Looking at The Different Gambling Options in Ontario Canada
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Ontario in Canada is one of the largest provinces in Canada and has one of the highest Canadian population.
Concerned at the indiscriminate betting by its citizens, the provincial government in Ontario has taken it upon itself to control the gambling industry. The Alcohol and Gambling Commission of Ontario (OLG) is the nodal body that not only controls the gambling activities but owns and runs casinos. At least ten land-based casinos are owned and operated by OLG. However, the quality of gambling services offered by these state-owned casinos is below par. This has driven the average gambler in Ontario to look for private players. There are plenty of them. There are also Ontario legalized online casinos that the citizens of Ontario can access, and even many good online casino sites located offshore.
Options Galore for Gambling
There is no shortage of avenues for gambling in Ontario. There are land-based casinos, online casinos, poker rooms and racing avenues where you can also bet on other sports.
You will have to stay within the law, follow the age and KYC (know your customer) regulations and so on. Since OLG keeps an oversight on the private players, the operators of these platforms generally fall in line. 'Responsible Gambling' is the expression you will often hear and flashed across the screens.
The government wants you to enjoy the freedom to make bets and gamble but with your eyes open. There may be unscrupulous elements or black sheep within the industry, and you should not fall prey to their machinations.
There are several gambling options available in Ontario like Bingo, Poker, Horse Racing, Electronic gaming machines and so on. Let us check out the most prominent types.
Local Casinos: Brick and Mortar Casinos
While playing in online casinos is fun and fast catching up as a trend, nothing comes close to the feeling of walking into a local casino and gambling alongside the richest of the rich. Playing in brick and mortar Ontario casinos are quite similar to playing in online casinos. The gameplay is pretty similar, and you can take a real look at the slot machines and table games like roulette, blackjack and more in land-based casinos.
Ontarians keen on gambling can visit the local brick and mortar casinos, all of which are run by the Alcohol and Gambling Commission of Ontario. These include OLG Casino Thunder Bay, OLG Casino Thousand Islands, OLG Casino Point Edward, Great Blue Heron Casino, OLG Casino Sault Ste-Marie, and OLG Casino Brantford. The Commission has not left you in any doubt as to who owns the local casinos by adding their name as the prefix. There are, in all, ten local casinos under the watch of the OLG.
For the record, however, there are privately owned local casinos in Ontario which you can visit and play your favorite games. Some of the names you will come across are Niagara, Caesar's Windsor, and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort.
Land-based casinos have been doing well in Ontario. People tend to love the real experience and thrill of visiting a casino just like they would love to go to a cinema or meet friends in certain places. The government of Canada has new plans for expansion of land-based casinos in Ontario and brick, and mortar casinos will continue to be successful despite the thriving online casino market.
Online Casinos: The Opportunities for Gambling Online
The aspect you will realize with the online casinos is that any geographical restrictions do not bound them. The only stipulation for players the gambling laws have included is that it is illegal to place bets in any unlicensed online casino. Now, most of the popular online casinos would have obtained their license to operate a casino from some physical location/country. Many of them would have registered in Malta, where the laws are more gambler friendly.
However, the challenge for the online casinos is that they must have the checks and balances in place to prevent the juveniles from being lured into gambling. They make a thorough verification of the age of the person before they permit him or her to place bets on their sites.
The other issue that the online casinos must be wary about is there is no money laundering of any kind going on on their site. To curtail this, online casinos have a stronger system of withdrawals from the account of individuals.
The new development is that online casinos in Ontario from the (4 April 2022) can get a gambling licensed from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
How Do Online Casinos Operate?
If you wish to make bets on an online casino, you will have to make registration first. The casino may employ their standard procedures to verify your credentials, and once they are satisfied, the casino will permit you to make the first deposit and start playing.
Online casinos invariably offer welcome bonuses. These can be in the form of cashback incentives on the amount you deposit or free spins on the slot machines. You may get a combination of both too, at some casinos.
You must read the thin lines to know how the bonuses can be claimed. The slot machines are very popular among online casino players. You can go on betting repeatedly since the minimum betting amount would be in fractions of dollars.
You will find the regular table games you have in land-based casinos in the online versions as well. These include your favorite games like poker. Some online casinos offer live dealers too. These will give the appearance of your being in a real casino and not a virtual one.
You can try your luck once in each of the games in an online casino. You will get to know where your skills lie. To know more about online casinos in Canada, and where you can play check out www.onlinecasinos.net
Yes, you need loads of luck and some skills too to make money in any online casino.
