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The 6 Biggest Online Casino Businesses in Canada

The online gambling landscape in Canada is changing rapidly. Five years ago, you couldn’t bet on a single sports event. Today, not only can you bet on sports, but you can also play casino games through locally licensed casinos.

Ontario has the most progressive iGaming laws in the country. It permits almost all forms of gambling. As a result, some of the biggest gambling brands in the world have come to Canada, especially to Ontario.

But where may Canadian find the biggest online casinos sites to play at? The easiest and safest way to find online casinos and betting sites in Canada is to referrer to reputable sources such as Casino Professor Canada or the iGaming Ontario Official. The first source, will give you a list of online casinos available in Canada and Ontario, while the second will only provide you those gambling companies that have acquired a license in Ontario. But who are those million dollar companies? Let’s dive into it, one by one.

  1. 888Casino: Biggest Online Casino and Sports Betting Brand

888Casino is one of the pioneers of online gambling. Established in 1997, this casino has existed for more than 25 years. It is a genuine company with licenses in both Malta and Ontario.

Armed with 2000 slots and table games; 888Casino offers something for every gambler. Just take a look at some of the site’s software providers—NetEnt, Playtech, Evolution Gaming, Play’n GO, Red Tiger, BGT and No Limit City.

These developers offer a wide variety of games, from video and classic slots to live poker and blackjack. 888 Casino has an extensive range of entertaining games. To spice up your experience, the casino has regular promotions.

This company is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol 888. They comply with Canadian online gambling regulations, ensuring all Canadian users a secure and legal experience. Their global number of employees is currently around 11,634.

  1. Betway Casino: Fast Growing Gambling Company

Betway is one of the biggest online casino brands in the world. Betway is one of a few brands in this list that operates throughout Canada, including in Ontario. The explanation is that Betway holds licenses in both Ontario and Malta.

Betway’s biggest strength is its popularity. The company is a household name everywhere people gamble online. The reason for Betway’s popularity is simple. It knows how to treat its customers well.

Whether you love Egyptian slots, American roulette or progressive jackpots, Betway has it all. The company works with respected software providers to make your online gaming experience successful: Ezugi, Evolution, Authentic Gaming and Microgaming, to name a few.

They are owned by Super Group, which is a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The employees are approximately 3,589 globally.

  1. LeoVegas: The King of Mobile Gaming

Before Ontario commercialized online casinos, LeoVegas was one of the best-rated gambling sites in the country. LeoVegas is still a top-tier casino. In fact, it has won several awards for providing high-payout games, its mobile gaming platform and reliable customer service.

LeoVegas works with popular payment companies in Canada. You can use your card, iDebit, bank transfer, electronic check or a variety of mobile wallets.

LeoVegas was publicly listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker symbol “LEO”. However, it has been acquired by MGM Resorts International and has been delisted from Nasdaq Stockholm as of 2022. Approximately 960 people are working for this company.

  1. PokerStars: Pioneer of online poker world-wide

PokerStars is a Canadian online gambling business established in 2015. It operates in more than 20 countries globally. They hold a license from Ontario although it also operates in other provinces.

PokerStars is famous for its live casino. If you like blackjack, baccarat, roulette or poker, this is your go-to casino. To be fair, the site also features a decent variety of slots.

It has more than 300 slots from NetEnt, Quickspin, Playson, Big Time Gaming, iSoftBet, Playtech, High5Gaming, Red Tiger Gaming and Relax Gaming. Like many of its competitors, this casino’s biggest promotion is a 100% deposit bonus aimed at new customers.

PokerStars is owned by Flutter Entertainment plc, which is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange. This company employs approximately 4,591 people globally.

  1. PlayOjo: SkillOnNet most successful brand

When PlayOjo was released in 2017, it rose to fame almost immediately. The explanation is that this casino launched with an excellent marketing strategy—all its bonuses came with zero wager requirements.

