Live Online Casinos in Canada
Live online casinos Canada have surged into popularity with startling quickness. In the renaissance of the online gambling industry, this is one of the most popular types of gaming. So, on this page, you will learn everything you could possibly ever needs to know about live casino Canada online.
That includes all aspects of where to play live casino, how to play iet, and exactly what online casino games there are for playing it. In addition to that, we have some great information for you regarding the live casino bonus offers, plus instructions on how to activate and avail yourself of them. With a little luck, you could exercise the bonuses to play live casino online free of charge!
If you keep reading, be prepared to get sucked right into the ultra-immersive world of live casino games!
Our Selection of the Top Live Casinos
Before you can play the games, whether video or live, you have to choose a casino, right? That is why our team of expert reviewers combed all the top Canadian sites with a fine brush. We ultimately determined a selection of the top sites that we could recommend to our players.
At these places, you can gamble while getting the best experience and the biggest wins. Both experienced and new live casino sites are included. Without any further ado, here is our list of recommended sites.
What are Live Dealer Games
Before we proceed any further into this mega-guide, let’s clear the air on one point. Exactly what are live casino games? What is it about them that attracts such incredible crowds?
Well, we all need to be on the same page, otherwise, you might just get more and more confused the further you read.
So, basic explanations first.
Live dealer games are basically online casino games that are played out in real-time. They feature a real dealer, sitting at a real table, dealing out a real set of cards or spinning a real roulette wheel.
Plus, everything happening on the screen is live-streamed back to the user in real-time. You can interact with the stream and dealer in real-time as well. They use buttons on the screen to control their actions.
Wearing earphones or headphones and a microphone lets you take in the ambient background noise of the casino studio from the live stream, as well as chat with the dealer directly.
As you can see, this level of immersion is completely impossible to get by any other means at an online casino. It almost feels like you are on the casino floor yourself!
Difference from Video Casino Games
For the most part, the gameplay of live and video games are the same. The key difference lies in the fact video casino games use an artificial intelligence program to act as the opponent. It uses a random number generator algorithm to give the appearance of randomness.
While the algorithm works fairly well, the random number generator does come with its issues. Plus, video casino games are designed to be played by one player. Sometimes, there might be more at the same table, but they won’t really communicate until you do.
By contrast, when you play live casino you can get a ton of interaction with not just the dealer but also other players. Additionally, the visuals of a live game are better than the graphics and art of average table games. All of these make live games typically the better and more popular option.
Bonuses with Live Casino Games
As with essentially all other types of casino gaming, live casino games have their own bonuses and promotional offers as well. Want to amplify your winnings and keep playing for longer and bigger amounts? Then taking advantage of live casino bonus offers is a great idea!
There are vastly different types of bonuses available at the casino. Some of them are easy to get, others are more rewards but also more difficult to achieve. They all have the same thing in common, though – the fact that they will give you an advantage.
So, it’s crucial to know about the different types of bonuses and how to best earn or use them.
Welcome Bonuses
Welcome bonuses are the big deal. You’ll see them prominently displayed on the front page of nearly every casino. If the internet could have huge billboards like Las Vegas, you can be sure they would be displayed prominently.
An example of a welcome Bonus is Jackpot City’s C$1,600 bonus. Players can earn a whopping C$400 extra on their first four deposits. All they have to do is make a deposit, and the casino will match that deposit for 100% of its value up until the amount mentioned.
Just keep in mind that the bigger the welcome bonus is, the harder its wagering requirements will be.
Don’t expect to just take the welcome bonus and cash out! You have to complete the wagering requirement before you can withdraw any bonus winnings.
No Deposit and Cashback Bonuses
There are other types of bonuses, but they are much rarer in general. The two most common ones you’ll find at live online casino sites are No Deposit and Cashback bonuses.
No deposit casino bonuses are exactly what it claims to be – a bonus earned without any deposits. Normally, it’ll be a small amount – C$ 10 and 25 free spins.
Players can use this kind of no deposit bonus to play live casino online free of charge! Just keep in mind the terms and conditions that might limit where you can spend the money.
Cashback bonuses are similar. They don’t require a deposit, though only because they only come into play after you have made a deposit and started playing. When one activates a cashback bonus, a small portion such as 10% or 20% of their most recent losses at the casino are refunded as a small cashback.
Everything considered, it’s a great way to dull the pain of losing and give them a chance to make a comeback.