Bingo
Bingo is another game loved by Canadians a lot. Bingo can be played in two forms, namely Paper Bingo as well as Electronic Bingo. Yes, this game is now available in electronic form too. You pay and buy the coupons with the numbers on them and as the numbers are called out you keep striking them. If you are lucky, you will get a line of numbers right, and you click on the Bingo and yell 'Bingo' as well. They insist on your shouting 'Bingo' to claim the prize. This is a simple and uncomplicated game that anyone can play in online casinos.
Paper Bingo is obviously the traditional way of playing Bingo, as we all know. eBingo or Electronic Bingo is a new way of playing Bingo. Here you can either play Bingo both on your computer screen or by using paper cards. This game is very easy and real, especially when you play with your near and dear ones.
There are different types of Bingo games available, namely Lightning, Dual Dab and Super Jackpot. The lightning games are just like normal bingo games, and the only difference is the speed of calling, which is faster than regular bingo games. There is a 3-second interval between calling the balls.
Dual Dab Bingo card has 2 numbers in a square instead of just one. Players can consider marking the box if either of the two numbers is called out. The Super Jackpot game is playing alongside a regular Bingo event. Jackpot is given to those who complete specific patterns like a full card.
Apart from this, jackpots are awarded based on different styles of games termed as 'Progressive style games'. Accumulator game, Bonanza, Players Progressive Game, Tonnie Pot Progressive are some of the progressive style games. Break Open Tickets, Seal Card Game, Bingo Event Ticket Game are some of the other Bingo games.
To find some bingo halls in Ontario check out Google.ca
Poker
Poker players in Canada will find Ontario as the most attractive destination. The significant aspect is that Ontario boasts of more poker rooms per square kilometer than in any other province in Canada. More poker rooms can be found in the southern part of Ontario, closer to the US border.
Gamblers in Ontario will be thrilled to know that they can find a Poker Atlas, giving them the details of the poker rooms in and around their location. Toronto and Ontario have six poker rooms in all. There are usually poker tournaments held throughout the year. The details of the upcoming tournaments can also be found in the Poker Atlas.
These are the real poker rooms where you find people in flesh and blood playing the game. There are tournaments held in the Ontario poker rooms as well. These are referred to as poker rooms since each of them will have several tables where the game is played, and you can join and place bets.
Besides, these online poker rooms are also accessible to the locals, and it is entirely legal.
Horse Racing
Canada is a large country, and there is no dearth of space. So you will notice that Ontario has a number of race tracks all around the province. There are 7 in Central Ontario, 2 in the East and 6 in the South-West part of the province. All these are run by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Ajax Downs, Flamboro Downs, Georgian Downs and Woodbine Racetrack in the Central, Kawartha Downs and Rideau Carleton Raceway in the East and Clinton Raceway, Dresden Raceway and Hanover Raceway are some of the racetracks. The full list of names is not being included here. Apart from the racetracks, there are many shops you can place bets in Ontario.
There are certain basic rules one needs to understand while placing horse racing bets. You can place the bet from a self-serve terminal or by visiting a teller. There are 5 things you must know in order to place a bet namely, the name of the track, race number, how much you want to bet, what type of bet and the horse number on which you want to bet.
With these details, you can visit the teller and place a bet. If you are using a self-serve terminal, you have to first insert cash or card, enter the PIN, select the track to bet on, select the horse number, press the bet type (ex: WIN), tap the bet amount and then the race number and finally hit the 'Make BET' button which is green in color. Finally, you need to press the 'Finish with Receipt' button.
OLG works with Ontario racing to support the horse racing industry as well as promote horse racing. To know more about the upcoming horse races, locations of the racetrack, how to bet and so on, check out www.OntarioRacing.com. There are three different types of racing available, and races are guaranteed throughout the year. OLG supports horse racing in various ways. It manages the funds, takes care of the operational costs as well. It tries to grow the customer base and makes sure the future of the horse racing industry in Ontario is bright. This is achieved by maintaining good stakeholder relationships, contributions towards funding, helping the industry adopt the 'Responsible Gambling' program as well as branding and marketing.
Back in 2016, OLG set up a group called Performance Management Excellence Group, abbreviated as PMEG. This group is directed by OLD, and it also includes representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Alcohol and Gambling Commission, Ontario Racing, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation as well as Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
There Many Gambling Options in Ontario
There are various options for gambling in Ontario, and the five different types discussed above are the most popular ones. Apart from these, there are several other commercial gambling options such as lotteries, number games like Lotto, Keno, sports betting, electronic gaming machines (EGMs) and card games as well. Most of the gambling options are available both online as well as in physical venues.
Gambling can be classified into two broad types, namely Games of Chance and Games of Skill. One must learn about the best practices before gambling. The best practices are methods that often lead to desired outcomes by increasing the chances of winning. By committing to the best practices, you will use the empirical evidence available to result in a winning outcome. Apart from empirical evidence, practical knowledge and advice from experts also need to be considered.