PlayOjo offers a decent blend of 300+ slots and table games from companies like Play’n GO, NetEnt, Blueprint Gaming, Amaya and NextGen Gaming.

SkillOnNet operates PlayOJO and this company is not publicly listed on the stock market.

According to LinkedIn, there are up to 500 employees working for SkillOnNet who holds licenses in multiple jurisdictions, ensuring compliance with the regulatory requirements of regions it operates in, including Canada. This helps PlayOJO maintain a reputable status in the online gaming industry.

  1. Casumo

Casumo is regularly ranked among the best online casinos in Canada. What makes it stand out? Casumo’s biggest selling point is its payout speed. Most people love a casino with quick withdrawals. Casumo promises 1-2 day withdrawal speeds.

Another area in which Casumo stands out is in game variety. The site is armed with more than 4000 slots and table games. The titles come from respected software companies like Play’n GO, Bally, Microgaming, NetEnt, Push Gaming and Big Time Gaming.

This company is not publicly listed. It is a privately held company and does not trade on any stock exchange. It employs over 300 people with offices in different countries.

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Features

I Speak “Jew”

Morrocan Jewish fish dish

By MARK E. PAULL I grew up in Montreal. Born in 1956. Anglo by birth, sure. But that never quite fit. I don’t speak “Anglo” the way they mean it. My real language is Jew.
And I don’t mean Hebrew or Yiddish. I mean the language of reading the room before you enter it. The code-switching, shame-dodging, laugh-first-so-they-don’t-pounce dialect we pick up early. It’s a language built on side-eyes and timing and ten generations of tension.
I speak French—enough to make myself understood. Enough to charm a dinner table, crack a joke, get someone’s uncle to nod. I’m not fluent, but I’m fast. Doesn’t matter. In Quebec, language isn’t grammar—it’s inheritance. It’s who your grandfather cursed out in a hardware store.
To the Francophones, I’ll never be one of them. My accent betrays me before I say a word. I’m just an Anglo. And not even that, really. Because when the lens tightens, when they look closely, I’m just un Juif. Just a Jew.
And to the Anglos? Same thing. I can wear the suit, speak the Queen’s English, order the wine properly—still a Jew. Even in rooms where I “pass,” I don’t belong. I’m not invited in to be myself. I’m invited in to behave. To be safe. To not say the thing that makes the air stiff.
We’re the only people still called by our religion. No one says “Orthodox” for a Greek. No one says “Vatican” for an Italian. No one calls a Black man “Baptist” before they see his face. But “Jew”? That sticks. That’s the label. Before passport. Before language. Before hello.
I’ve mostly made peace with that. But there’s still this ache—knowing you can live your whole life in a place and never really be from there.
Let me tell you a story.
We had this block party once—the folding-table, paper-plate kind. Kids zipping by on scooters. Music low. Everyone asked to bring something from “your culture.”
The Greek guy brought lemon potatoes and lamb—felt like it came with a side of Byzantine history. The Italians brought two lasagnas—meat and veggie—with basil placed like confetti. The Vietnamese couple brought shrimp rolls that vanished before they hit the table. Even the German guy—built like a fridge—brought bratwurst and a six-pack with gothic lettering.
And then us.
My partner made Moroccan fish. Her grandmother’s recipe. Red with tomatoes, garlic, cumin. Studded with olives and preserved lemon. I brought a bottle of white wine. Dry. Crisp. From the Golan Heights. Not Manischewitz. Not even close.
We laid it out. Someone leaned over: “Moroccan? But I thought you were Jewish.”
We smiled. “We are.”
Then: “So… where’s the brisket? Isn’t Jewish wine supposed to be sweet?”
That’s when it hits you. No matter how long you’ve lived here, how many snowstorms you’ve shoveled through, you’re still explaining yourself. Still translating your presence.
Because they don’t know. They don’t know Jews came from everywhere. That “Jewish” isn’t one dish—it’s a whole map. That we had Jews in Morocco before there was even a France. That some of us grew up on kreplach, some on kefta. That some of our mothers sang in Yiddish, others in Arabic, and some in both—depending on who was knocking.
They don’t know. And worse—they don’t ask.
And that’s the part that gets you. Not the slurs. Not the graffiti. Not even the occasional muttered cliché. It’s the blankness. The shrug. The image they already have of you that’s built out of dreidels and sitcoms.
“Jewish” as nostalgic. As novelty. Something they saw once on a bagel.
Sometimes, when those questions come, I float. One version of me walks out. Another turns into a mouse. One turns into a Frisbee. Just gone. Not mad. Just tired.
Because being a Jew isn’t cute. It’s not nostalgic.
It’s ancient.
Before Montreal.
Before France.
Before Poland. Before Spain.
Before pogroms.
Before ghettos.
Before Hitler.
Before even the word Europe.
We were there.
Go back to the 5th century. 2nd century.
Go back to Jesus—our kid, by the way.
Go further—Babylon. Persia.
Keep going—Temple. Exile. Wandering.
And still, after all that, I’m at a table in Quebec explaining why our fish has cumin in it.
It’s almost funny. If it didn’t wear you down a little.
I’m not looking for pity. This isn’t a complaint.
I’m proud. I know what I carry. I walk into any room with five thousand years behind me. I come from people who kept the lights on through every kind of darkness—and laughed through it, too.
But sometimes, I just wish I didn’t have to explain so much.
All I want is to put down my dish…
…and hear someone say:
“That smells amazing. Tell me the story.”

