Mila Roy is a digital marketing expert who works as a content strategist at Gamblizard. Mila is also a big fan of gaming and eSports and loves to play Call of Duty, FIFA, and League of Legends. She is also an amazing blackjack and poker player and loves playing board games with her friends.
Over the past 20 years, businesses realized that going digital is the next logical step in their evolution. Additionally, having a website just for the sake of having it is not enough. It is extremely important that your site is optimized for mobile users in order to generate more traffic, especially if you are in the eCommerce or gaming industry. Casinos are a rare industry that can be digital-only, and that’s why we have so many different platforms with gambling content. One part of the world, where this form of entertainment is incredibly popular, is Canada. So, let’s see how this industry has evolved there over the years.
Canadians Love to Gamble
Even during the time of settlers, Canada was a place where people loved to gamble. The first settlers actually learned about the games that natives were playing to pass the time. It was a guessing game that was really easy to learn. However, when the regions or provinces were formed, the government wanted to ban gambling completely. These restrictions lasted for several decades but were later lifted.
Today each province gets to manage each gambling law, and most forms of gambling are allowed. In fact, Canada is among the countries that have the highest number of gamblers. They also have a high living standard and are pretty liberal so, this hobby doesn’t pose much of a risk for them in terms of financial well-being. In other words, they are an ideal market for online gambling operators.
Regulations
Even though online casinos are very popular in Canada, they are also illegal there. What this means is that there are no domestic gambling sites and that Canadian players are using platforms that are licensed and regulated in other companies. They do have a list of approved regulatory bodies, so there is some oversight when it comes to content available to their citizens. Considering how Canada is an amazing market for these businesses they invest a lot into localizing their platforms and making them more appealing to Canadian players.
Even though online gambling businesses are not permitted, Canada has a lot of beautiful land-based casinos. They contribute greatly to their economy and attract tourists. Since there are a lot of domestic fans these establishments are usually packed with guests and players.
Bonuses and Promotions
The online casino industry saw massive success thanks to its bonuses and promotions. This is what brings a lot of players in and gets them to talk about the site with their friends. Nowadays, players invest a lot of time to research the best gaming platform based on the bonuses they offer. The most popular casino bonus Canada players love to claim are deposit multipliers and free spins, with low wagering requirements. Additionally, they love operators who offer cashback promotions and that also reward returning users.
Operators noticed how users respond to these bonuses, and then created the offer that brings the best conversion rate. Nowadays, lots of sites or apps have very similar bonuses, as the industry has slowly developed a standard for this practice.
Sports Betting
An important element that played a role in the success of online casinos in Canada, is sports betting. Canadians eagerly welcomed these foreign operators, because they also offered sports betting options. Canadians love to watch hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and football, however, they have limited options when it comes to sports betting. They can only bet on multiple events and don’t have live betting options. This is something that is available in these online casinos and whenever there is a big sports event the traffic on these sites increases significantly.
Luckily, there has been some positive change in this field and the Canadian government is working on creating a regulatory framework to support more diverse sports betting options. However, they are still lagging behind and it will take some time before Canadians shift to domestic operators.
Conclusion
To reiterate, Canada is a target market for many online casino operators. They create content specifically tailored to this audience, in order to get more players. You can see a lot of slot games that have a hockey theme which is the most popular sport in Canada. Also, these sites and apps provide better content or entertainment compared to what’s available in Canada. As a result, it’s not difficult to attract a new batch of users each year, especially if you offer bonuses that are aimed at sports betting enthusiasts. So, the industry is likely to continue its growth here, since players are financially stable, and eager to spend more if needed.
