Inside the Tested Casinos Canada rating process

Five criteria decide which tested online casinos appear on this site. Each criterion has a pass line and a fail line. Banking comes first. A cash-out that misses the window printed on the cashier page ends the review. No later check is run. A brand that fails any one criterion is not listed.

1. Cash-out timed against the cashier window. We fund a test account with a Canadian deposit method. We complete smooth verification. We submit a withdrawal. We log the time from approval to funds received. Pass: receipt falls inside the window printed on the payment page. Funds arrive in the same currency as the deposit. No extra document demand is added after the request is queued. Fail: receipt more than twelve hours past the printed window. Extra papers appear only after the request is filed. Currency is switched without prior agreement. Deposit rails we expect on the cashier: Visa, Mastercard, Interac, iDebit, ecoPayz, PaySafeCard, Neosurf, MuchBetter, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Instant Bank Transfer, cryptocurrency. Withdrawal rails we expect: Visa, Mastercard, Interac, Echeck, Payz, Instadebit, MuchBetter, Express Connect. A slogan about speed is not a clock reading.
2. Licence number in the public register. We copy the licence number from the footer and the terms. We search the public register at gamingcommission.ca. Pass: the register shows an active Kahnawake Gaming Commission entry. The operating name on file matches the legal name in the terms. Fail: no number on the site. A number the register does not list. A register status marked lapsed or suspended. This lookup runs before any deposit. A brand without a live register line is not reviewed. A badge image is not a substitute for a register line.
3. Return figures split by game type. We open the paytable on at least three slot titles from the live lobby. We record the RTP shown. We compare each figure to the studio sheet from Pragmatic Play or Games Global, formerly Microgaming. Pass: 96%+ on slots, matching the highest available build on the sheet. Video poker is scored on its own line: up to 99.9% on video poker where the full-pay schedule is the one served. Blackjack pays 3:2, not 6:5. Fail: most sampled slots sit below 96%. A short-pay video poker table sold as a high return. Blackjack paying 6:5. A paytable figure that disagrees with the studio sheet. RTP is a long-run statistical measure. It is not a forecast for one session. Best slot builds sit in the mid-nineties. Only full-pay video poker climbs past 99.5%.
4. Limits reachable from account settings. We open account settings. We do not open a support ticket. We set a deposit limit. We request a cooling-off period. We look for self-exclusion. Pass: the deposit limit changes from settings. Cooling-off activates within one hour of the request. Self-exclusion is reachable in two clicks or fewer from the account menu. Fail: a limit change that needs email or chat. A cooling-off held for a 24-hour staff wait. Self-exclusion available only by phone. Self-exclusion is set per brand. It does not automatically apply at the other brands we rank.
5. Live chat and the mobile cashier. We open live chat at an off-peak hour. We time the wait until an agent who can discuss a pending withdrawal is on the line. We complete a deposit and a withdrawal request on a current mobile browser. Pass: an agent connects within ten minutes during posted hours. The mobile cashier finishes both steps without a desktop redirect. Fail: chat closed during posted hours. Chat dumped into a ticket queue. The mobile cashier hides the withdrawal step or returns an error on a current mobile browser.

Before a brand is listed among the tested online casinos on this site, an editor opens a funded account. A withdrawal is submitted and timed from approval to receipt against the cashier page. The licence number is copied from the footer and checked at gamingcommission.ca. Slot paytables are read for 96%+ on slots. Video poker is checked on its own line for up to 99.9% on video poker where the full-pay schedule is live. Blackjack is opened to confirm 3:2, not 6:5. Limits are set from account settings. Live chat is opened off-peak. The mobile cashier is loaded on a real handset. Every step is logged with a date and an outcome. A second editor reads the log before a pass or fail is written. Scores change when payment terms, licence status, or game builds change.

This site earns referral commissions from casinos we list. Commission income does not decide which brands appear or where they rank. A casino that fails any of the five criteria is not listed, regardless of the referral fee. Content is for adults aged 18+. For self-help resources, see our responsible gaming page.