That’s all.


Mark E. Paull, C.A.C. is a Certified ADHD Coach – IPHM, CMA, IIC&M, CPD Certified
Writer | Lived-Experience Advocate | Type 1 Diabetic since 1967

He has been published in:
The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Folklife Magazine, Times of Israel, CHADD’s Attention Magazine, The Good Men Project

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Features

At 104, Besse Gurevich last original resident of Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence

By MYRON LOVE At 104, Besse Gurevich is the last of the original residents of Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence. She may also be the oldest member of our Jewish community.
Although her vision and her hearing have diminished considerably, her mind and memory are still intact.  A few weeks back, this writer sat down with her in her suite as she recalled a life filled with highs and lows and her many  contributions to her community, both in Winnipeg and Fort William before that.
The daughter of Jack and Rebecca Avit, her life’s journey began in 1921 in a home on Carlton Street near Ellice Avenue, near her father’s furniture store.  He later operated a cap factory.
When she was ten, the family – she had two brothers and a sister – moved to Manitoba Avenue in the old North End. “My father had put a deposit down on a house on Scotia,” she recalls.  “But my parents didn’t feel that the neighbourhood was Jewish enough.”
Her schooling included Peretz School and, like so many of her generation, St. John’s Tech (as it was known back then.)  “I was actually supposed to be going to Isaac Newton for high school,” she says.  We were living on the wrong side of the tracks for St. John’s.  After one day at Isaac Newton, I found a way to transfer to St. John’s.”
In 1940, 19-year-old Bessie Avit married Jack Gurevich, a young man from Fort William.  The wedding was marred though, by the sudden, untimely passing of her father.
Following the wedding, Besse moved with her new husband to Fort William where Jack Gurevich worked in retail clothing sales.  “We lived in Fort William for 20 years,” she says.  “Our three children (Judy, Richard and Howard) were born there.”
She recalls that there were about 200 Jewish families – including her sister and one of her brothers for some years – in town, during the time she lived there. “We were very well known in the community,” she recalls. “I was involved in everything.”
Her community activism continued after the family’s return to her home town. While Jack went to work as a salesman for Western Glove Works, Besse became an indefatigable community volunteer. At one time or another, she served as vice-president of ORT, Hadassah and National Council of Jewish Women in Winnipeg. She was also a long time B’nai Brith member.
In the business world, the highlight of her career was the building of Linden Woods.  “I became involved in real estate development for a time,” she recalls. “I was hired by Genstar to develop Linden Woods.  The company estimated that it would take about 20 years to complete.  I got it done in two.”
She also taught hair dressing for a while. “I worked with many young Jewish brides,” she says.
Recent years have not been kind to Besse Gurevich. Her beloved husband, Jack, died in 2016 – after almost 65 years of marriage.  Older son, Richard, passed away in Vancouver in 2018 and, most recently –six months ago – younger son, Howard, followed.  She notes that there were 200 mourners at Howard’s funeral.
(Howard Gurevich was in marketing for many years before turning his talents to the art world. In recent years, he was best known for Gurevich Fine Art in the Exchange District and his support of local artists.)
Besse Gurevich celebrated her 100th birthday – which took place at the height of the Covid shutdown – quietly. 
While she used to enjoy reading. she is unable to do so any more. She can still listen to television.
And while she has few family members to visit her any more, she does have a group of friends interesting enough from the local theatre scene.  For many years, she was a close friend of the late Doreen Brownstone, one of the leading figures in theatre in Winnipeg for more than half a century.  Besse became part of the group that would visit Doreen every week and, since Doreen passed on three years ago, the members of the group have continued to visit Besse on a weekly basis.  

