There are thousands of different online casino platforms that are available to lots of players all over the world. Unfortunately, not all of the sites or apps out there are legal or regulated. This does not necessarily mean they are created to be a scam, but simply that you cannot hold them accountable if something goes wrong. Moreover, if the authorities close the illegal site there is no guarantee you will get your money back, so it’s safer to steer clear of those sites. Canadians for example play on legal platforms that are located in foreign countries, and they love the operators that are available in Ireland. Here we will go over a few reasons why it is so.
Availability
Canada is one of the most liberal countries out there, but they don’t allow online casino operators to function within their borders. The act of online gambling is perfectly legal, so players usually play on sites that have foreign owners. If you look at any popular casino online that is available in Canada, you will see that games, bonuses, and payment methods are all localized to accommodate players who live there. However, you will also see that they have one of the following licenses:
- United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC)
- Malta Gaming Authority
- Antigua and Barbuda gaming license
- Costa Rica Gaming License
- Government of Gibraltar
- Curacao Gaming License
In Ireland, things are a bit different, and unlike in Canada, they do have a regulatory body that oversees online gambling activity. Meaning operators have to apply for an Irish license in order to offer their content to Irish citizens. But they don’t have to be based in Ireland, and if you look at the best online casinos in Ireland, you will notice that they are mostly based in Malta and Curacao. In other words, these operators specifically tailor their offer to the citizens that live in this region, and they also comply with their rules of operation. As a result, they are popular in both Ireland and Canada.
Great Market
A very important component here is the market size. Canada and Ireland are among the countries where gambling is very popular, and by extension, online casino games are among the top forms of entertainment. In other words, these countries are a high priority of online operators and they want to create content that users from these regions will find appealing. So, a casino that operates in Ireland really wants to get Canadian players to sign up as well.
Operators invest money to get accurate feedback and data analysis on both Irish and Canadian markets and then come up with a content strategy to attract players from either Canada or Ireland. This is why it’s not too relevant where a big operator is based or licensed because they are not focusing solely on their domestic audience.
Sports Betting
Online casinos often offer sports betting options. In both Ireland and Canada, a huge portion of the online gambling community consists of sports bettors, and this plays a major role in this case. In Canada sports betting options are really limited and they only recently legalized single-event bets with a new bill. Now they are actively establishing regulatory bodies to implement this change and to allow their users more diverse betting options.
This is drastically different when it comes to Irish online casinos and they have a very good selection of different bets. Sports fans really enjoy live betting as it’s a good way to make the big sports events even more exciting. Given how these options are unavailable in Canada it is natural for their sports fans to seek out foreign operators and enjoy their matches.
This is also true for eSports. It is a relatively new form of competition and only a limited number of operators allows players to place different bets on eSports competitions. Since gaming tournaments are really popular in Canada they once again look to Irish platforms to bet on their favorite team.
Conclusion
To sum up, operators that are available in Ireland and Canada are in the group of trusted websites that adhere to the ever-changing regulatory requirements. They are also working hard in order to create content that is appealing to different markets by localizing their apps or sites in accordance with certain demographics. Also, both markets are highly profitable for online casinos, and they are actively investing in keeping people who live in these regions entertained.
The other important reason lies in sports wagers that are unavailable to Canadians. Even if they are liberal and progressive in many respects their gambling systems are somewhat lagging behind, as they are not considered a high priority in the eyes of their government. As a result, Canadians opt for other available options that provide a superior user experience.