History of online poker in Canada
Online poker has a long and rich history in Canada. The Great White North has been an online poker stronghold since many years now dating back all the way back to the establishment of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in 1996.
As of today, more than 250 different online gaming companies are licensed by the commission.
In addition to that, PokerStars, the biggest online poker site in the world, was founded by Canadian businessman Isai Scheinberg in 2001.
After Black Friday hit on April 15, 2011 many professional poker players and US pros moved to Canada as the country is unaffected by the shutdown.
In Canada it is legal to play Texas Hold’em or any other poker game you love.
Almost all online poker rooms are accepting Canadian residents and together with its astonishing natural beauty making it a dream location for poker players
This has already been the case for 25 years now since the iGaming industry took off in the nineties.
Is Online Poker legal in Canada?
Online poker is legal in Canada as long as the poker network or poker site is located offshore.
Canadian gambling laws apply, that’s why it is important to choose one of the six recommended Canadian poker sites on they are fully licensed, independently regulated and therefore most reliable.
Where the confusion lies is in local laws as legislation differs from state to state. In 2012, British Columbia launched the first regulated and fully legal online poker site casino in North America.
Due to the fact that the Canadian gambling market is regulated only residents of British Columbia can play at this poker room.
The best Canadian Poker Sites
As all of the bigger online poker sites are accepting Canadian residents, there is a huge variety of online poker rooms to choose from. That means, it is not easy to find the best Canadian poker site.
We want to make your life easier and limit the selection down to the six best Canadian poker sites, which are partypoker, GGPoker, Betfair, 888poker, Americas Cardroom and Natural8.
All of them fulfil the most important criteria such as great bonuses, traffic, software, security and rakeback.
So you can’t go wrong with either one of them and now it’s only a question of what you lay your focus on.
If you are looking for high traffic, a wide variety of cash games and tournaments and opportunities to qualify online for big live tournament series, then you should give GGPoker, 888poker or partypoker a try.
In case you are looking for the softest games and high percentage rakeback deals, Betfair, Americas Cardroom and Natural8 are your best bet.
The best Canadian Rakeback Deals and Poker Bonuses
As our aim at VIP-Grinders.com is to make playing online poker for real money most profitable, we have made an in-depth comparison of the rakeback and first deposit bonus of the Top 6 Canadian Poker Sites.
When it comes to rakeback, then Natural8, partypoker and GGPoker are clearly leading the pack. All three sites are giving you the chance to earn up to a massive 60% rakeback!
Comparing the first deposit bonus, it quickly becomes evident that Natural8 is a big step ahead of the competition as it is offering a staggering 200% up to $1,000, which means your maximum bonus amount is a whopping $2,000!
In second place is Americas Cardroom, which is also offering a fabulous welcome poker bonus of $1,000, followed by GGPoker with a $600 First Deposit Bonus.
As a conclusion our two GGNetwork Rakeback Deals offer the best poker bonus to rakeback ratio and therefore the biggest rewards of all Canadian Poker Sites.
- View all available rakeback deals here
- See the best poker bonuses
- Find out how to get free poker cash
- View the best poker freerolls