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Features

Winnipeg author’s first novel gripping tale of romance, action and intrigue, set in 15th century Spain and Morocco

“The Chronos of Andalucia” author Merom Toledano

By MYRON LOVE “The Chronos of Andalucia”, a novel just released by first-time author Merom Toledano, is a historical romance set in late 15th century Spain and Morocco, filled with passion, action, intrigue, unexpected twists and turns – and, of course, with the requirement of any medieval story – a quest.
The easy-to-read, 190 page book follows the adventures of Catalina, a young woman living by her wits on the streets of Granada in the year 1487, (just after the Christian armies of Ferdinand and Isabella had recaptured all of Spain from the Moors) – while trying to evade the agents of the Inquisition, who had murdered her Jewish mother and Christian father 10 years earlier.  She was left with an insatiable desire to learn about astronomy, along with a mysterious map and an astrolabe (an instrument formerly used to make astronomical measurements) – the importance of which will only be unveiled if she can get to the city of Tangier in Morocco.
Early on, there is a reference to Abraham Zacuto, a prominent Spanish rabbi famed for his knowledge of astronomy and astrology.
The action begins when she has a casual interaction with a former Spanish soldier, Diego.  When the forces of the Inquisition approach, she flees with the soldier – who is also her love interest – and who helps her to escape.  They turn for help to a childhood friend of Catalina’s – Roberta, a nun, who helps them on their perilous  journey to Tangier – a journey that includes being captured by pirates, surviving a shipwreck, being separated for a long period of time and, of course, finding each other again and realizing the success of their joint quest.
In his writing, the author paints vivid word pictures of the different characters and beautifully invokes the colour, sights, sounds and scents of the time and the places. 
What I found truly remarkable about the writing of “The Chronos of Andalucia” is that English is not Merom  Toledano’s first language.  The Israeli-born author – he grew up near Haifa – came to Winnipeg with his young family just eight years ago.
“I have had this book in mind for several years now,” says the satellite engineer whose working career takes him to many different parts of the world. 
He notes that he has always felt a connection to Spain, Spanish music and literature – a reflection of his family’s modern origins in that country.  His great-grandparents, he relates, lived in Toledo – hence the family name, Toledano.  His parents lived in Meknes in Morocco while his father attended university in Tangier before making aliyah.
Toledano just published “The Chronos of Andalucia” in April on Amazon. He reports that the book – which is available here at McNally Robinson – has been selling well –close to 100 copies – with orders coming from a bookstore chain in England, a bookstore in Denmark, and one in Italy.
“I have had between 30 and 40 positive reviews so far,” he reports.
Toledano adds that he envisages “The Chronos of Andalucia” to be the first in a series – a la the writer Danielle Steele.  He is already working on a sequel – which is hinted at the end of “The Chronos” and, he reports, he is establishing his own independent publishing operation.        

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