Online Casino British Columbia

4/13/2022 admin

In British Columbia, any Canadian over the age of 19 is able to gamble, whether at a physical or online casino. Best of all, winnings from gambling are tax-free. British Columbia is famous for its skiing, golf and beautiful scenery, and now you can add quality online casino gaming to the list too! When it comes to finding the best online casino in Canada, every Canadian player has their own list of requirements that they want out of their online gambling experience.

British Columbia Weather
Online Casino British Columbia Canada

Welcome!. Here you will find the most up to date information on online casino British Columbia gaming. You'll find top sites for Canadian players as well as being able to read expert reviews. All sites we recommend allow you to play real money with no download on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android smartphones and tablets. Our list of BC legal sites offer extreme player protection and the best possible experience.

The province was the first Canadian province to make sites legally available and they offer a variety of land-based establishments. If you prefer to play from the comfort of your home, BC legal sites are a great choice and we'll help you find the one that is right for you and your money.

The Best British Columbia Online Casino

The best British Columbia online casino site is available for players aged 19 and over and we have plenty to choose from. Our experts work hard to rate and review BC legal operators all and we only recommend the very best sites. We rate all the British Columbia online casino sites according to strict criteria which include:

Welcome bonuses - we check British Columbia online casino sites offer valuable bonuses for all players.
Customer Support - we check for 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support at BC legal sites.
Game Variety - we see that all games you want are included such as slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and video poker.
Software - we look at the reputation and reliability of software providers and how the software can be accessed. We offer download- and instant-play software at the best British Columbia online casinos.
Banking - we review the recommended sites offer Canada friendly banking options including Instadebit.
Safety and Security - we review the security protocol, SSL encryption, and that RNG is certified fair.
Mobile Gaming - all BC legal casino games can be enjoyed on mobile devices including iPhone and Android. We present apps and whether games can be played with no download in your browser.

Our British Columbia online casino experts do all the hard work for you so you don't have to. You will find plenty of top lists for everything from BC legal gambling operators to top deals and spins. We know you don't want to waste time trawling through hundreds of casino sites. Find information on progressive jackpots, best mobile sites, and much more.

British Columbia Online Casino - PlayNow

Some provinces that have restrictions for online gambling, but this province is not one of them. Gambling is regulated by the BCLC and for residents looking to get in on online gambling action they can sign up for an account with PlayNow the provincially run BC legal websites. At PlayNow they have access to slots and table games. Read our in-depth PlayNow review right here and enjoy a BC legal experience and start winning some great payouts.

Bonuses and Promotions for Members

When you sign up for a new players account at BC legal sites you get access to some great bonuses and promotions. Each BC legal site will have different offers available and these can change often. The best sites will offer new bonuses every week or month, so there are always great way to get some free funds or free spins. New player and regular player offers include:

No Deposit Promotions - This is usually reserved for new BC legal players and test out the site risk-free. When you register for a money account the BC legal site gives you free cash to try out games. Wagering requirements and terms and conditions to adhere to but you can win money too. Some British Columbia online casino sites will require to use bonus codes but these will be clearly stated. Check out our top no deposit bonus for Canadian players.
Free Spins - These bonus offers are perfect for slots fans. They can be given as a no purchase bonus, part of a welcome package, and as a regular bonus for all players. Some spins offers are for a certain slot machine and others allow you to play a selection of games. Check out our top BC legal free spins offers today. You will also find that leading sites will offer a free spins promotion to Canadian players when a new slot game is released. This is a great way to test a new game without depleting the bankroll and you can win some great payouts using these bonus deals.
Deposit Promotions - Deposit bonuses for new and returning players at BC legal casino sites. Players get a welcome bonus which is a percentage match on their first deposit. There are welcome packages too where players get bonuses on their first number of deposits at the casino. Reload bonuses are also available. Again, these will have terms and conditions and wagering requirements.

Other promotions at online casino British Columbia sites can include weekly and monthly cashback offers, loyalty programs with comp points for every game, and prize giveaways. There are many types of offers that can be enjoyed when you play at a British Columbia online casino. Sites are always competing for loyal customers, so you will find some high paying bonus deals that will appeal to frequent players.

Sites with Free Play Options

Playing for free is a great way to learn about new games, try out new strategies, or just have fun. BC legal gambling sites allow players to play free using demo versions of games. Play free slots, free blackjack games, roulette, and video poker. See how to trigger bonus rounds, how long your bankroll would last playing progressive jackpots. This is a great way to practice before playing for real money and have a list of the very best free casino sites for players here.

Mobile Casinos For BC Legal Gambling

If you are a fan of mobile gaming you'll be happy to know the majority of sites now offer a mobile casino too. You still get to enjoy all your favorite games, claim bonus and promotional offers, and deposit and withdraw like ease. You can enjoy the instant play in your mobile browser or download the free mobile casino app from the iOS or Android App Store. Play on the go no matter where you are and enjoy all your favorite slots and table games. We offer a list of mobile casinos for Canada plus expert reviews of the same here. Play on iPhone, iPad, or Android smartphone or tablet for cash and for free.

