Quebec Online Casinos

Quebec Laws And Regulations For Online Gambling 

Gambling law in Canada has been decided on a province-by-province basis since 1985, but before that gambling was regulated by the main Canadian authority, the Criminal Code of Canada. In Quebec, laws are handled by the Alcohol, Racing, and Gaming Commission. Ever since provinces were indeed allowed to make their own gambling laws, gambling has been legal in Quebec. 

The provincial government of Quebec tried to set a monopoly on online gambling by allowing only one operator in Quebec, the government-run Espacejeux, to be a legally-licensed casino brand, but this didn’t last for long. The Supreme Court of Canada decided to declare the legislation unconstitutional and lift the ban from offshore casinos. That means that nowadays offshore casinos in Canada operate legally and customers can enjoy playing online games without a risk.

How Do We Rate Online Casino Brands

When deciding whether a Quebec casino deserves its place in the list of recommended brands, our team has a set of criteria to consider. Below are six principle things we consider when ranking a new site. 

Licence and Security

We generally check two main areas when assessing a brand’s safety. The first is a licence, provided by a recognised regulatory body. By obtaining at least one, players can be sure that a brand is both legitimate and fair. The second thing to bear in mind is security measures which the Quebec casino online has in place. At a minimum, every casino should include the  SSL inscription, strong firewalls, and a secure separation between company and customer funds. 

Payout Rate

A casino’s payout rate, Return to Player (RTP), represents the approximate return rate that a casino gives its players in the long term. If a slot has an RTP of 95%, for example, and you bet $1,000 CAD on it, you should – in theory – get $950 back. 

Analysing this payout rate was a big priority during our evaluations. In general, we looked for Quebec casinos providing RTP of at least 95%. 

Performance Levels

We’ve gauged the performance levels of every Quebec casino on our list, checking them on both PC and mobile devices. In both cases, we’ve looked carefully at the loading speeds for both web pages and individual games. Besides, we assess the stability to make sure that either on a website or on any mobile iOS/Android apps the operation will be smooth without any crushes and technical issues detected. 

Gaming Experience

The biggest key to successful user experience is the layout. A player is unlikely to enjoy a casino game in case the website’s interface is confusing and messy. That is the reason we choose the websites that are straightforward right from the very first time you sign up. This means everything from text and numbers being clear and easy to read, to sections being arranged and displayed in an intuitive manner. 

Bonus Offers

It is important that a casino site offers a variety of different promos for its customers. We check if a brand has a welcome offer, as well as some other deals popular among other casinos in Canada. These offers include match bonus, free spins, cashout, as well as an ability to participate in a casino’s loyalty program. To make sure a player will enjoy the bonuses offered, we also pay attention to wagering requirements and minimum deposit needed to claim ones. 

Customer Support

Reputable casino site cares about its users and should have at least a few options of how to reach customer support representatives. We check whether support is available via live chat or phone and how long a reply takes. Third option, which is email, is becoming less popular now, though it should be mentioned in the casino’s contacts. 24/7 customer support coverage is obviously the gold standard for online casinos worldwide. 

Top Casinos in Quebec 2023

There are a whole lot of offshore casinos which are happy to accept players from Quebec. We’ve selected the best of the best from these options, based mostly on their win rates, available payment methods, as well as the quality and quantity of their games. Below are five brands available for Canadian users that rank high in our list.  

Zodiac Casino

Zodiac Casino provides Quebecers with over 500 games to choose between. Slots are the clear priority here, with both classic titles and progressive jackpots with millions of dollars in potential winnings. The Zodiac online casino platform also features 24/7 customer support, which is available in both French and English, and even has a licence with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, based in Quebec. 

Jackpot City Casino

Jackpot City Casino is easily one of the best offshore brands of all. It launched all the way back in 1998, and – in the intervening decades – has put a fantastic selection of online games in place. The desktop and mobile platforms are equally impressive, and the special offers are absolutely fantastic. There’s also a nice selection of payment methods, and Canadian dollars are accepted. 

