Casinos in Canada: Growth Scenarios for 2022

The tradition of casino games in Europe has always been much more established than in North America.
But as is often the case, the example of recognized traditions is also a source of inspiration for more distant markets.
Despite the initial disadvantage, the gaming industry in Canada is now experiencing a moment of remarkable growth.

When it comes to Canada, growth is seen in both physical casinos with local licenses and digital casinos.
Although the growth from past years is evident, several physical casinos have had to deal with lockdown issues during 2021.
Therefore, some land-based casinos have chosen to offer their services online to avoid the risk of closing down.

Being a highly competitive market, online casinos Canada, too, had to come up with new methods to retain customers by offering a wide range of games.
As 2022 is off to a strong start, it is reasonable to expect this positive trend to continue.
Last year's figures reveal a significant growth of 13%, thanks to the flourishing of online casinos.
But what can we expect this year? Below we will discuss Casinos in Canada: growth scenarios for 2022.

Online and land-based casinos in 2022

As you can imagine, 2021 has been an anomalous year for the global business sector.
A number of start-ups have emerged in the casino world, especially in the eSports sector, and the massive presence of emerging online casinos has greatly increased competition.
And this year, the growth of online casinos is set to continue, thanks also to technological innovations that can deliver truly remarkable experiences to the gaming public.

The grey list of online gaming licences

In Canada, several casino gaming operators have switched to the Kahnawake Gaming Licence.
This is because in 2021, the greylisting of Malta's gaming licences by the FAFT (Financial Action Task Force) had a major impact on online casinos globally.
This situation has led several online casino providers to move jurisdictions to alternative licensing areas, such as Kahnawake.

What is the Kahnawake licence?

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is an institution that controls gaming by licensing and regulating a large number of online casinos, as well as online poker rooms and sports betting sites.
It also deals with traditional poker rooms within the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake.
Established in 1996, the Commission's Interactive Gaming Regulations were first issued in July 1999.

The Kahnawake casino gaming licence offers greater flexibility, simplicity and convenience to casino operators.
Kahnawake offers a recognised set-up process, which makes it an attractive licence for global start-ups as well as being a respected jurisdiction.
The Kahnawake casino gaming licence is highly regarded by operators, as it is authoritative and widely respected.

We currently have approximately 250 licensed gaming sites under Kahnawake's jurisdiction and this number is set to increase in 2022 as more online casino gaming startups open.
The situation is also complicated by emerging online casino trends that are changing the balance of the entire industry.
Let's take a look at the main trends for the casino industry in 2022.

Responsible promotion of casino gaming

First of all, given the presence of several competitors in the system, a first change is the way games are advertised.
The social complexity and the critical period we are living in, impose a responsible promotion of online casino gaming.
The introduction of additional regulations has highlighted a focus on gambling addiction.
In fact, some of the measures included expedients such as: age limits to play and tools for a more controlled experience.

Betting and eSports

eSports have quickly conquered the betting public and by 2022, according to the latest statistics, they are set to become more popular than sports games themselves.
There are several reasons for this, but in particular we can mention the interactivity of online games in Canada that allows players to see what is happening in real time and get involved in the action with the possibility of placing bets.

Crypto Casinos

Thanks to blockchain technology, crypto casinos have become an increasingly popular alternative for a growing niche of players.
As a result, many casinos are recently becoming exclusively playable in cryptocurrencies.
Crypto casinos allow for more efficient gaming, but they also provide a more secure way to pay and guarantee anonymity to players across Canada.

Cryptocurrency is based on blockchain technology and this means that transactions do not go through a central banking authority.
In addition, payments made in cryptocurrency are more complex to track which provides greater privacy to users as well as speeding up all the process.
In fact, cryptocurrencies have a faster turnaround time where there is no need to wait for withdrawal and deposit requests to be approved.

The success of live dealer games

Online casinos seek to polarise the attention of the public by offering more enjoyable and interactive gaming experiences.
In this context, live dealer games have become an important part of any gaming platform, as live streaming virtual games allow for the presence of a real dealer who can interact with players.

Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual Reality (VR) is no longer just an iGaming trend, but is also becoming a key feature of the online casino industry.
Dedicated tools such as VR viewers have become more affordable and more and more online casinos have integrated this technology into their digital games.

An eloquent example of the use of Virtual Reality is that of live poker.
Indeed, the introduction of virtual reality in the game of poker has helped to bridge the gap between land-based casinos and online casinos.

Conclusions on the growth of the casino industry in Canada by 2022

Overall, the online casino industry in Canada looks very promising for 2022.
Although 2021 was quite difficult for the casino industry and beyond, the current scenario looks rosy.

Despite the closures of physical locations and the impact of the grey list on the overall industry, technological advances and the reliability of online services are a guarantee that online casinos in Canada are set to flourish despite the competition.