Sign Up and Play Today

With some amazing BC legal options, there are some excellent ways to begin wagering to win awesome payouts. With our list of the most trusted online gambling sites, you will be able to fid top-rated software, new game releases, trusted and secure payments, top-notch customer support, great paying promos, and mobile access. Ready to play some of the best games in the industry? Choose a license and regulated site today and sign up!

Advertiser Disclosure

Our priority is to provide reliable and valuable information to help readers make the right choice in the world of online casinos. CasinoNow Canada is a free casino portal for our visitors, but we do make some money by dealing with casino partners for our maintenance. Nevertheless, this doesn’t effect the results of our tests and reviews in any way. Our experts always carry out unbiased assessments of the various online casino topics. We provide you with rankings of the best online casinos according to the selection criteria. Our main goal is to provide reliable guidance to our loyal readers so that they can have the best gaming experience.

James Taylor

April 19, 2021

19 min read

Our priority in CasinoNow Canada is to guarantee locals an excellent experience playing online casinos. Our tests & reviews are always unbiased. Sometimes an online casino is 100% convincing and we decide to partner with it. However, this does not affect the objectivity of our assessment.

Important information: this article was written for information purpose only. It’s not advertising and shall never be considered a legal consultation. In order to get more detailed information, we kindly recommend you to contact local authorities and regulating bodies of your country.

British Columbia (BC) is the south-western part of Canada located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Astonishing nature and the rich history of this place will keep amused and entertained both the local people and the most experienced travelers. Furthermore, this place has one great advantage. In fact, one is able to participate in various games of fortune and gambling as in traditional as well as in online casinos. As usually, our guide will help you to understand all the pitfalls of gambling in this province. You will be able to choose one of the best websites to spend your time with the highest level of comfort.

Gambling in the province at a glance
Gambling laws of the BC
History of gambling in the BC at a glance
Regulating authority
Casinos in British Columbia: the list of available offers and opportunities
How to check the license (permit)?
How to check a casino
Deposits and withdrawals in online casinos
Conclusion

Gambling in the province at a glance

Existing casinos: there are as traditional casinos (the majority of them are located right next to Vancouver), as well as online ones (PlayNow is the official website of the province; at the same time, one is able to use a huge variety of foreign websites as well)
Key laws in the field of gambling: Gaming Control Act
The minimum required age of the players: 19
In 2017 and 2018 the overall income of the gambling industry reached $1.4 billion, while the majority of this amount was generated by the traditional casinos (according to the official statistics published by GPEB)
Regulating authority: Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch of The Ministry of Finance (GPEB)

Help and support services for players:

Contact information of the regulating authority: one shall use it in order to get additional information as well as to file a complaint against a casino.
British Columbia Problem Gambling Information and Referral Service 1-888-795-611 (call it if you feel that gambling became a problem or even an addiction in your life).
Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program (VSE) – if you want to keep yourself or another person from playing for a while or forever (mailing address: BC Lottery Corporation Manager, Casino Security and Surveillance, 74 W. Seymour Street, Kamloops, BC V2C 1E2; mail: selfexclusion@bclc.com).
The website to file complaints related to the violation of the consumer’s rights.
Resources with useful information and links, which can be used by the players in trouble: GameSense, British Columbia Responsible & Problem Gambling Program.

1. Gambling laws of the BC

The key law in the BC is the Gaming control act (GCA) that was adopted in order to allow the province create and hold gambling venues on its territory in accordance with the Federal Laws of Canada (more detailed information about gambling regulation in Canada).

In accordance with the GCA, the following forms of legal gambling are allowed in the BC:

One-time gambling events carried out in order to support various social and charity projects. GPEB has to issue licenses in order to perform such events.
‘Charitable gambling’ – non-commercial organizations are allowed to perform such games of fortunes on a regular basis in casinos and gambling venues. In order to make it, they have to get a grant that is valid for one year. Only the non-commercial companies from the following fields are allowed to get such grants: Arts and Culture, Sport, Environment, Public Safety, Human and Social Services, Parent Advisory Councils and District Parent Advisory Councils (these organizations are aligned with schools).
State gambling – the authorities of the province are allowed to create their own casinos managed by a state corporation. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is the authority of the BC that serves as an agent in the field of gambling and games of fortune in the province.
Private companies and individuals are not allowed to create their own gambling venues; however, they are allowed to be beneficiaries of casinos and gambling houses by using governmental or licensed gambling venues (they can supply required equipment or services, as well as work in the casinos). In order to make it, all of them have to be registered in the GPEB.

Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (BPCPA) – don’t forget about your rights as a consumer, and remember that every casino is nothing but a service provider, which has to observe your legal rights.

Important information: the province established a special body to protect the rights of the consumers called Consumer Protection BC. This body serves as a regulating authority in all fields, except gambling. As a result, this body is not able to process complaints about the violations in the field of gambling (this is the area of the GPEB, which we are going to discuss a bit further). At the same time, one is able to address their issues to the Consumer Protection BC in case if their rights (BPCPA) were violated. One can use a special website to file a complaint against a violator.

History of gambling in the BC at a glance

1974

the following provinces create the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC): British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

1982

the official launch of the 6/49 lottery, which was the first nationwide lottery in Canada. WCLC launched this lottery on behalf of four different provinces.

1985

after 10 years of cooperation in the frames of WCLC, the BC decided to create its own company in order to manage lotteries within the province: British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC).

1997

first legal slot-machines were installed in the province. The very first slot machines were officially launched in the Great Canadian Casino Newton in Surrey. BCLC is delegated with all powers to manage casinos and lotteries. The province offers an opportunity to obtain a license in the field of charitable gambling.

1998

BCLC starts to control all the table games in the casinos, as well as takes control over all the games in all the casinos in the province.

2004

the creation of PlayNow.com – the first website in Canada that offers online games and the ability to purchase various lotteries.

2010

PlayNow.com becomes the first website that offers regulated online gambling games in North America.

2011

BCLC and Loto-Québec launch the peer-to-peer poker game.

Regulating authority

Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch of The Ministry of Finance (GPEB) is a department within the local government responsible for the regulation of the gambling field in the province. This authority was established in 2002 in order to substitute the BC Gaming Commission.

The GPEB controls the issuance of all licenses and grants as well as registers companies and individuals in order to work in the field of gambling within the province. In addition, the GPEB controls and supervises the process of gambling all around the province. As a result, one has to file all the complaints related to the games of fortune and online casinos to the GPEB.

Casinos in British Columbia: the list of available offers and opportunities

Local operators

Traditional gambling in the BC includes a wide range of gambling venues: casinos, bingo halls and community gaming centres (slot machines, bingo games, lotteries, table games and additional services, such as cafes and restaurants), race tracks and teletheatres (betting halls, where you can watch various sports on giant TVs). The majority of gambling venues are located right next to Vancouver, e.g. Coquitlam.

Type of licenses and how to check them:

In the BC, the so-called ‘licenses’ can be issued only for a one-time event or a series of events (only related to various charitable and social programs and activities). There are four types of licenses: A, B, C, and D. The type of the license depends on the amount of money that the organizer wants to collect, as well as from the number of prizes and ticket prices.
One-year grants (can be issued only for non-commercial organizations working within the frames of charitable projects related to a specific area of the market);
State casinos (they don’t need licenses because their activity is governed by the law).
Registration is a form of license for private companies intended to allow them to cooperate with state or licensed casinos in order to provide services or equipment, as well as to work in the field of gambling.

How to check the license (permit)?

One can use a special website to check the validity of the license. Furthermore, the list of all licensed venues is published on the official website of the GPEB (information about horse races is located on a separate portal). In addition, the BC offers a service that allows checking the current status of legal entities and individuals registered in the field of gambling (suppliers or workers of the casinos and gambling houses).

Online gambling

The BC has its own online casino called ‘PlayNow’. This casino is managed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and is positioned by the local authorities as to the unique legal website for gambling activities in the province. Types of gambling permitted in the gambling venues of the province (source GPEB Annual report 2017/2018). At the same time, one is able to use a huge variety of other websites operated by foreign companies. We are going to talk about them below.

Licensed online casinos registered in different jurisdictions

While in BC, one is able to use a wide range of gambling websites operated by licensees from foreign countries.

Important information: such operators and website are able to offer your more games and gambling types because they are not limited to the requirements and restrictions mentioned above. For example, one can easily find multiplayer games in foreign online casinos. In addition, you are free to play with people from all around the world, while getting more prizes because you are not limited to the frames of the province. This is simple logic: the more players the website has, the higher is the number of bets and prizes. One can easily check it by going to one of the most popular gambling websites.

Are such casinos legal in terms of the laws of Canada and British Columbia? They are in the “gray zone” of Canadian regulation – the laws do not stipulate that their activities are prohibited or allowed.

Over the years, the provincial authorities (like the federal authorities) have not taken any measures to ban private online operators and restrict access to their sites. Therefore, at the moment, these sites are not prohibited. In addition, there are illustrative practical examples, which speak in favor of the legality of foreign online operators. In any case, participation in online gambling is not an offense on the part of the player.

Licenses: foreign operators must be licensed by a foreign jurisdiction in which gambling is legal. Most often these are licenses of smaller European states, for example Malta or the Isle of Man. A license obtained in the United Kingdom is recognized as authoritative one.