Typical Terms and Conditions
Just as all casinos have bonuses, all bonuses have terms and conditions. The terms and conditions dictate what kind of conditions you need to fulfill to be eligible for the bonus.
They will highlight any requirements and restrictions that might be placed on you, such as a $5 maximum wagering limit, or free spins only usable at a specific slot game. They will also mention the wagering requirements, which is how much money you have to wager to cash out any bonus winnings.
Always make sure to read the T&Cs. They can save you from a bad deal or a scam more than once. We know the importance of them, so we picked out casinos that have generous and fair bonuses in our list of recommendations.
What you need to know about Live Dealer Titles and Wagering Requirements
Not all games are equal in the eyes of the bonuses.
Slot Games, extremely simple and accessible, contribute 100% towards the requirement. If you have a wagering requirement of 25x for a C$100 bonus, then you need to wager C$2,500 before you can withdraw the bonus cash.
On the other hand, table games like online poker or baccarat might contribute only 10% or 20%. So they have to wager about 5-10x as much real money on those games before they can withdraw it.
Live Dealer titles get a little shafted here. They tend to contribute very little – 0% to 10%. It will take a long time to fulfil the requirements from live games only, so beware. Unless you see that the bonus is specifically aimed at live titles with extra contribution, be very careful about accepting bonuses.
Activating a Bonus
The process of activating a bonus is actually really simple. At some casinos, it is done automatically. All you have to do is click a button to redeem the bonus while you are online.
At other casinos, they have a bonus code. You can redeem this bonus code from your casino account management page. The bonus will appear as soon as it has been redeemed. Usually, the code will be sent to your email or phone at sign-up or during promos.
Mobile Live Dealer Online Casino Sites
Mobile gaming is what’s in vogue now, not PC gaming. Experts estimate that about 2/3 of the world’s population browses the internet on their mobile phones, and about 1/2 of global gaming revenue comes from mobile and tablet devices.
It’s clear that if you want people to spend time at your casino, you have to give them a way to do so without being glued to their chairs at home. Mobile casinos are how you do s.
For starters, mobile casinos can be accessed from any modern phone. If the casino uses an app, then it might cause an issue with some very old smartphones. Otherwise, whether it’s an app or a mobile site, all modern phones can handle it.
And that means you can play your preferred games of live dealer casino Canada literally anywhere while going about your daily life.
Sitting at the dentist’s office and getting bored? Hop into a game of lightning roulette and place a few bets! Sitting on the bus about an hour away from home? It’s a great time to try out live Blackjack and win a few rounds!
Types of Live Dealer Games
So far, we’ve talked a lot about the background and lead-up to these games. But once you have gotten the bonuses, what’s the next step?
Selecting the perfect game to play at the live casino.
Most table games are available as a live version. That is only natural, as it is these table games that suffer the most from being virtualized. Players lose the social aspect of those games, while with games like Slots or Bingo, they don’t really lose all that much from the original game.
Live Poker
The quintessential casino game you are almost certainly familiar with. Even if you have never played it, whether seriously or casually, it should still be very familiar. After all, it’s everywhere in media as well.
Poker has a serious multiplayer social component to it. For instance, tactics like bluffing only work against human players. Considering how big of a component of the game Bluffing is, you can understand why live Poker is so much better than video poker.
In Poker, the overall goal is to get the highest valued combination of cards, known as the poker hand, than anyone else playing at the same table. Bluffing means pretending to have a stronger hand than you actually do.
If someone actually believes you, then they might fold and give up for the round even if in reality their hand’s better.
Live Blackjack
Online blackjack Canada does not have as much of a multiplayer and social component as poker. It is primarily played between you and the dealer. However, considering you and the dealer will be going head to head, it’s great to be able to interact with them.
The goal of the game remains the same when playing it live. Get the higher combined hand value, and the close to 21 it is the better your odds of winning are. Just don’t flip the table when you go over that value and bust out.
Blackjack has one of the best RTPs on any Canada live casino game. The best tables can go up to 99.6% returns if you play optimally.
Live Baccarat
Baccarat, as a game, is really similar to Blackjack. While the core of the gameplay is still about comparing two hands, there are some additional rules and factors. One of these is the fact that the hand values only count between 1 and 9, and going over 10 causes it to round back to this value by ignoring the tens digit.
