In April 2022, Ontario became the first province in Canada to legalise online gambling. This came after a long period of discussion and deliberation by the federal government. The final decision to give each of the province’s control over their own online gambling laws was a smart move. It freed the gambling-friendly provinces from their more conservative neighbours and allowed each province to enact laws that made their residents happy.
In the two years since legalisation, online casinos have been a success in Ontario. Players have embraced online casinos and recent data shows that they prefer to play at casinos that are regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). In fact, the amount wagered shows that Ontarians prefer to play at online casinos, even more than they enjoy online sports betting.
The reason most choose to play at a brand new online casino is because they offer the latest games hitting the market and have incorporated elements from already successful established platforms. However, it can be hard to know which new online casinos are worth trying.
Some states and provinces with legalised online gambling have very strict limits on how many operators are allowed to offer their services in the area. Ontario has gone a different route. They have established a transparent 14-step process for new casino brands to enter the market.
In this article, we’ll provide a brief synopsis of the things to look for when choosing a new online casino. Then we’ll go over some of the top new online casinos that have recently hit the Ontario market in 2024.
What to look for in a new online casino
When picking a new online casino, the first thing to check for is whether it is fully licensed. Offshore online casinos don’t have the same licenses and don’t have to follow the same rules. This means players don’t have the same protections. The AGCO’s website has a detailed list of all licensed online casinos.
Next, look at the game library. Most online casinos will have a large slot machine game library. This factor depends largely on personal preference. If you’re a player who enjoys classic table games, alternative card games like free cell, bingo, keno, or scratch cards, those are the games that you should look for. Also consider whether you want to play games with a live dealer, these are hugely popular but not every online casino invests in them.
Which payment methods an online casino accepts is important. The leading online casinos will only accept trusted methods that have customer protections. The most commonly accepted methods that players should look for are credit/debit cards, bank transfer, e-wallets, and established payment apps.
Transparency won’t change your playing experience, but it will help you know exactly what you’re getting into with each game. Most of the top online casinos make it clear what the average Return to Player Rate (RTP) is for each game and whether their games use Random Number Generator (RNG) software. The House always wins, but it’s nice to be able to know how much of a shot you have!
The last factor to consider is the security measures that the online casino has in place. Online casinos handle so much personal information and financial data that they are an attractive target for cyber criminals. Using SSL encryption is an essential step that online casinos should take to protect their customers from hacker attacks.
Keep reading to learn about some of the new online casinos that have caught our eyes recently:
FireVegas
FireVegas is a hot choice for players in Ontario. It was launched in 2022 and has rapidly gained a following of loyal players. They have a huge library of over 1,000 games. Nearly 800 of those games are slots, many from the top developers Microgaming, Golden Rock Studios, and Blueprint Gaming. They also have a good range of scratch cards and bingo games. Unfortunately, they don’t have an equally good selection of table games.
There are 6 accepted payment methods at FireVegas. The most popular ones are Interac, an e-transfer system, and Visa. There are no deposit or withdrawal fees. Withdrawals are processed in an average time of 48-72 hours. This is quite fast and is a nice change from some online casinos that take up to 10 business days.
FireVegas doesn’t have a dedicated app, which is frustrating for players who prefer app gaming. On the positive side, their site is fully optimised for both desktop and mobile play. Some Ontario-based players have reported temporary geo-blocking. Hopefully this issue will be addressed soon but it does seem to usually only be a temporary inconvenience.
Dream Vegas
Dream Vegas is like a little slice of The Vegas Strip right in your home. It’s a fun and flashy site with one of the biggest games libraries in the business. They have over 3,500 games — 2,600 slots, over 50 progressive jackpot games, 42 tables games, and 55 live games. That’s a ton of variety and means that even the pickiest player will be able to find a game they’ll enjoy. The only potential negative is that they don’t offer any exclusive games.
The site is fully optimised for mobile and desktop and impressively almost every single game is available on both. They also have an Android app. Though there is no iOS app, it’s likely that it will be coming soon. Many players enjoy having an app since it has everything in one place but some of us have app fatigue and resent having to download an app for everything. Whether or not this is an issue comes down to personal preference.
Customer support can be reached by email or through the 24/7 live chat feature. There is no customer support telephone number. More frustrating is that there is no Help Desk section. This is an oversight since these pages allow players to troubleshoot minor issues on their own.
SpinAway
The name gives it away – slots are the focus of SpinAway Casino. Out of the 1,600 games in their library, almost all of them are slot games. The rest of the games are table games and live casino games. There are enough options for the casual card player, but more serious card sharks will probably want to look elsewhere. The current game filtering options are limited, so players should be prepared to do a lot of scrolling.
The games at SpinAway are provided by 29 studios. This is fewer than many other industry leaders but thankfully most of their games come from top studios. You’ll find a lot of Pragmatic Play and Play’n Go games. They do not offer any exclusive games, which seems like a gap.
Similarly limited are the selection of payment methods. There are only 5 methods for deposits and 3 for withdrawals. The accepted methods are Visa, Mastercard, Interac, bank transfer, and MuchBetter. It is disappointing not to see more payment apps. Possibly to make up for the lack of options, SpinAway processes deposits and withdrawals very quickly. Deposits are typically processed instantly, and withdrawals are usually processed within 48 hours.