Author: Daniel King | Posted on: 2021-05-31 | Last updated on: 2023-03-13
Online gambling can be the only thing keeping you sane nowadays thanks to stay-at-home orders. Whether you’re a casino newbie or a Vegas veteran, chances are online casinos are a new concept.
Naturally, you’re hesitant about playing the real money casino games before you do a little digging first. We get that. So, in the next 8 minutes, this ultimate online casino guide will introduce you to the must-knows of real money online casinos so you can make informed decisions when gambling real money online.
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The top online casinos in Canada will have all kinds of bonuses and promotional offers–all of which we’ll cover in this sub-section. Many of them are self-explanatory because of their names, but we’ll cover them in more depth to give you the full story.
Real money online casinos in Canada most often provide bonus offers to gamblers in the form of percentages. The % is a piece of your deposit amount that you’ll get back as bonus cash. Canadian casinos usually keep bonus percentages in the range of 50-200%
Remember that there’s a dollar limit to your bonus percentage indicated by the “up to $XX” telling you the maximum dollar amount an online casino will give back for a real money deposit.
So, whatever dollar amount you deposit, you will receive 150% of it back, up to $200. A $100 deposit with a 150% match means $150 in welcome bonus cash.
Let’s say instead of $100, you’re feeling giddy and decide to deposit $200. With the 150% welcome offer, that’s a $300 cash bonus–just at the limit (up to $300)! It’s recommended that you deposit enough to max out your welcome bonus offer.
However, if you decided to deposit $250, your “bonus cash winnings” would hypothetically be $375, but because of the $300 cap, you won’t get the extra $75.
To draw out bonus cash winnings, you also need to meet specific wagering requirements. Let’s cover that in the following section:
Wagering requirements are the dollar amount you must bet on casino games before you’re eligible to convert your bonus winnings into real money.
Canadian casinos usually have their wagering requirements range from 20-50x your initial deposit (and/or bonus cash amount–varies among online casinos).
So, let’ say you put in a $100 initial deposit and happen to win $150 in welcome bonuses. And, let’s say that the wagering requirement is 10x your initial deposit ($100). Ten times $100 is $1000 that you must bet on casino games before drawing out that $150 welcome bonus.
Remember that some online casinos may impose expiry dates for meeting wagering requirements, limit betting amounts (for your safety), and choose which casino games have bonus offers.
Here are two main pieces of advice you should absolutely follow before playing on an online casino with bonuses.
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There are many popular types of real money casino games available at the best online casinos. Below, you’ll be introduced to four main ones that everyone tries when real money gaming: Blackjack, Roulette, Slots, and Video Poker.
Blackjack is one of the most popular ‘player vs dealer’ real money casino table games because it’s straightforward and enjoyable.
Blackjack has a relatively low house edge (% of player’s original bet that casino takes as profit) than other casino games, meaning that you’ll lose less money to the casino over time. And, if the odds are in your favour, then as a player, you can increase your bets to win more money. These factors make Blackjack a great choice to play for real cash.
In most blackjack games, if you, the player, hit blackjack, then you win a payout of 3:2 or 1.5 times your original wager. So, let’s say you bet $100 and won on blackjack; you’d most commonly receive a payout of $150—Cha-ching.
A regular deck of cards is used, and each has a point value equal to the card’s number. So, a 2 of spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts are all simply worth 2 points, and so on. Face cards, like the King, Queen, and Jester, are worth 10 points. Lastly, the ACE is worth 11 points.
Players (and the opposing dealer) begin with two cards. They can either take more cards from the deck or stand on their current sum of card points. If their ending point total is higher than the dealer’s and remains under or precisely at 21, you win. If the dealer’s score is higher or players are over 21, you lose your money to the dealer.
Pull a lever and if you land a winning combination of shapes or symbols, you win cash prizes.
If you’re on a credible online casino, slot games are fully random using random number generators (RNGs). So, there’s no implementable strategy to win real money. That’s the truth. However, you can strategically choose to bet on the real money online casino slots that have higher jackpots and payout percentages–otherwise known as ‘return-to-player’ rates (RTP %).