Baccarat isn’t actually played between the player and the house. Rather, the two hands are both independent and the players simply bet on which of the two hands will win. There’s plenty of opportunity for both cooperation and competition, as players try to predict the winner.
Baccarat is also an excellent game for those playing for the money. The RTP of this game goes up to 98.7%.
Live Sic-Bo
Sic-Bo is a game of Chinese origin that almost exclusively utilizes a trio of dice. It is similar to craps in the sense that bets all revolve around the outcome of the dice. Players bet on what will be the overall outcome of the three dices.
While Sic-Bo is mostly popular in casinos in Hong Kong and Macau, it is now available globally thanks to online casinos. Asians are huge fans of dice games, so Sic-Bo games attract large crowds. This is true for online live Sic-Bo as well.
Live Roulette
After Poker, Roulette might just be the most well-known casino game, popularized by the media. It involves a croupier rolling a ball on a spinning wheel, and players try to guess which slot the ball will land in.
While Roulette might not be the most interactive game out there, it does have its appeal in the arena of live dealer online casino games.
For starters, the physical component of the game needs to be played out live in order to become immersive. Since the game is almost entirely based on luck, some players might get frustrated or angry after a spate of bad luck, thinking that the computer is cheating.
But when they play live casino roulette, all those issues are resolved.
Other Live Games
The best live online casino sites aren’t limited to just these five titles, of course. Almost every type of casino game other than slots has a live dealer version somewhat. It’s simply a matter of finding a Canada live casino site that offers all of them.
You may find live Wheel of Fortune, Bingo, Craps, Lottos, Dragon Tiger and many more at various sites. A lot of these games may not seem like they are great choices for going live, but they are still extremely popular.
Choosing the best Live Dealer Title for You
With the huge selection of live titles available, new live casino players might get lost. There’s nothing to worry about – almost all these games are extremely easy to pick up and figure out within the space of a few matches. You can also find extensive guides and tips and tricks for them.
We recommend Live Roulette or Blackjack for beginners, as these games have high RTPs and are simple and easy to understand. You could pick up the basics of how to play them in a few hours. It could take months or years to master them, but the overall skill floor is low.
However, if you are already familiar with the rules of a game like Baccarat, Poker or Sic-Bo, feel free to play them instead! These are games that benefit a ton from going live, so if you are at an online live casino you might as well check them out!
The Best Live Dealer Casino Canada
By now, we’ve surely hyped you up about games at a live casino online. You might be excited to get playing, but just hold on a bit longer. We still need to discuss a few things, including the casinos we selected for live dealer gaming.
One of the most critical factors is trustworthiness. If you cannot rely on a casino to properly pay out your winnings, then they are nothing more than scammers or thieves. Meanwhile, others might be straight-up fraud sites out to steal your information.
Even without considering the really dangerous sites we just mentioned, there are many live casino online sites that are simply mediocre. They don’t have big bonuses and have a limited selection of games. We don’t recommend playing there when there are much better choices for live casino sites out there.
Our Criteria for Selecting the Best Live Online Casino
Our team of experienced reviewers used a selection of criteria to rate all the best live casino online Canada has. We checked out both old sites and brand-new live casinos. Ultimately, we came up with the list of sites given above.
These criteria include:
- Trust and Reliability
Trust and reliability are the basic cornerstones of online casinos. We only recommend sites that have a license from a reliable regulatory authority. We also check if the casino is certified by third-party testers like eCOGRA.
- Bonuses and Promotions
As mentioned, these are really important for attracting a player to the casino. Large bonuses are also just more advantageous to players, so the bigger the bonus, the better! Of course, the bonus has to be fair and achievable, and we still kept an eye on that.
- Games and Software
You are at a casino to play games. If the quality or variety of those live dealer games is bad, then you just won’t have enough fun. So, we check if the games at the live online casino are good enough for you. Instead of picking through scores or hundreds of titles, we simply focus on the software providers at the casino.
- Loyalty Rewards
What’s stopping you from jumping between casinos, taking advantage of the welcome bonus until it is exhausted? The loyalty rewards. Many live dealer casino online supports their long-term players by offering loyalty or VIP rewards.
- Customer Service
If any problems crop up, customer service is who you’ll be calling. So we test if the casino’s customer support is responsive and helpful or not. If it is the latter, that is a black mark on the casino.
Who are the software developers?
