Tournaments in Canadian Poker Sites. Online poker tournaments come in various shapes and forms. From small to high-stakes, there are competitions for players of various budgets and skill levels. The most popular types of poker tournaments are. Canada Online Poker & Best Canadian Poker Sites 2020 When it comes to poker, including the online version, Canada has a deep history. From live games and tournaments to significant numbers of online players, the country has been a welcome haven for poker action.

Like most of the world, Canadians are huge fans of sports betting and gambling. With a market filled with so many gamblers looking for entertaining options, the range of online gambling establishments is high, and their efforts to entice potential players is extremely strong.

This means, as a prospective Canadian player, that you will have access to one of the largest varieties of online poker sites, and these sites will offer you just about anything to try and claim your business.

If you’ve ever come across the saying ‘When companies compete, you win’, it was clearly referring to the online gambling industry in Canada. If you’re a Canadian resident or citizen and simply want to search for a new online poker site or wish to try your hand at online poker for the first time, you’ve landed on the right page. The multitude of options are fantastic; however, it can be quite overwhelming, especially when you’re overloaded with too many options.

Top Canadian Poker Rooms for December 2020All Poker Rooms are Licensed , Mobile Friendly Advertiser Disclosure

Contents

• Overview of Gambling Laws in Canada
• Frequently Asked Questions

To assist you in making the right choice, we at Top10pokerwebsites have gone ahead and completed a lot of the research, vetting, and homework for you. We also compiled a list of the best online poker sites available to Canadian players. These online poker sites understand the Canadian market and the unique requirements of players like you. Not only to these online poker sites cater to your every need, but they also offer incredible bonuses and promotions to try and attract you to their site. It’s highly recommended that you take full advantage of these offers.

Is Gambling in Canada Legal?

The question that is always on everyone’s mind when it comes to online gambling is the legality along with if they will get in trouble when gambling online. Canadian players are no different when it comes to online gambling and also wonder if it’s allowed to play online poker for real money.

The main reason for the confusion is that the Canadian laws aren’t very clear and are therefore open to interpretation. There is some Canadian legislation on record pertaining to online gambling. However, it doesn’t specifically state that it is legal or illegal for that matter. It’s essentially just a poorly worded grey area.

The Canadian legislation is aimed towards the companies that provide their services to the country to ensure they conduct their business in a specific manner. This is 100% correct in our opinion and shouldn’t concern us.

Specialized Poker Sites vs. All-In-One

There are two types of online poker sites you will come across in Canada. The first includes an All in One site that provides sports betting, casino games, and online poker under one roof. These online sites are fantastic for recreational players and for those who love a little bit of everything. If you are someone who enjoys playing online poker, some roulette, and a sports bet here and there, these All in One sites will be the best choice for you. Most of the online poker sites listed on our site fall into this category.

The second type of site available to players in Canada is speciality sites. These online sites only offer online poker, sports betting, or casino games. This will not be an ideal choice if you are searching for a little bit of everything but might be perfect if you are searching for something in particular. Naturally, these speciality sites will have a lot more to offer as they will be considered experts or specialists in their area of online gambling.

Canada Legislation and Online Poker

Real money gambling and betting are extremely popular activities when it comes to a country like Canada. Like certain areas in the world, online gambling laws often are quite complicated.There are multiple styles of legal gambling online. However, the laws pertaining to gambling with overseas companies aren’t very clear.

We at Top10pokerwebsites have therefore provided an overview of the gambling laws in Canada, and include details of what is and isn’t allowed. We also included information on current laws surrounding online gaming and how these laws will affect you. In addition, we discuss the Kahnawake Gaming Commission which is a commission that is situated within the borders of Canada. You can also rest assured with the information provided on this site, as we will maintain this page with updated legislation changes that affect online gambling with the borders o Canada.

Overview of Gambling Laws in Canada

Looking back in history, the gambling laws were quite strict in Canada. There are limited styles of gambling allowed in the country. However, there were a couple of changes to the legislation during the 1970’s that managed to relax things quite a bit. The renewed Criminal Code provided each individual province, within the borders of Canada, the ability to regulate and license gambling within their own regions.

