Difference Between Canadian and USA Casinos

The United States and Canada made up most of the North American continent. Although both countries consider themselves neighbors, they have always competed against each other when it comes to certain things, and this is despite sharing many things in common. 

Some of their similarities come in the form of the various land-based casinos spread across the North American continent. However, looking closely, you’ll see the differences between the two jurisdictions. While both countries have a long and deep history of gambling at casinos, in this article, we will be looking at some of their differences.

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Legalization

Back in 2006, the United States established the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act, which made it illegal for casinos to accept deposit transactions from players in the US. Any $10 minimum deposit casino sites would only work if the players can deposit funds into their accounts. This was changed in 2011 when a new interpretation of the Gambling Act was dropped by the Attorney general. Following this, individual states can now license and regulate online casino sites, and players can choose to review the sites and pick the perfect one before interacting with them. Back then, all sites were accepted except sportsbooks, but that also changed in 2020.

The gambling laws in Canada are quite different. Gambling within its borders is a grey area as the authorities don’t license or regulate any online gambling site. Due to this, offshore casinos have been free to operate and are accessible to most Canadians. Some of these offshore platforms even accept payments in Canadian Dollars.

Regulation & Taxation 

Players are bound to get lucky and secure huge jackpots every once in a while, but the amount you get to walk out with varies depending on the country you’re gambling from. 

In Canada, the Canucks are allowed to walk away with their whole winnings when they are lucky enough to win big at a Canadian online casino, as they are non-taxable. This is because the government doesn’t regulate online gambling houses, except the Ontario government, so it will take nothing from the players.

However, the same cannot be said for gamblers in the United States. When you win in this region, the operator will fill out Form W-2G to tell the authorities about your winnings, and 24% will be deducted from it. Your deductions can be claimed if you can prove that you make the most of your income from gambling.

Operators

With the USA gambling market being regulated, not many offshore sites will get the licenses to operate within the country. But those that operate can only do so in states like Nevada, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and New Jersey. DraftKings, Betfair-FanDuel, ROAR, and SugarHouse-Rivers are the local operators with the biggest market share within the United States.

In Canada, however, offshore casinos have been free to roam about within the country’s borders due to its lack of regulation. This also makes it hard for Canadians to differentiate between legitimate casinos and fake ones. PlayOLG, PlayAlberta, and PlayNow are the leading operators in Canada.

Casino Games

There are different varieties of games available in both countries from roulette and slots to poker and baccarat. However, in the United States, you will be limited in the number of game providers like NetEnt, Microgaming, Playtech and Quickspin as they are not allowed to offer their games to American players. However, they are all available in Canada.

Conclusion

While both are neighbouring countries, their gambling space is quite different from each other. This is evident in the taxation, legalization, and number of operators available in both countries. You can come to the conclusion that the Canadian market is more welcoming to offshore casinos, which also means more games, more bonuses, and more game providers. But, it is also vulnerable to scam casinos, so you should be extremely careful with it. The US gambling space, on the other hand, is strictly regulated and it deducts 24% of player’s winnings from the tax authorities. However, its strict regulation means lesser game choices but safe and secure sites to gamble.