Online Gambling Frequently Asked Questions

Online casino winnings count as windfalls under Canadian law and don’t need to be reported on your taxes. However, if you are a professional gambler, winnings are taxable and will need to be reported as your main source of income.

There are no limits for casual players when it comes to tax-free casino winnings. You only need to worry about paying taxes if you’re a professional, and the amounts concerned vary from province to province.

As much as you can! As long as you’re not a professional gambler, you can win a huge jackpot and still not need to pay any taxes.

Only if you’re a professional gambler who treats gambling as your main source of income. In this case, you’re considered to be running your own business as a gambler and will need to pay taxes on your winnings.

No, you don't need to declare winnings from bingo or any online casino games in Canada. Canadians don't have to pay any tax on online gambling winnings.

No, since casino winnings are not considered taxable income in the vast majority of cases.

Yes, as professional gamblers are considered to be running their own freelance businesses and using gambling as their main source of income.

However, this is still a bit of a complicated area as all of a gambler's losses can be deducted from the overall taxable income. That means that the Canada Revenue Agency is quite slow to audit and process the taxes of pro gamblers.

Sadly for Canadians, taxes do apply on winnings in the US. You'll automatically pay taxes on winnings of more than $1,200 USD.

Only if you use an illegal site that is based in Canada. If you’re gambling at any other legitimate online casino, you are not in any danger of getting into trouble.

Most of the legislation about online gambling in Canada concerns the casino owners and operators, rather than the players. So you don't need to worry, as long as you're playing at legal sites.

• Alberta, Quebec, and Manitoba – 18+
• All other provinces – 19+

This depends where you're going and the site you use. You may not be able to access certain online casinos in certain countries. Different countries also have their own laws in place, so it's important to do your research on the destination to learn more before gambling abroad.

If you're gambling with a trusted, licensed online casino, then the bookies have to pay out as long as you follow their rules and terms.

There are some less trustworthy sites out there that aren't licensed and make up their own rules to trick players, so we always recommend gambling with a reliable site.

• This is a question of personal preferences
• Many online casino games such as slot machines are based on luck, while sports betting is more knowledge-based
• Big sports fans can make a lot of money through betting, but players who enjoy the thrill of games like roulette and blackjack will prefer online casinos

• Blackjack is one of the best games. With a good blackjack strategy, the house edge is only around 0.5% so it's a perfectly fair contest between the player and the dealer. It's almost a 50/50 shot each time.

• European or French roulette are other good options if you bet on red or black, as you get almost a 50% chance of winning. These two roulette variations also have only one zero, unlike American roulette which has two.

Roulette (European and French) and blackjack generally have the best odds, with almost a 50% chance of winning in both cases.

This can vary, depending on the online casino you choose and the rules in place.

The odds of winning the Canadian National Lottery are 1 in almost 14 million. The odds for Lotto Max are even higher at 1 in 33 million.

• If you want the best chance of winning, choose blackjack or roulette (European or French)
• If you like something more strategy and skill-based, poker is a good option
• Try a few games for free and see which one you like best

Yes, many online casinos offer dozens or even hundreds of video slot machines with real money payouts.

A progressive jackpot is a public slots machine prize that increases each time a certain game is played, without the jackpot being won. These jackpots build up higher and higher over time until someone eventually wins them, and then they get reset.

One lucky player, referred by OnlineGambling.ca, won a whopping CA$5.9 million playing the popular Mega Moolah slot game at Jackpot City Casino in August 2019.

The moneyline is one of the most common and simple sports bets you can place. If you bet on the moneyline, you're betting on one team to win the game, without any additional conditions.

• The term 'line' also means 'point spread', and is a type of sports betting in which the bookie gives the favourite team a handicap and the underdog team a boost to essentially make the game more balanced. This encourages gamblers to bet more frequently on underdogs.
• For example, if an NFL team has a line bet of +7.5, it means they're the underdog and you'll win the bet, even if they lose by 7 or fewer points.

Sports betting in Canada is only legal online. So, if you want to wager on your favourite sporting teams and events, you need to do it on the internet.

Our top 5 recommended sports betting sites are:

• Betway Sports
• 888Sport
• BetVictor
• SportsBetting
• Casumo

The + and - help gamblers to easily identify favourites and underdogs, as well as showing how much they stand to win from a bet. The side of the bet with a - sign shows the favourite and will pay off less than the original wager. The side with the + sign shows the underdog and pays out more than the wager.

You can use the resources at OnlineGambling.ca to compare welcome bonuses for different casinos. Sometimes, a bonus might seem big and tempting, but has difficult requirements to access, so it's wise to do your research and compare offers.

Each site will explain how to access its welcome bonus. Usually, you just need to create an account.

You might need to enter a promo code while making the account and then make your first deposit. The bonus(es) should apply automatically from there.

Read the details for each welcome bonus offer to learn more about it. The most trusted online casinos will state the requirements for their bonuses very clearly.

It depends. Some of these offers are great and they all provide you with free cash to use. However, some welcome bonuses seem better than they really are as you don't get the free money straight away and have to 'unlock' it by playing a lot of games or placing many bets.

Safety isn't really a worry on the trusted, licensed online gambling sites, such as our recommended ones. These sites use state of the art encryption technology to protect your data.

No, as many sites will accept debit cards, direct transfers, and other options like PayPal or Skrill.

This can vary from site to site. Some casinos are speedy with their withdrawals and get money to you in just a couple of days. Others may take a week or longer.

Both methods are equally safe, but some people prefer the privacy advantages of online platforms.

Not always. On Canadian sites, Canadian Dollars are used. On many international sites, however, transactions are usually carried out in US Dollars, Euros, or British Pounds.

PlayNow is a Canadian gambling site operated by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. It's one of the few legal online gambling sites based in Canada.

Always play at licensed online casinos. Do your research and find safe, trusted sites. OnlineGambling.ca can help you find the most reliable and safe places to play.

This depends on your personal preference. It's a great idea to try out a few different platforms and play for free for a little while at first to find your favourites.

Yes, most gambling sites and online casinos run on Macs. They often have their own specific Mac software clients or simply-run sites that can be viewed in Safari or other browsers on your Mac.

Here are just some of the key signs that you may be developing a gambling problem or addiction:

• Spending more than you can afford
• Arguing with friends or family about gambling
• Thinking about gambling very often
• Needing to gamble on a daily basis
• Always trying to win back your losses
• Lying about your gambling to others
• Feeling stressed or anxious
• Losing interest in other hobbies or interests

Gambling addiction is a serious problem that can lead to devastating consequences, so if you think you have an issue with gambling, there are several helplines you can call via the Canada Safety Council.

You can also open up to friends and family members and ask for help with your addiction.