Yukon Gold Casino

Yukon Gold isn’t only an online casino, but also an excellent betting platform to try in Quebec. There are more than 550 games in place, including slots, roulette, blackjack, poker, and more. 24/7 support is also on hand, and the welcome bonus consists of not just one, but two separate big-time Deposit Matches. 

888 Casino

The 888 betting brand is one of the biggest and most trusted in the world. It encompasses a top-class sportsbook, poker offering, bingo site, and – of course – online casino. The casino is particularly outstanding, with one of the best user interfaces you could hope for. The game selection is also fantastic, there are plenty of payment methods to choose from, and the customer support is outstanding. 

Captain Cooks Casino

Captain Cooks is another example of why – when it comes to online casinos – you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Get past the mediocre appearance, and you’ll find an excellent casino here. It’s been around since 2000, and continues to excel at providing the latest and greatest slots. It’s also provably safe, and provides punters with 24/7 support and a steady stream of bonus offers. 

Online Casinos vs Land-Based Casino Online in Quebec

If you want to play casino games in Quebec, you’ve got two main options: online casinos, or land-based establishments. Both are legal, but there are plenty of differences between the two. 

For starters, the obvious advantage of using online casinos is convenience. You can play whenever you please, rather than having to travel to an actual place. For this reason they’re arguably more comfortable too, since you can simply play wherever you like. Online casinos also feature special offers which you simply won’t get in their traditional counterparts, plus a much wider selection of games. 

In fact, there’s only one major advantage land-based casinos have – human interaction. However good live-dealer games become on online casinos, they still can’t match the atmosphere and feeling of being in a real-world establishment. 

Games Available at a Quebec Casino Online

Even a mediocre online casino in Quebec will give you hundreds of games to choose from, with the better options far surpassing this number. The main money-makers, however, are the five types of games you’ll find below. All of these titles are available to play in Quebec, as long as you’re doing so with a legal online casino like the ones we’ve listed in this article. 

Slots: Classic and Progressive

Most slots are still ‘classic’ titles, in which (unless you’re using free play mode) you bet a certain amount of money per spin. If you’re successful, you’ll win real money in proportion to that stake, and also based on the specific symbols you got. 

‘Progressive’ slots are higher risk, and higher reward. Rather than the maximum winnings being capped – as they are with classic slots – the overall jackpot continually grows as more and more players compete. The drawback is that you’ll usually need to commit more money towards playing. 

Poker

Online poker is enormously popular, and all Quebec online casinos will count it among their offerings. As with slots, however, there are two main ways in which they do so. 

The most common, by far, is to simply provide video poker games. In this you are basically competing against the computer, with an algorithm calculating the results. 

Some online casinos, however – like 888 Casino – will provide dedicated poker sections. These will contain live poker rooms, in which you compete against other real-world players. 

Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the quintessential casino table games. It’s easy to learn but hard to master, and features a mixture of luck and skill. 

Blackjack is an ever-present among Quebec online casino brands. As with poker, you can choose to play it in a computer-calculated way (which is faster), or in live dealer rooms (which comes closer to matching the real-world experience). 

Roulette

While entirely luck-based, roulette can still be a fun game, and is incredibly quick and easy to play. You simply predict where the ball will land on a segmented wheel, and – if you’re correct – you’ll get a payout. 

Like the past couple of games we’ve looked at, you’ll almost always find both video roulette and live games at a casino online in Quebec. The gameplay is basically identical in both cases, but the former will be quicker, while the latter does a better job of capturing the real-world experience. 

Baccarat

Baccarat is a game of pure chance, in which you try and guess who has the better hand between yourself and the dealer. That said, its fast-paced nature makes it a fun game to play if you don’t have much time, or simply want to enjoy something straightforward. 

Responsible Quebec Online Gambling

Most legitimate online casinos – such as the ones we’ve recommended here – will provide you with responsible gambling measures, including time-outs and self-exclusions. If you’d like some external help, however, there’s plenty available in Quebec. 

