Top gambling sites in Ontario, Canada 2024

Gambling in Ontario, Canada

Welcome to our guide to online gambling in Ontario, Canada, which will be your bible to real money casino play. There is both government-sanctioned retail gambling in Canada as well as online gambling sites, based both in Canada and offshore. The limits on playing at online gambling sites from Ontario are basically non-existent, with it perfectly legal to play with offshore casinos, although single-even wagers are now legal, which has the potential to shake-up the Ontario gambling scene. The top online casinos for Ontario in 2024 are:


Top gambling sites in Ontario

The best gambling sites in Ontario have got a license to operate in this Canadian province, with all of sports betting, real money casino play, horse racing and much more available.

The top gambling sites only take a few minutes to sign up at, with it simply a matter of filling in a digital form. The details include your name, address, telephone number, email and date of birth — which are all standard around the world.

Ontario gambling sites feature many different real money casino games, with these including all of your standards like roulette, blackjack, baccarat and poker, with the variations truly staggering at modern casinos.

These online casino sites can be access via both mobile and computer, or basically anything with an internet connection and web browser. Many of the top online gambling sites have also got downloadable apps available for Android and Apple smartphones and tablets.


Gambling in Ontario 2024

Gambling in this province of Canada is governed by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and encompasses lottery, charity events, native casinos, slot facilities at race tracks and commercial casinos.

Online sports betting and casino wagering are not addressed in Ontario law meaning there are many sites based offshore that accept sign-ups from here and cater to the Canadian dollar.

Some of the leading sports betting brands in the world, including Bovada, Bet365 and BetOnline, operate in Canada which means you can access 1000s of markets on various sports events around the globe, and play leading casino games from the likes of Microgaming and Net Entertainment.

Several professional sports teams are based in Ontario.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are perhaps the most famous and play in the National Hockey League in the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference.

The Toronto Raptors are the NBA team based out of Canada’s capital. They are a member of the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division.

The Toronto Blue Jays are the only Major League Baseball team based in Canada and are part of the American League East division. They won Major League titles in 1992 and 1993.

Ontario is also set to be the home of Cavalry FC and FC Edmonton who will play in Canada’s first ever professional soccer competition, the Canadian Premier League. Cavalry FC will be based in Calgary, Alberta and play out of Spruce Meadows, while FC Edmonton will at Clark Stadium, a ground they made theirs during their nine years in the North American Soccer League.


Sports betting in Ontario

Canada has legalised online sports betting sites that are licensed and regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Authority, but it does not address offshore sites in law, which means you can also bet with them. Some of the biggest betting companies in the world, including Bet365 and William Hill, accept customers from Ontario.

Some of the bigger names to hold a KGA licence are SportsInterAction.com and LeonBets.net which both have extensive domestic markets on home events, plus pretty much everything else in between.

OLG-sanctioned sports betting games

The OLG has sanctioned four different types of sports betting games in the province of Ontario. These are Pro-Line, Point-Spread, Pro-Pick Pools and Props and No Single Team Sports Betting. It’s worth noting that it’s illegal to wager on single teams in Canada under the criminal code, although these laws are only applied to land-based wagering and are not enforced when you are betting online.


Ontario Casinos: online and offline

As previously mentioned there are many online casinos licensed by the Kahnawake licensing body, that in turn accept Canadian players. Again there is no specific laws stopping Ontario residents from gambling at offshore-based sites. Having said this the sites we recommend on this page are largely licensed in the Canadian jurisdiction.

Some of the biggest software companies in the world, including Microgaming, Net Entertainment, Betsoft and many more offer games to Canadians. These include live-dealer table games, slots and every other game you can possibly imagine.

Casinos in Ontario

Ontario is also the home of four commercial casinos and five charity casinos. In total these casinos have more than 700 table games and 15,000 slots so there is no shortage of land-based options for those looking to gamble.

At the tail-end of 2018 it was announced that a new casino had been approved for North Bay, which is about 300km north of Toronto, despite strong objections from locals. While there are limited details of the development available at this point, it is expected to cost over $30 million to develop, feature over 300 slots and have 10 different tables games. It is also expected to create over 200 jobs in the local community.

Gateway Entertainment announced plans for a $75 million “Starlight Casino” to be built in South Western London, on Wonderland Road near Wharcliffe Road, in July, 2019. The casino giant says the new development will be its biggest ever investment in Ontario to date, with it set to create 700 new jobs for the area, plus feature 900 slots machines, 40 table games, live music, restaurants and more entertainment venues.

List of retail casinos in Ontario


Online casinos in Ontario

The online casino industry in Ontario is set for a major shake-up in 2021, with more regulation surrounding gambling on the way in Canada. This will effectively regulate online gambling sites and allow the government to license and tax casinos operating inside Canada. .

ON online casinos are likely to need a license from the Ontario Lotto and Gaming Commission, which is the regulatory body that has been under fire in 2021, for a lack of transparency and allowing money laundering to go on under its watch.

The best online casinos for those in Ontario are largely based outside of Canada, with these including Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) casinos. Basically, any gambling sites, unless they make a conscious decision to not allow players from Canada are allowed to offer their services to this part of the world.

The top casinos online are accessible across a range of different platforms, including desktop computer, laptops, smartphones and tablets. In-fact in recent times mobile gambling and especially the proliferation of gambling apps has seen this form take more than 50% of the wagering market.

Canadian online casinos are 100% legal in 2021, with it imperative that you play at gambling sites that have a level of offshore regulation, with many that offer their services below the WGL bar.

Sign up at at leading CA gambling site Jackpot City Casino or read our guide to real money casinos in Canada.


Lottery in Canada

You have to be 18-plus to gamble on the lottery in Canada, but it is completely legal to do so, if you are of the appropriate age. There are upwards of 10,000 OLG lottery retailers across Ontario with 12 different lottery games available. Most of these retail outlets will have video lottery terminals, which allow you to play instant lottery games on computers.

Gambling laws in Ontario

Legal gambling in Ontario exists under the Criminal Code of Canada, but it’s up to individual provinces and territories to legislate their own gambling laws.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) oversees all gaming operations in the state, including: horse racing, tribal casinos, commercial casinos, lottery and charity events.

However one of the functions it does not embrace or decline is online gambling, which is one of the biggest areas of growth. Basically the lack of legislation surrounding online gambling means it is a grey area, and Ontario residents are able to play with offshore gambling sites.

Under 1997 legislation set out by the OLGC Ontario residents must be 18 to enter casinos or buy lottery tickets, with operators potentially fined if they breach these rules. The lack of updated gambling laws is highlighted by the OLGC not selling lottery tickets on the web.

Sports betting laws are set for a shake-up in Ontario in 2021, with a huge push by legislators to legalize single-event wagers. This would bring local betting sites into line with offshore bets and no longer make them reliant on parlay wagering. It would also spell the end of the offshore betting sites getting a free hit at the Canadian gambling market.