MENUBest Canadian Poker Gambling Sites
Canada is one of the major markets for online poker. All the biggest international poker sites accept Canadians and accept deposits in Canadian dollars. Although it is illegal to run a poker site in Canada, it is not illegal to play. The Canadian government generally allows citizens to do with their own money as they wish.
If you call Canada home, you can visit any of the following poker sites to play for real money today. Getting started is as easy as signing up for an account and making a deposit. Doing so will give you access to hundreds of tables and tens of thousands of players.
| Rank | Gambling Site | Exclusive Bonus | Get Started | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |
|
100% Up To $1,000 | Visit Site | BetOnline Poker |
| #2 |
|
100% Up To $500 | Visit Site | Bovada Poker |
| #3 |
|
100% Up To $1,000 | Visit Site | SB Poker |
| #4 |
|
100% Up To $1,000 | Visit Site | Ignition Poker |
The State of Online Poker in Canada
Online poker is booming in Canada thanks to lax laws and numerous high quality poker sites. For the most part, Canadian law ignores online poker. There are laws on the books that make it illegal to own poker sites on Canadian soil, but citizens are free to play. For that reason, almost all of the big international sites accept Canadians.
Things are going so well in Canada that we have even seen a number of American pros move to Canada just to play poker. The rooms that accent Canadian citizens also accept players from the UK and much of Europe. So even though Canada’s population is relatively small, you will never suffer from a lack of competition when playing online.
You can log in to any of the above poker rooms and find hundreds of tables open at all stakes. Day or night, it doesn’t matter. You’ll find micro stakes cash games, high stakes tables and tournaments at all levels. Even the biggest brick-and-mortar poker rooms have nothing on the selection offered at the above poker sites.
Is it safe to play online poker in Canada?
Yes – as long as you stick with established poker rooms. Some of the biggest online poker sites have been in business for nearly 15 years now. These sites hold licenses to operate real money games and they always honor withdrawal requests.
However, it is not safe to play at small, unregulated poker sites. Just because a website claims to do business in Canada does not mean it is licensed, safe or has any real history behind it. To ensure your safety, always play at Canadian sites that are established.
CAD Poker Sites
The one thing that’s lacking in Canada is the ability to play online poker in CAD. You can deposit and withdraw in Canadian dollars, but you probably won’t ever see actual Canadian dollars trading hands at the table.
In most cases, what happens is that when you join a table, your Canadian dollars are exchanged for whichever currency is in use at that table (usually USD or Euro). You will play in that currency at that table, and then your money will be exchanged back to CAD when you leave the table.
Overall, it’s a minor inconvenience. You can deposit, play and withdraw just like everyone else. The only issue is it can be a little distracting to play in a foreign currency. Most people find that they get used to it after a while. Just look at it like you’re playing with chips at a live poker room.
It would be nice to play in CAD, but you have to remember most poker rooms accept players from dozens of countries. The site owners do not want to fracture their own sites by hosting tables with dozens of different currencies. Not only would that be confusing, but it would also greatly limit table selection for everyone.
Are These Really the Best Places to Play?
Absolutely. We have hands-on experience with all of our top-listed poker sites and we can confirm that they are indeed the best poker sites on the internet. You don’t have to take our word for it. Just run a Google search and you’ll see that most people agree with us.
At the very minimum, a poker site must be able to keep your funds safe. In addition to our own experience, we research the history of each poker room before listing it here. We look for things like player complaints, slow withdrawals and other issues that indicate financial trouble or shady behavior.
Note that we do not push unsafe poker sites here at GamblingSites.net. We do not simply list the highest bidder like some websites do. We would like to earn your long term trust the old-fashioned way: by providing you with quality recommendations and truthful reviews.
