How Online Casinos in Canada Have Evolved Over the Years Due to New Legislation

Anyone who lives in Montreal knows that it’s a city with plenty to do and lots to stay busy with. This covers everything from lively bars to tasty restaurants to explore and more. Playing games is also something that people in this part of Quebec love doing, and the same is true for people across Canada as a whole. 

Casino games are a popular example, and land-based sites have attracted keen gamers around the country for many years now. Recently though, online casinos have risen to prominence around the country. The online casino sites with instant withdrawal reviewed and recommended at PlayCasinos.ca highlight this and demonstrate what modern iGaming platforms in the country now look like.

The growth of online casinos across Canada did not happen by accident and was helped greatly by waves of new legislation. But just how have online casinos in Canada grown over the years due to changing legislature? 

Early Days of Canadian Online Casinos

Before the start of the 2010s, legislation around online casino play in Canada was very strict and led to a tightly regulated iGaming sector. At the time, the Canadian Criminal Code made most forms of gambling illegal, unless it was controlled by provincial governments. 

Online gambling sat in something of a legal grey area in Canada, and this meant many players in the country signed up with offshore operators. As these regulated sites sat outside Canadian legal jurisdiction, players were not punished for playing at them. Although this was good for the offshore casino and global iGaming industry, it did not allow the online casino sector in Canada to fulfil its true potential. 

Provincial iGaming Takes Hold

At the start of the 2010s, provinces around Canada began to use their legal powers to legislate for online casino play in their borders. British Columbia, for example, launched PlayNow.com in 2010 and this was the first official, legal government-backed online casino in Canada.

Quebec soon followed suit with Loto-Québec’s Espacejeux, and other provinces like Ontario developed similar legal online casinos that were state-run for people to sign up with. These sites were used by the Canadian Government to keep online casino play within national control, enhance player safety compared to playing at potentially unregulated offshore sites, and keep gambling revenue in the country.

Legislative changes made provincially to open up Canadian iGaming also helped a new batch of state-run online casino platforms revitalize the sector. 

Launch of Ontario’s iGaming Market

Although state-run provincial casinos helped the online casino sector in Canada evolve in the 2010s, the real game-changer was the launch of Ontario’s fully regulated iGaming market in 2022.  

This allowed licensed private casino platforms to open in the province and bring even more choice to gamers there. This move also helped to bring a new wave of sophisticated casinos to game at in Canada and forced provincial casinos to up their game. This move attracted major brands like BetMGM into the Canadian iGaming space and totally changed the look of the industry. 

Responsible Gambling at Canadian Online Casinos

Legislature around responsible gambling at online casinos in the country has also seen platforms evolve in terms of player protection. It’s now mandatory under Canadian law, for example, for licensed iGaming sites to offer tools such as self-exclusion and deposit limits. This has seen online casinos in the country change to incorporate these features and offer a more caring playing environment to customers. 

What’s Next for Online Casino Evolution and Legislature in Canada?

It’s never easy to look into the future when it comes to what lawmakers might do next and how this could spark the next evolution in casinos to game at. 

One topic that could remain on the agenda moving forward is provincial governments taking steps to clamp down on offshore casino play at unlicensed sites. This was tried in Quebec previously when officials unsuccessfully attempted to block Internet access to unlicensed offshore sites. It would not be a surprise to see provincial governments push for more legislation in this area though, and the face of online casino gaming in the country could shift once more. 

Will Other Provinces Follow Ontario’s Lead?

The continued evolution of online casinos in Canada could also be driven by new legislation that gives fully regulated, open iGaming markets the go-ahead in certain locations. The success Ontario has had with this has opened up many people’s eyes across the country in terms of how well it works and how it has really boosted the iGaming scene there.

Alberta is pretty much confirmed to do this and is expected to launch its own fully regulated iGaming market in 2025. Other provinces like British Columbia and Quebec have also been talking about doing the same and bringing laws into effect to make this happen. 

This would not only bring more choice to casino fans in these regions but would also totally change the iGaming markets in the local area. It would make major headlines for people to read around Quebec in particular.

Will We See a New Federal Framework for Canadian Online Gambling?

This is the last big legal change that could greatly impact how online casinos in Canada operate and where they go next. There has been talk in the past of implementing a new federal framework for online gambling, and of decisions around how it works out of provincial governments’ hands. 

Although this is an ongoing debate, any moves to draw up this sort of legislation and put it into place could have a huge impact on how iGaming sites in the country evolve. Depending on what is in any such legislation, it could dictate what bonuses casinos can offer, what payment choices they can carry, and which games they have. 

Evolution of Online Casinos in Canada Driven By New Legislation

Whether at state or provincial level, the changing face of online casinos in places like Montreal is driven by new legislation that dictates how it happens. This legislation has a direct impact on not only which kinds of online casinos Canadians can legally game at but also on how casinos keep players safe. Fresh legislation over the years has also helped Canada’s iGaming industry to move forward, reach its full potential, and progress with the times.