Online Poker Canada
Canada is an unusual country in terms of online poker. There are no regulations that affect players. They may access most online gambling sites in the world.
There are no specific laws about poker sites accepting Canadians, but skins on some networks have decided to not accept players from the country. The same goes for payment processors. Most notably, Neteller and Skrill do not accept gambling transactions from Canada.
Provincial lotteries noticed the amount of tax money that was lost to offshore sites that were not paying taxes. British Colombia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec offer online poker through their lotteries. The company that provides online poker to Canadian lotteries is GTECH, which also manages lottery online poker sites in Austria and Sweden.
SPS Approved Safest Online Poker Sites
Best Poker Sites for Canadians
PokerStars
The largest poker site available to Canadian online poker players is PokerStars. It also owns Full Tilt Poker. PokerStars is about eight times larger than 888 Poker, the second largest online poker network.
888 Poker
While not the largest site, 888 Poker is our top choice for online poker in Canada. 888 makes loose games a priority. It helps draw players to the tables through social media and free play action. This helps keeps games fresh. 888 offers new players a 100% up to $888 first deposit bonus. Sign up at 888 Poker.
Carbon Poker
Many players prefer to avoid sites that accept American players. These poker rooms are often thought to be tight compared to international poker sites. There are two U.S. poker sites that are not that way at all.
Carbon Poker is the flagship of the Merge Gaming Network. All of the other sites on the platform are sports books. This makes for juicy action, especially on weekends. Merge Gaming spreads games that are not available at most other sites, including Badugi and mixed games. All new Carbon Poker players qualify for a 100% up to $1,000 first deposit bonus. There are also frequent reload bonus offers.
BetOnline
BetOnline is another good site that is full of sports betting fish. It is the main site on the Chico Poker Network. BetOnline spreads No Limit Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Pot Limit High/Low action. New players receive a 100% up to $2,500 first deposit bonus. Sign up at BetOnline.
Best Canadian Poker Deposit Options
Neteller and Skrill are not available to poker players in Canada. There are still several banking options available.
Instadebit is the most popular and cheapest option available to Canadian poker players. It links directly to a Canadian bank account and sends the cash to the poker site. If the deposit is initiated at the poker site, the fees are covered.
Several poker sites that accept Canadian players offer electronic checks as a deposit option. These are instant and incur no fees.
Visa and Mastercard are often offered as deposit options at poker sites. Unfortunately, some Canadian banks refuse to process these transactions. It is always worth a try to see if your card works before using an ewallet.
Best Canadian Poker Cashout Options
Poker players in Canada have several options for cashouts. Players that deposited by credit cards may be able to receive winnings back to the same account. Electronic checks are another popular option for Canadian poker withdrawals. Click2Pay accounts may be used to move funds from one site to another, or to transfer cash to a checking account.
Canada Online Poker FAQ
Is Online Poker Legal in Canada?
There are no laws in Canada against online poker. Some sites do not accept Canadian players because there are no regulations. This is especially true for sites based in the country.
No Canadians have ever been charged with playing online poker, nor have any players had their funds confiscated. There does not appear to be any serious discussion about changing the current online poker conditions in Canada with the exception of adding more provincial lottery games.
Is PokerStars available in Canada?
PokerStars, the world’s largest poker room, is available to players in Canada.
Do the Canadian provincial poker sites network players?
Yes, the sites associated with Canadian lotteries network players.
Can U.S. Residents Play Poker in Canada?
There are many U.S. online poker players that go to Canada. Some move there permanently, while others visit for weekends or special tournaments. U.S. players will need a passport to enter Canada. There are also restrictions on how long and often visits may take place.
- Large player traffic
- Above average quality of games
- Social, recreational player focused
- Third largest U.S. facing poker room with growing traffic.
- Excellent and consistent payment processing.
- Relatively juicy games.