The Software developers are simply those who create the games. Some of these game development studios have experience dating back to the 90s, though most of them only started creating live dealer games in the 2000s.
Some of the best live casino online software developers include Evolution Gaming, Playtech, Betway and others. If games from these developers are available, we can rest assured that the quality of the games is high enough.
A high-quality live dealer title will have great odds and a skilled dealer. The dealer won’t waste any time and proceed with the game at the best pace.
Signing Up for Live Gaming
Before you play at any live casino online Canada has, you must sign up. For most of them, the process is relatively simple. First, enter some personal details as well as account credentials like email, username and password.
Then enter your financial information such as a credit card or other electronic payment method. This will let you make the very first deposit, confirming you as an official customer of the casino and a paying player.
The minimum first deposit is usually set at C$1, C$5 or C$10. Just keep in mind that if you keep the deposit small, the deposit match bonus you get from the first bonus will also be small. Afterwards, the only step left is to verify your address, before you can go to withdraw.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Playing Live Casino Canada Online
Like anything else in the world, even the best live casino online sites have some advantages and disadvantages. These pros and cons could be useful to you if you are concerned about choosing between a live casino and a regular one.
Pros:
- Casino live online games are more immersive and engrossing. It is way more fun to play with friends and other people than by yourself.
- It is easier to see any kind of cheating or shady business since the playing equipment is real and not controlled by a computer program.
- Some games, like Poker or Roulette, are simply better when played Live.
Cons:
- Demo games are not available. If you play live, you must fully commit to the game and spend money on it.
- Live dealer games cost more in terms of internet data due to continuous video streaming. The costs may add up, especially if you are on a limited plan.
The Future of Live Dealer Gaming
Today, live dealer games are limited to a screen. It may be more immersive than any other kind of online casino game, but it is still far away from replacing the real thing.
The latest Virtual Reality, or VR, technology, is one giant leap forward. If you put on a VR headset, you will feel like you have been transported directly into the scene. Instead of a single square in front of you, the scene will expand to surround you in all directions.
Of course, present-day VR technology isn’t quite there yet. However, one can hope that this kind of live VR casino gaming will be a reality in the next few years.
Speaking of reality, there are lots of applications to Augmented Reality, also called AR. Where VR takes you to the scene of the casino, AR would bring the casino to you. You could see virtual cards and a virtual dealer sitting opposite you in your own home. You could make gestures to manipulate the cards and play the game as if you were in a physical casino.
Both these technologies are a long way away. But when they get here, a huge transformation in the live casino online industry will be on the horizon.
Closing Words Regarding Live Casino Sites
By now, you’ve learnt everything we could possibly tell you about live casino online Canada has to offer. First, we talked about exactly what live dealer games are and how they work. Next, we covered not just the games and bonuses, but also specific titles and how they work.
Then we discussed our casino recommendation criteria and even gave you some info about the latest and future developments. Hopefully, all of these have gotten you excited to play them.
Feel free to check out our list of the top live dealer casino online and see what the fuss is about. If you’re a fan of casino gaming in any way, you’re almost guaranteed to enjoy it. So, don’t waste any time and try it out today!
FAQ
- Is it safe to play live casinos in Canada?
Yes. As long as you play at a licensed and regulated online casino, everything will be fine. Licensed casinos are tested by bodies such as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada or the MGA and UKGC internationally. There are also other regulatory bodies. All of the casinos we recommend are licensed.
- Can you play live casino games on mobile phones?
Yes. All the best modern live casino sites support a mobile version. You can simply visit the website from your phone to view the games or download an app. The user interface will be scaled down and rearranged so that it is usable on the smaller screen.
- What are the advantages of live casinos?
Live casinos are more immersive and offer more reassurance of fair games for players. Generally, players have more fun playing live than playing video games. Some games like Poker have a valuable component that appears when played live.
- Are there any bonuses for live casino games?
Yes. A few casinos offer bonuses for live dealer titles. Just keep in mind that cash bonuses may be used on live dealer games, but the games will not contribute much to the wagering requirement. Only specific bonuses targeting live casino games will be contributed to by them.
- What is the best live dealer game for me?
It simply depends on your preferences. If you want something that is based purely on luck, then Roulette or Sic Bo may be good options. On the other hand, if you want some control over your winning by using maths and predictions, Blackjack and Baccarat are great. Of course, Poker combines the best of both worlds and adds a competitive multiplayer aspect to it.