One of the best platforms you can use is Gambling Help and Referral, which can be found at aidejeu.ca. This is a brilliant initiative, providing 24/7 support for problem gamblers which is both free and confidential, along with plenty of other resources. 

Another more general website is the Responsible Gambling Council (responsiblegambling.org). While based in Ontario, this still has a huge amount of excellent advice for those with gambling problems. 

Types of Bonuses To Claim At Canadian Gambling Sites

Special offers and prizes can have a significant impact on your long-term profits. That applies to both welcome offers, and ongoing promotions. Below are some of them in a nutshell. 

Sign Up Bonuses

The most common type of sign up deal is the Deposit Match. This involves the casino ‘matching’ your first deposit, with the standard amount being 100%. Do be aware, however, that before withdrawing any bonus winnings you will need to complete the wagering requirements. Still, these deals tend to provide excellent value, and we’d recommend maxing out a Deposit Match whenever you sign up to a new brand. 

Reload Bonus

Structurally, a Reload Bonus works in the same way as a Deposit Match. There are two main differences, however. 

Firstly, Reload Bonuses are in place for existing customers, rather than new players. Secondly, the size of the bonus will typically be a lot smaller (often around 10%, rather than 100% for a welcome offer). There will still be wagering requirements in place, though. 

No Deposit Bonuses

Online casinos in Quebec are understandably reluctant to give bonuses away for free. No Deposit Bonuses are a rare exception. 

As the name suggests, these don’t require any deposit at all from you to trigger. Unsurprisingly, they are extremely rare (888 Casino is one of the few major online casinos to offer them), and the rewards usually come as free spins rather than free bets. 

Loyalty Bonuses

Most online casinos in Quebec will have a loyalty program in place. Typically, these will award you ‘points’ as you continue to bet, which can then be exchanged for prizes. Those prizes can generally be termed ‘Loyalty Bonuses’, since they reward you for your loyalty to a brand, and can include real cash, free bets, free spins, and more. 

High Roller Bonuses

Most VIP programs will be divided into tiers. As you wager more on the games, you won’t only receive Loyalty Bonuses, but will also move up those tiers. Once you get into the upper echelons, you can start to enjoy High Roller Bonuses, which can include superior customer support, faster payouts, and higher maximum amounts for winnings and withdrawals. 

Online Casino Quebec Software Providers

Online casinos in Quebec do not provide their own games. Instead, all their titles are provided to them by software developers, with whom they partner. This helps to ensure both the quality and fairness of the online casino games. 

There are plenty of software providers out there, with brands like Aristocrat, Microgaming, NetEnt, Yggdrasil, and Novomatic being prominent examples. Providers differ depending on particular games they offer, with some being slots specialists, for example, while others focusing more on live dealer titles than computer-run ones. 

Casinos will never limit themself to just one developer, instead creating a mixture of games provided by a whole range of companies. It helps to provide varying experience to each new player and embrace the best products of each individual developer.

Banking Methods: Funding Your Casino Account Safely

Such options as Visa, Mastercard, and bank transfer are basically always available on Quebec online casinos. After that, the variance only grows, with Trustly, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, and even cryptocurrencies all being among possible ways to add to your bankroll. While deposits are almost always instant, those three latter options tend to be even faster when it comes to withdrawals. 

There are a couple more things to be aware of here. Firstly, not all payment methods will be compatible with a brand’s welcome offer. Secondly, you should always check the deposit and withdrawal limits before signing up, and any transaction fees that might be imposed.

List of Land-Based Casinos in Quebec

When writing this article, we counted around a dozen land-based casinos in Quebec. Some of the most prominent ones include:

• Casino du Lac-Leamy
• Casino du Mont-Tremblant
• Hippodrome d’Aylmer
• Hippodrome de Montréal
• Hippodrome De Québec
• Ludoplex Trois-Rivières
• Ludoplex Québec
• Onliner Casino