slot looks like, try any of these slots. We’re sure you’ll have loads of fun.
Table Games
Blackjack, roulette, poker, and baccarat have ruled the gambling industry long before casinos went online. The best online casinos in Calgary offer classic and exotic variants of these games you can play for free and real money. The great thing about these variants is the fact that you can play them for free. It means cashless practice which you simply can’t get in land-based venues.
When you’re ready to spend the cash, by all means, go wild. The number of table and card games in online casinos is 10 times higher or more than what you get offline, so there’ll surely be a great game to try.
Live Dealer Games
If you’re a fan of table or card games, you must try their live casino variants. These are streamed from land-based locations or studios around the world in HD or 4K quality. They’re the closest possible experience to what you might get in land-based venues, but you can’t play them for free. That’s the trade-off.
If you have the money you spend and you’re confident in your skills, you should try live dealer games for sure. It’s an experience you simply won’t get with other games.
Bonuses and Promotions at Calgary Online Casinos
One of the major advantages of joining online casinos are the plethora of bonuses and promotions on offer. It all starts with the welcome offer that’s most often part deposit bonus, part free spins. And that’s just the beginning. You can earn further deposit bonuses, no deposit deals, and many other bonus offers.
Here’s a preview of the most common you’ll come across:
- Welcome bonus: the welcome bonus usually covers 100% of your first deposit and may or may not come with free spins. It can also be cashback, a plain free spins bonus, or something entirely else.
- Deposit bonus: a deposit bonus will boost any deposit you make in the casino. It can match it in full or a smaller amount (40%, 50%, etc.)
- No deposit bonus: a no deposit bonus doesn’t require funding your account. It’s usually smaller in size compared to deposit bonuses.
- Free spins: apart from the free spins attached to the welcome bonus, you can earn plenty more on their own. These are either rewarded on a specific slot or all the slots in the casino.
- Cashbacks: a cashback will cover a small portion of your losses (like 10%) of your losses over a week or a month.
Before claiming any bonus, make sure to read its terms and conditions. If the terms don’t sound fair, you should opt for another bonus.
Calgary Online Casino FAQs
Is gambling online in Calgary legal? There’s currently no law that regulates online gambling in Calgary. With no regulation in place, online casinos are neither legal nor illegal. Thanks to that, you can play at offshore sites without worrying about the legal side of things.
Are Calgary online casinos safe? If you choose a site from our pages, then yes, you can expect a safe and secure gambling experience.
Can I spin slots for free in Calgary online casinos? Yes, you can! No one’s pushing you to play for cash. If you prefer to play for fun, have it your way.
