Best in Show – Are Your Favorite Ontario Casino Games Online?
When it comes to casino gambling, everyone has a favorite. A lot of people love blackjack. Some prefer roulette and craps. For others, only the fast-paced excitement of slot machines will do. Mega jackpots, video poker, Texas Hold’em, sports betting – whatever it is that draws you to the virtual iGaming arena, we’ll let you know if Ontario’s legal market has it.
Best Ontario Casino Games on Tap
Up first is a short list of the game categories you can expect to find at most iGO gambling sites; that is, the legal ones with local authorization to accept players in Ontario. Click any one for more descriptive information on what’s out there (i.e. RNG, live dealer, specialties, etc.)
- Baccarat
- Blackjack
- Craps
- eSports Betting
- Game Shows (Live)
- Online Poker
- Roulette
- Slot Machines
- Sports Betting
- Video Poker
Baccarat Games
If you think there’s only one way to play baccarat, you haven’t played enough. We all know traditional Baccarat, (a.k.a. Punto Banco). In this game, players make no decisions beyond the placement of bets. Then there’s Baccarat Chemin-de-Fer, the variation popularized by the flawlessly debonaire “Agent Double-O-Seven” in Ian Flemming’s multitude of James Bond novels.
Thanks to the limitless seating arrangements of online casinos, there are a few extra choices these days. They include games like Mini Baccarat and Super 8, as well as popular-by-title-only, No Commission Baccarat. In the live dealer arena, you can also find games like Lightning Baccarat, Speed Baccarat, and the favorite of more superstitious-minded players, Squeeze Baccarat (a.k.a. Controlled Squeeze or Peek Baccarat). You’ll also find a few editions exclusive to high rollers, but these are different only in name, not gameplay.
The only baccarat variation we have not found in any Ontario online casinos is EZ Baccarat. We’ll be sure to let you know if and when we see it.
Blackjack Types
There’s a virtually limitless cesspool of blackjack titles on the world wide web today. Ontario features many of these. The important thing to remember is that titles vary far more than the rules do. For the most part, each variation will be the same game, with one or two slight alterations to the rules.
What most players look for are blackjack rules with a higher RTP, or return to player (i.e. payout percentage). If you’re among them, you’ll be glad to know our team has done all the research for you. Use the link below to view a complete list of all blackjack at each of Ontario’s legal iGaming sites. The list is categorized by Live and RNG games, with RTPs included where available.
For a quick reference, the highest RTP blackjack game in Ontario is Perfect Strategy Blackjack. It has an RTP of 99.91% and can be found at two locations, Betano and Conquestador. The next highest, found at Casumo Casino, is Classic Blackjack Gold, featuring an RTP of 99.90%.
Craps Tables & Odds
Ahh, the crappiest of all casino games – but not in a bad way! Craps is a table game that revolves around the sum of two dice. Having scoured the entirety of Ontario’s iGaming community, we can assure you there aren’t too many ways to play. Your choices are either an RNG-based single-player game or one of two Live Craps games.
The single-player version with computer-generated results and no live host is either plain old Craps, or First Person Craps. The only difference is the camera view. The standard version is more direct, while the First-Person edition has more immersive camera angles.
All “Live” craps tables use RNG-based results, too. The difference is that they are hosted by live people, which can make games a bit more exciting. Again, there are two options. One is simply called Live Craps, and the other is First-Person Craps Live.
You can learn more about which Ontario casinos have which craps games here:
eSports Betting in Ontario
Betting on eSports is a lot like betting on traditional sports. The only difference is that the sports in play are video games, and the athletes are gamers. Because there are so many different types of video games in this niche market – build and conquer, military, racing, sports, etc. – it is given the all-encompassing title of electronic sports; eSports, for short.
Being the niche market that it is, only a select few operators carry it. Most of the Ontario sportsbooks are included on that list, but not all of them. According to our calculations, 15 of the 27 online sports operating in Ontario offer eSports alongside their traditional sports offerings.
Live Game Shows
There’s a unique variety of live casino games on the market today known as Game Shows. We call them this because they play out just like a TV game show. There’s a host and a range of participants, all hoping to win some money. The difference is, of course, that you get to participate – and potentially win money – even from the comfort of home.
Ontario’s iGaming operators present a wide variety of casino game shows with live hosts. The variety of games will depend entirely on the software studio(s) each operator employs. Evolution Gaming is the most famous supplier of these games. It is known for titles like Monopoly Live, Dream Catcher, Crazy Time, Lightning Dice, Football Studio, and Deal or No Deal Live.
A variety of other software studios host even more game show-style casino games. Any operator that offers a live dealer menu is likely to have some.
Online Poker Game Variety
This is one area Ontario isn’t posting big numbers in. It boasts over two dozen sportsbooks and five dozen casinos, but if you’re looking for online poker cash games and multi-table tournaments, only 8 iGO licensees offer them. If you like quick 3-seater SNGs, there are 5 more websites that offer these exclusively.
On a more positive note, some of Ontario’s operators include the biggest names in online poker. WSOP, PokerStars, 888Poker and Party Poker are among them.
You can find a complete list of Ontario poker sites and all the games they offer here.
Roulette Tournaments
Every legal casino in Ontario has European Roulette on its menu. Most will also provide American Roulette, for those who don’t know better. A few go so far as to supply the RTP-superior variant of French Roulette (with La Partage). But the variations don’t stop there.
We’ve found an abundance of roulette games available across Ontario’s bustling iGaming market. Most of them are based on either American or European roulette. Some are more drastically altered than others, featuring double spins and/or triple wheels. You can learn all about the major varieties of roulette, and which casinos offer them, on this page:
Slot Machine Types
Every casino, online or on land, bases the bulk of its gaming variety on slot machines. You can expect to find hundreds if not thousands of them at every iGO gaming site. They come in all varieties, from classic 3 reels and 5-reel video slots to mega-ways pays and million-dollar progressive jackpot slots.
I won’t go into too much detail on this since we’ve covered this section extensively here:
Sportsbooks and Bets
Sports betting on single events is the biggest thing that’s happened to Canadian gambling law in decades. It was the largest catalyst in Ontario’s final push for a competitive iGaming market, and is the number one revenue earner within that market to date. Being such a big deal, you can rest assured all of the province’s operators are doing their part to supply a wide range of bets on all major (and many minor) sports genres.
We go into much greater detail on Ontario sportsbooks here:
Video Poker Variety
If your favorite Ontario casino games fall under the Video Poker category, you’ll have a lot of games to choose from, even when it doesn’t look like a lot. The most common variant in the market is Game King Video Poker. It’s a single item on the games menu, but offers a selection of 9 video poker games within, with RTPs ranging from 98.98% to 99.72% (Deuces Wild).
Triple Play Draw Poker Multi-Hand is a similar option available at many Ontario casinos. It features the exact same 9 titles as Game King, with the same RTPs. The only difference is the advertisement of multi-hand playing options. You’ll find these and a few more titles. Just make sure the machine you play features a full-pay paytable so you know you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
