Playing online Poker is more than an entertainment-based activity for many people around the globe. It is also a money-making opportunity, with the same true for Canadians, who got acquainted with the world’s most popular card game in the 19th century when it moved from Europe to North America. However, the 1892 Criminal Code quickly ended the joy of Great White North residents freely partaking in this gambling option, as it banned all forms of betting except for part-mutual racetrack wagering. Yet, things began to change in the 1970s, when provinces started to pass their laws regarding if they would regulate gambling or not, including poker. Many have now chosen to legalize this pastime and even explore the internet side of this industry.
Moreover, even home games for real money get allowed in Canada. That is accurate as long as their organizers do not get paid a rake for providing their services. Thus, it should come as no surprise that North America’s largest country has given birth to multiple high-quality players like Daniel Negreanu, Timothy Adams, Sam Greenwood, and Jonathan Duhamel. The live tournament winnings of these four alone surpass over $100 million, enticing more and more Canadians to pick up this gambling hobby both online and offline.
Is Online Poker Legal in Canada
As with land-based gambling legislation, rules concerning online action in Canada can vary from province to province. That said, most, like Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario, allow people to test their luck and skill for real money online. Thus, the number of sites that offer poker in Canada is vast, and this offer comprises both high-quality offshore sites and local platforms. The latter’s range depends on a gambler’s province. For example, in Quebec, card aficionados can play real money poker using the OK Poker app available to all residents of legal age. That is dedicated software developed by Loto-Québec.
The overall gambling sector in Canada pulls in annual revenues of over $12 billion. Despite the relative novelty of internet betting fun in the country, online gameplay’s contribution to the industry’s revenue figures is significant, and it grows year on year.
Online Poker Tournaments
Virtually all gambling sites with a poker section run daily, weekly, or monthly card competitions. Many also have organized leagues. Still, the most reputable organizers of online tournaments are the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. There are the top poker brands hosting dozens of events around the globe on an annual schedule. Online, their contests get held at their or various partnered poker sites. Aside from cash prizes, they also provide winning players’ entry to televised competitions held at brick-and-mortar venues.
The World Poker Tour was founded in 2002, and it operates a series of international contests, each of which features a final table. Online, WHAT’s ClubWPT provides $100,000 in cash prizes per month and a bonus opportunity to win a cool million at a WPT Main Tour Event. The World Series of Poker is undoubtedly the most recognizable poker brand on the planet, which got up and running in 2004, though its roots can be traced back to the 1970s and the Horseshoe Casino on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. Online, they run multiple-day championships in specific periods of the year, a different one starting each day, with buy-ins that begin at $500 and move up to $25,000 for high-roller tables.
Main Poker Sites
Per most veteran poker players, the two best internet poker hubs for Canadian players are:
· BetOnline – Founded in 2001, Betway is a famous privately-owned gambling company whose acting CEO is Eddie Robbins III. It boasts products in all betting genres, such as casino, sportsbook, esports wagering, and poker. Based out of Panama City, it is one of the most reliable offshore bookies on the market, and it also has a fantastic reputation when it comes to poker. The BetOnline poker app is available for Android, iOS, and PC users, which everyone can download from the platform’s official website. The BetOnline dedicated smartphone software, along with the mobile/desktop version of the site, provide Canadians access to a vast range of tournaments, cash games, and promotions. Yes, there is a Bad Beat Jackpot here.
· 888Poker – 888 Holdings is a massive juggernaut in the world of internet gaming/betting, active since 1997. It is the brainchild of Israeli entrepreneurs Aron and Avi Shake and Ron and Shay Ben Yitzhak, who launched it as an online casino sphere before branching into poker. 888Poker greets all Canadians with a 100% match first deposit bonus that can yield up to $400 in bonus cash. The tournament schedule here is insane. It consists of Sit & Go competitions, multi-table ones, heads-up games, and satellites. Moreover, the free-roll festivals at 888Poker offer over $20,000 in prizes every week.
For more gambling news and reviews, visit OUSC.
Other articles from mtltimes.ca – totimes.ca – otttimes.ca
Airspace to Russian aircraft closed by Canada and European Union
Mtl Wine Gal bringing affordable high-end private imported wine to your table
The New COVID-19 travel rules for Canada