This came about due to the introduction of several land-based casinos across the country. Most provincial governments began by operating their unique lotteries that are still available. In addition, there are currently several sports betting options that have been approved by provincial governments that are mostly operated by an organisation known as Sports Select. The betting operations are referred to by differently, depending on the province, and while they offer legal sports betting, players only have a limited range of bets they can place as oppose to other leading sports betting sites in the world.

Online Gambling Laws

Things became somewhat more complicated when it relates to to gambling online in Canada. There are currently two provinces operating their own casinos online and some of the betting outlets approved by the government allow players to make wagers online. It’s legal for players in Canada to gamble at these establishments and betting outlets and to buy lottery tickets over the internet.

However, it’s illegal for online gambling operators to offer any kind of gambling services to the citizens of Canada unless it’s licensed and approved by the Canadian government. The Canadian laws on this is clear. The grey area pertains to businesses that are situated and operate overseas, that allows people from Canada to play at their sites. Initially, this may be viewed as illegal based on the interpretation of Canadian law. However, should the businesses that are situated overseas be somewhere where its legal to gamble online, then it is arguable whether those laws do not apply.

How Gambling in Canada Affect You

If you wish to engage in gaming activities online and are a resident of Canada, then you most likely not overly concerned about the laws that relate to gambling online. The larger concern is if playing at an overseas online gambling site is against the law. The legislation that is current, it’s very difficult to say with any exact confidence if it is or is not.

There is not a law that is specific that makes online gambling legal. There is also not a law that defines it as illegal. There is an outdated Canadian law that states it’s illegal to be in a betting house, and although this is an outdated law, some still argue that the law can relate to online gambling, even if an argument that is weak and would most likely not stand up if challenged in court.
However, there has yet to be a citizen in Canada charged, arrested, or punished for using the services of an overseas gaming operator. Although this doesn’t make things overtly clear, it still suggests that there is little to be concerned about should you play online, and in fact, a large number of Canadians do on a regular basis.

The only drawback for players in Canada is that beyond any state and government approved gaming operation; there is not any regulations from within Canada that apply to online poker rooms. However, this does not need to be of any concern as there are a great number of reputable poker sites operating online, many of which are known worldwide.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is situated in the province of Quebec and is situated on the Kahnawake reservation. This organization license online gambling sites, but only if they operate within the boundaries of he Kahnawake reserve and adhere to certain criteria set out by the Commission. Due to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission operating as sovereign nation, it is therefore not governed by the laws of Canada and therefore makes it legal to operate online operations.

Canadian Gambling Legislation Changes

There are reports that the government of Canada is considering, or at a minimum, having discussions that relate to the introduction of legislative changes pertaining to gambling online. At this point in time, there is little expected to come from this, however, should there be any updates, this page will be updated with those changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions relating to play poker online and you live anywhere in Canada then please do read on for below we have put together all of the most commonly and most frequently asked questions from such players.

Underneath each of the following questions you will of course find the answers to each of them, and if you have any more poker site specific questions you are looking or the answers too then our poker site reviews are worth checking out!

As many online and for that matter mobile poker sites offer their services, poker tournaments and all of their poker game sot player based in lots of different countries of the world then you are going to find that no matter at what time you do decide to play at any Canada player friendly online or mobile poker site there will be a huge number p players logged into those sites.

So in regards to when is the best time to play online or even mobile poker games and enter poker tournaments it doesn’t matter when out choose to play as there will always be thousands of players logged into any of our featured and top rated poker sites!

It will of course be utter pointless you singing up to any online or mobile poker site from Canada is you are not going o find a deposit and banking option that is available to you! It is with that in mind that every single one of our featured Canada player friendly pork sites both online and mobile poker sites will give you plenty of different depositing and banking options.