Can you trust such operators? Yes, you can, since many countries place very high demands on their license applicants. But of course, you cannot trust everyone. As with any industry, there are great deals from reliable companies; but there are also those that should be avoided. Therefore, before you make a choice and start the game, always verify the casino and its operator. Recommendations on how to verify the casino and how to choose the foreign online casino can be found below.

Online casino with Kahnawake license

The legal status of both the Kahnawake license and casinos working under such licenses was never challenged by the local and federal authorities. As a result, one can participate in the activity of Kahnawake licensed venues without any issues.

Licenses: The Kahnawake has its own regulating authority called the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KWG). The KWG is responsible for the issuance of the licenses. At the same time, the KWG has to process all the complaints and disputes between the players and the casinos.

The detailed list of the licenses issued by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KWG) with the names of the companies and their websites can be found in a special section of their website. More detailed information about the Kahnawake gambling, the KWG licenses and ways to check them can be found here.

How to check a casino

Below one can find short instructions, which will help you to check the legal status of the casino. More detailed information about the process of casino checking as well as the main pitfalls and the most useful information can be found in our article here. Furthermore, while browsing our website, you can easily find a lot of useful information about the process of casino registration in different countries, as well as about the ways to check the validity of casinos in specific jurisdictions.

Basic recommendations:

Check the license.
Check the deposit and withdrawal systems, including the terms of payment, accounts to store your funds, supported payment providers and protective measures.
Check the level of protection of your private data, including the Privacy Policy of the company and its rights to process your personal information.
Check the beneficiary of the website and its location (registration); the information about the company has to be published on the website (usually, it’s located right next to the license number). After that, we recommend checking the legal state and the existence of the company by using special services.
Check the ways to file complaints and settle disputes: the best casinos will offer you an alternative (faster) way of dispute resolution in order to avoid long legal wrangling.
Check the certification of the software performed by special testing companies.
Check the level of social responsibility of the casino: the best of them won’t squeeze your last money in order to leave ‘a desert’ after their activity. The most reliable casinos are simply obliged to limit your (or someone’s) access to the game or block it (the BC has its own Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program).

In addition, all the casinos are obliged to provide support for players and participate in various social and non-commercial projects related to the key problems of gambling. You shall trust only socially responsible casinos. All the mentioned information has to be published on the website of the casino (in the majority of cases, it can be found in the footer or in the side menu) or in their Terms and Conditions.

Important information: we also recommend checking all the information offered at the website of the operator or the casino. Spend some time to check the validity of the license by using special registries offered by the license issuing jurisdictions.

Important information: while choosing a foreign casino, always check the registration country of the operator and the location of the company because all the disputes and issues will be solved in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions.

In the case of the dispute, one can address the KWG within Canada, while in case of litigation, you will need to find other ways.

Deposits and withdrawals in online casinos

The BC offers the same range of payment solutions as casinos in Canada.

Important information: If you want to make a transaction for $10,000 or more, the operators have to request detailed information about the origin of your funds in order to comply with the anti-money laundering rules.

No taxation: your revenues and profits are non-taxable (except professional gamblers).

Conclusions

Online gambling is more than affordable and accessible in BC, so you will never lose your opportunity to play games of fortune. At the same time, you need to remember that the overall quality of the game depends on the reliability of the casino. Be wise and play responsibly.

Short facts about the province

Capital: Victoria
The largest city: Vancouver
The date of adhesion to Canada: July 20, 1871.
The population of the province: more than 5 million people (according to the latest version of the official statistics). Almost half of them is located near Vancouver (the overall population of Vancouver is around 700 thousand citizens). There are more than 200 Indigenous Peoples living in the BC, while Chinese and Punjabi languages are the most popular after English.
Immigration: the BC is a relatively popular destination for immigrants from other countries: according to the official statistics more than 40,000 people come to the BC annually to stay. Immigrants are able to use convenient support and information services related to immigration and life in the province.
Climate: one of the warmest in Canada (by taking the average annual temperature into account). However, one may face severe frost in the inner regions and in the north of the province.
Popular touristic destinations: the province has 14 national parks and reserves, including 7 national parks of Canada (such as Glacier National Park, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve or Mount Revelstoke National Park). In addition, the BC offers a huge number of local parks and astonishing hiking routes with special places for recreation. Local authorities created convenient resources for travelers in order to inform them and help to plan their future trips.
Transportation: the province offers different types of transport means: one can travel by air, by sea, and by land. More detailed information about all transportation means of the province can be found on the special website called Travelling in B.C.

In case if you need some help to choose the best casino, you can use the rating of the most reliable casinos with a wide range of astonishing features and the highest levels of security and protection.

James Taylor (author)

About the author

Chief Editor

james_taylor@casino-now-canada.com

British Columbia Weather

James Taylor