You can find the RTP on the rules information webpage of the game. If you for some reason can’t find it, then a simple google search like “RTP of *name of casino game*” will give you the answer.
The advantageous thing about online casinos is that they can afford to give their players higher RTPs on their slot games because of lower maintenance costs compared to a land-based casino.
Online slot games with a 90% or higher RTP will typically pay out more often compared to slots with an RTP below this.
So, let’s say your favourite real money slot game has an RTP of 95%. And, let’s say over the year, you wagered about $2000 total. That would mean by year’s end, the machine should return $1900 (95% of $2000) in the form of winnings. Of course, if you hit a jackpot–especially a progressive one, your winnings would skyrocket on top of that.
Throw a ball and let it land on one of the number slots. If the ball lands on a series/single number that you bet on, winner winner chicken dinner!
Roulette is 100% chance-driven–which makes the experience thrilling. So, if you’re an amateur gambler and not looking to be a Poker or Blackjack god just yet, this could be an excellent place to start. You can bet real money without the burden of strategizing for maximum odds. Roulette is also less complex and has higher chances of winning compared to slot machines.
There are many types of Roulette you can play. Some have very high payouts, and some relatively low. Most will have similar winning chances, though.
For the most part, Canadian gamblers will encounter European or American Roulette (first and second respectively on the table below). The critical difference is that Americans add an extra 0 to the wheel (1-37 number range), while Europeans don’t (1-36 number range). If available, always choose European roulette because they have a lower house edge and are therefore less risky.
Here are 22 known Roulette types and their payouts; check it out:
(Payout example: “35 to 1” means for every $1 bet, you could win $35)
Two or more people play a table card game and bet on the value of the hands dealt with them. If you have the highest combination at the showdown, you win the pool.
Free versions of poker with play money can be a valuable tool to learn and master the game. However, playing for real money in table games has many benefits–making video poker an excellent choice for winning real cash prizes.
For starters, gambling with real money is the best motivator for playing as well as possible. Not only does that makes each game more exciting and enjoyable, but it’s more effective in honing your internet poker skills–since you’re under pressure to perform well.
Real money video poker will also lead to better quality games. See, with play money, every player will screw around and excessively bluff to the point where the poker game may become “unplayable.” On the other hand, real money poker sites have players who tend to behave and play more reasonably. That will save you from headaches and will likely provide a richer learning experience.
Lastly, real money poker gives you access to huge bonus offers that can beef up your potential winnings–you can’t maximize your winnings on an online casino with play money.
Your payouts depend on your buy-in and the number of entries. In events with 350 to 500 entries, the winner may receive anywhere from 22.5 to 33% of the pool. If you make stakes like NL2, NL5 and NL10, you can expect to win around $100 – $500 per month. With higher stakes like NL25, NL50 and NL100, you can make $750 and $2000 per month–significantly more.
However, remember that these are rough numbers for the average player who gambles semi-regularly, multi-tables a bit and takes the game fairly seriously (i.e. studies hands, reads books, table selects etc. reasonably).
We went from real-life, brick-and-mortar casinos to online casino sites. Then we thought, if we’re adding the convenience of gambling online, we might as well go all the way and make it as mobile (pun intended) as possible.
Playing online casino games for real money on mobile has exclusive benefits that improve your gambling experience. Let’s talk about five main advantages in the following sub-section:
There’s no need to be stuck at home glued to your desktop or drive to a land-based casino when you can play through your mobile phone anywhere. On the bus to work? At a boring event? Pull out your smartphone for some video poker.
It’s no secret that online casinos already offer generous bonuses to stand out of the competition and increase loyal customers. You can expect even more unique bonus offers and discounts with mobile casinos because they’re still relatively new and need to onboard new users.
Believe it or not, but playing on mobile is more secure than desktop. Your computer may be infected with malware and is more hackable. On the other hand, iOS and Android phones have more secure operating systems by nature. So, you don’t have to worry about playing casino games on the go.
When playing casino games for real money, you obviously need secure banking options to make the necessary bank transfer for your funds. The best real money casinos will offer various safe payment methods for you to take advantage of.