Our handpicked and fully legal and license online poker sites that we have showcased throughout our website have all been picked for a reason and one of the main reasons we are presenting them to you is that they are all famed for being fast paying poker sites.

So in regards to whether you are going to have to wait very long when you request a winning payout you are going to find each of them will pay you out all of your winnings in the fastest possible time frames.

Canada based players who sign up to any of our top rated poker sites are going to discover that they are not only going to be able to play poker game variants and also enter online and mobile poker tournaments at those sites for all of them also have available a range of different poker side games too.

If you ever fancy playing blackjack or baccarat games for example alongside your chosen poker games or poker tournaments or any other type of casino based games those games will also be available, so you can have plenty of additional gambling opportunities at each of our selected Canada player friend online and mobile poker sets too!

As a player who is based in Canada one thing you will never want to be forced to have to do when you are funding your real money online poker site account is to be forced to have to pay excessive fees and charges, and that will be something you will be forced to do when playing at any online poker site that uses a different currency other than CAD!

We have therefore paid careful attention to just which online poker sites that we are going to be introducing you to and showcasing you to throughout this website and all of them will allow you to find your account suing Canadian Dollars and they will also allow you to set your poker site account
to that currency.

As such you can then rest assured and have the peace of mind that you are never going to be hit with any additional fees and charges when you make a deposit or even when you make a withdrawal of any winnings from your online poker sit and poker room accounts, when you make the very smart decision of playing at any of our approved and fully licensed Canadian poker sites.

One thing that has changed very recently is in regards to the number and type of different poker game variants that are now accessible via a mobile poker playing platform and on some poker apps.

There was a time when you would only find the poker game variant of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker being offered at all mobile poker sites and that was all well and good if that was the poker game variant you enjoy playing he most!

However, as the years have ticked by and with there now being many more poker players playing poker game via mobile phones including smart phones and tablet devices, many poker sites have increased the range of number of different variants their poker platforms have on offer on them.

So you will find that by picking out just which mobile poker site you do sign up to and play at carefully you are going to have access to plenty of different poker game variants, and it is worth also knowing you will be able to play those poker games at free play poker tables or of course play them for real money if you prefer!

The poker software platforms that the vast majority of our approved and highly recommended poker sites use will allow you to play more than one poker game and in more than one poker room at a time, so you can pick and choose how many live poker tables you have open and are playing at those top rated Canadian player friend online poker sites!

Some of our featured online poker sites will now let you start up and set up your own poker tournaments and as such if you have any friends or family members that you want to play against then make sure you set up your own private poker tournaments and poker rooms and invite your friends and family members to join in the fun and games!

To be able to play poker legally online you will have to be the legal minimum age at the very least based on where you live in Canada in regards to any local gambling laws. Each poker site out come across may also have their own age limit restrictions in place too which will be prominently displayed on their respective website.

All Canada based online and mobile poker players do have a huge range of different poker tournaments that they can take part in and enter, both mobile and online Canadian player friendly poker sites have plenty of tournaments up and running throughout the day and night.

If you are living in Canada and want to find out just when any poker sites poker tournaments are up and running then visit the poker sites websites and take a good look through the poker tournament schedule as that will enlighten you on how every poker tournament has been structured and designed and when it will be going live too.

Contents

• 3 Frequently Asked Questions

Finding The Best Canadian Poker Sites

The key points which we have listed above only begin to scratch the surface of what is considered to be a quality poker website in Canada. In order to have the best online poker experience as a Canadian you should also look for the websites where you will have an option to qualify for live events, earn loyalty points and reach for the VIP membership. You will also have a chance to be awarded with other bonuses and unlock more features. It’s a lot to ask for, but there are websites that offer all of this and more. Another important aspect we haven’t mentioned is the mobile-friendliness. In this day and age, a lot of people demand the “on the go” access for playing poker and other games, so online casinos either must have a mobile-friendly website – or preferably an app – in order to attract new players.

