Frozen September 2026

How we rate online casinos in Canada

TrustFacts scores each casino on a public 0–100 Trust Gauge. The score adds up 30 signals across seven pillars: licensing, payments, player safety, fairness, transparency, responsible gambling and complaint record. Every review lists the signals it earned, so anyone can redo the math. Affiliate payments never move a score, and rank is never sold.

Download the public Gauge as CSV · How to cite a score

For Canada, start with how to check if an online casino is legitimate and which casino review sites publish a public method.

How is licensing scored?

One licence earns 11 points. A second adds 2, and three or more add 2 more, up to 15.

A Malta or Kahnawake licence is a valid licence. What it covers depends on where you live.

What does a score of 60 mean?

60 is where visit links start to show. Below 60, there’s no visit link. Links never move the score.

How should a score be cited?

Cite the review URL plus the integer. Same-logo sister sites are separate files. Each province’s market is a separate legal setting. Player reviews sit next to the desk file and don’t move it.

What are the seven pillars?

• Licensing & regulation15 points

  How many licences sit on the file. One licence is 11. A second adds 2. Three or more adds 2 more. Cap 15. The licence-strength badge is high if any licence is on the file, regardless of where it was issued.

  1. 1. 1 licence11
  2. 2. 2 licences2
  3. 3. 3+ licences2
• Payment reliability15 points

  Named rails and posted cashier figures: Interac, other methods, min and max amounts, a time claim, and the original-payment rule. Cap 15. Operator FAQ pages, operator review pages, help pages, and help lines are sources as well, not the only sources. Before min or max stays 0, ask minimum deposit, maximum deposit, minimum withdrawal, and maximum withdrawal. A dollar, no minimum, or no maximum on the cited page earns.

  1. 14. Interac / Interac e-Transfer named2
  2. 15. Two or more other methods named1
  3. 16. Min deposit posted as a dollar amount1
  4. 17. Min-deposit $ posted3
  5. 18. A time claim in hours or business days3
  6. 19. Min withdrawal $ posted1
  7. 20. Max withdrawal $ or “no maximum” posted3
  8. 21. Same-method / original-payment rule mentioned1
• Player safety15 points

  KYC steps described, an age confirmation anywhere on the operator site, and a who-can-play / geo sentence. Five points each. Cap 15.

  1. 5. KYC steps described5
  2. 6. Age confirmation anywhere on the operator site5
  3. 7. Who-can-play / geo sentence5
• Fairness & RNG15 points

  Verticals on the file: slots, live dealer, sports, lottery, poker. Three points each. Cap 15.

  1. 9. Slots3
  2. 10. Live dealer3
  3. 11. Sports3
  4. 12. Lottery3
  5. 13. Poker3
• Transparency15 points

  Operator legal name, public T&Cs with a last-updated date, and a native app or stated mobile-browser play. Signals 29 and 30 are exclusive: 10 or 0, never both. Cap 15.

  1. 4. Operator legal name on T&Cs or app listing3
  2. 8. Public T&Cs with a last-updated date2
  3. 29. Native iOS and/or Android app named / mobile browser play stated10
  4. 30. No mobile browser play stated, no native app0
• Responsible gambling15 points

  A dedicated RG page, deposit/loss/time limits, self-exclude or take-a-break, and a federal and/or provincial helpline with a phone number anywhere on the operator site. Cap 15.

  1. 25. Dedicated RG / GameSense / PlayWise / Patron Protection page4
  2. 26. Deposit, loss, or time limits described4
  3. 27. Self-exclude or take-a-break described3
  4. 28. Federal and/or provincial helpline with a phone number anywhere on the operator site4
• Complaint record10 points

  Whether the operator writes 24/7 (or 24 hours a day), names live chat, and names a phone or email. Cap 10.

  1. 22. Operator writes “24/7” or “24 hours a day”5
  2. 23. Live chat named3
  3. 24. Phone or email named2

The score is the sum of earned signal points, capped at 100. Signals 29 and 30 are mutually exclusive: 10 or 0, never both.

What do the score bands mean?

• High trust80–100

  Strong regulator, reliable payouts, usable RG tools.

• Acceptable with caveats65–79

  Playable if you understand the gaps (ADR, licence mix, KYC).

• Elevated risk50–64

  Thin regulation or opaque operations. Size bets accordingly.

• High risk0–49

  Serious trust issues. We do not recommend depositing.

What will TrustFacts not do?

• Sell a #1 ranking, or move a point because a brand pays as an affiliate.
• Hide a 43 behind a “featured review” strip.
• Use one T&Cs URL for every brand, or blend same-logo sisters into one score.
• Treat one province’s market as another’s.
• Use any scoring map other than seven pillars, 30 signals, max 100.

Score moves are logged on the changelog and the public audit trail. Our independence rules are in the editorial guidelines.

Cite this dataset: TrustFacts The Gauge, September 2026. How to cite.