Payouts can take a day or two to weeks for processing and completion on gambling sites. They will vary with payment methods and different online casinos. Usually, credit cards and e-wallets are the fastest, depositing and withdrawing funds within days. Other forms, like bank wires, can take up to 10 working days.
Here’s a list of some banking options you can use for making a deposit or withdrawal:
Canadians can pay straight with their card by inputting the information on the card form that will be saved for future deposit options, too.
Despite the safety precautions, some people are still not comfortable putting their credit card information on real money online casinos. If you’re a part of that group, worry not; there are quite a few e-wallet options that Canadian casinos offer so you can transfer money without revealing sensitive payment info:
Okay, so you know all about casino bonuses, games–their respective payouts, and the banking system. You’re ready to go in. Except, there’s one problem: you’re not entirely sure how to pick out the best online casino to bet your real money. Well, we’ve listed five crucial criteria you cannot look over when choosing the best online casino site.
You need to ensure that the online casino you’re visiting is safe and secure. The best way to do this is to check if the casino is certified by a known Gaming Authority, like the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). You’ll usually find the certification stamp at the footer of the casino site.
These regulatory bodies ensure that online casinos receive their certification only after following customer-safety practices, abiding by regional gambling laws, and offering a secure transaction method–to name a few. Game testers like eCOGRA will also verify whether computerized online casino games like slot machines or roulette and even live dealer games are rigged against players or not.
Playing on a certified real money casino site will guarantee that you’re not scammed and deceived into giving private information.
We always tend to skip the terms and conditions for other things. Don’t let it be the case with online casinos–these are different circumstances. The terms and conditions will include critical information for online gambling, like payout systems and wagering requirements.
The seemingly great bonus offers may end up being a load of crap because of required wagers and min deposits just to get you on board. Reading the T&C will help you avoid crappy deals, make more informed decisions, and empower you as the customer.
With online casinos, excellent customer service is imperative. The best gambling sites will have at least two of the three contact methods: support email, live chat, and call-in option.
Live chat and phone service are always best because of quick on-the-spot support and minimal back-and-forth that would initially cause long wait times like with emails. Also, online customer support means everything stays on record to be held accountable.
An enthusiastic and supportive customer service team will keep you, the customer, happy and satisfied with your online gaming experience. Always check to see if the online casino offers either live chat or call-in along with an email. There should usually be a chatbox on the bottom right or left of the site screen.
Playing on real money online casinos with a desktop computer or laptop is excellent. But, what if you’re on the move? What if you don’t want to stay tied to your chair all the time? What if you want to enjoy better deals? The best online casinos cater to every device–including iOS and Android mobile apps or websites.
You need to look out two main things when you play for real money online casinos: the variety of secure payment methods and how long payouts take to withdraw from the site and deposit into your bank account.
The best real money online casino will offer SSL encrypted credit cards like Mastercard, VISA, Paypal, and several digital wallets like Neteller to make transactions as easy as possible. Payout durations vary with the casino, but, in general, withdrawals should take about 2-3 business days to process.
The best real money online casinos will have hundreds of casino games to play online. The more the games, the chances you get to widen your experience and skill set. You’re also more likely to find games that interest you with excellent bonus offers.
Casinos online should, at the bare minimum, have many types of slot games available, along with video poker, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, live dealer games, and more.
Best casinos are vetted by the MGA and eCOGRA and offers live customer support. They also have a hefty welcome bonus of up to $1000 with hundreds of games to play online.
There should be a visible “DEPOSIT” button sitewide–usually on the top right after you create an account. Click on “DEPOSIT” and put funds into your account through the available payment methods like debit or credit cards.
No. You don’t have to play for real money. Many casino players use play money to get comfortable and learn the game rules. However, to cash out big winnings and experience the thrill, you’ll want to play for real money.
A payout percentage is a percent of the money that will be returned as winnings back to you, the casino player, over a while. Payout percentages vary between the different casino games.
Yes. The best casino apps or mobile web versions of online casinos offer games that let you wager and win real cash prizes.