When talking about poker websites in Canada we can divide them into two main categories – websites exclusive to poker, and general online casinos. The first category might be the best option if you’re only looking to play poker and nothing else. These usually offer several variants of poker and are what professional poker players prefer. What can be considered as a drawback here is the competitiveness. Poker pros are constantly lurking on these websites and it might be hard for you to win any matchups against them, especially if you’re a newcomer. However, the majority of websites that we have listed here are online casinos that have poker alongside other games as well. Some fall in the category of bookies that focus mainly on sports betting, but also have casino games such as poker, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, etc. Some sites, on the other hand, have slots as their main game type, but don’t leave out table games in their offer. These websites are great for first-time poker players so they can learn and develop their game on more of a “beginner level”. Note that most of these websites aren’t Canadian but only allow Canadian players to have an account along with the players from other countries. As a matter of fact, these websites attract players from all across the globe, so there are several languages that you can choose for browsing them. Canadian players won’t have to worry about this since almost all the websites we listed here have both English and French in their language options.

So, there you go. We did the homework and now it’s up to you to choose a website that’s going to be your new poker room. Take all the aforementioned details into consideration and your choice should be easy. All the listed websites are somewhat different from each other, with one thing in common: they will cater to the needs of any Canadian poker player and make the poker experience enjoyable with them.

Understanding Canadian Gambling Laws

The good news about Canada in general is that online gambling is considered legal to a certain extent.

The laws about online gambling as an illegal activity aren’t very clear, so you can say that it’s somewhat a gray area. This means there are no specific laws that prohibit you from playing real money poker online in Canada. The same can’t really be said for the US, so it’s no wonder a lot of online poker players are crossing the border to enjoy playing worry-free at their neighbours’ up North.

In order to fully understand how this works we must put some Canadian gambling laws under a microscope. As we mentioned before, the sites we listed aren’t strictly Canadian, but rather only allow Canadians to gamble on them. While some forms of online gambling are legal in Canada, the gambling laws that include foreign websites and companies aren’t very clear. That’s why we dug a little deeper and tried to explain what is and what isn’t allowed when it comes to online poker in Canada.

But first, let’s take a quick look into the history of gambling in this country. The “Criminal Code” that was introduced back in 1892 banned all forms of gambling in Canada. ^[1] However, this ban wasn’t strictly followed through and a lot of horse racing bets were present at the turn of the century, only to become legal in 1925. Fast-forward to a few decades later, to 1969 to be precise, when a new addition to the Criminal Code gave provincial governments the authority to conduct their own laws (similar to how state laws function in the US). In 1985, a new amendment gave permission to provincial governments that could now administer laws related to slot machine use. It’s safe to say that Canadian laws on gambling have “loosened up” over the years so today we have many forms of gambling that are completely legal in the country.

Top Canadian Online Poker Sites 2019

But what about online gambling? This is where it gets a little confusing. One thing that is clear is that it’s not legal to operate an online casino in Canada. However, there’s an exception. Just like with Native American reservations in the US, Canada has a similar system. The country’s laws consider online casino in Canada legal only if they operate from the Kahnawake reservation in Quebec. They even have their own commision called the Kahnawake Gaming Commission that can give out licences to casinos, but only if they operate from within the boundaries of the reservation. ^[2] Additionally, any action involving casinos that operate online but are based outside of Canada is not clearly legislated in the country. Note that this only includes operating and not playing at an online casino. So from a player’s standpoint, you really shouldn’t be worried either way. Generally speaking, Canada is considered pretty safe for all online gamblers. More importantly, there aren’t any records we found about people getting prosecuted or arrested for playing online poker at an overseas website.

Top Canadian Online Poker Sites

As Canadian gambling laws have their roots in the late 19th century, you wouldn’t be wrong if you said that they were a bit outdated. Especially with the new form of gambling (online), Canadian gambling laws remain confusing and in desperate need of some additions. There are mentions about Canadian government sitting to discuss online gambling, but no reports prove that such talks have been scheduled to take place. However, have in mind that this might change in the future, and if it does, we will make sure to update this article as soon as possible.