Edmonton's playing side

Edmonton's casino proposal has received much criticism over the years. Business people, city planners, newspaper writers, and bloggers have all weighed in on the topic.

Their opinions vary with some like Warren Kirkconnell (a respected Edmonton journalist) calling for a downtown arena instead of a casino. Some are more critical of the casino plan itself, pointing out things like increased social costs, reduced city revenues, and worry about the anti-social aspects of casinos.

Others see downtown casinos as a new source of revenue for city coffers that need to be tapped into. The net benefit or loss of this is still being debated, but some people are convinced that it would be positive.

The age-old problem of addiction has also been cited by some as a possible bad outcome.

At an August 2009 televised mayoral debate George Grewal (the mayoral candidate for mayor at that time) was very critical of the casino plan; calling it "a waste of money" and claiming that it wouldn't bring any new revenue to the city or attract more business.

He was also critical of the current mayor's handling of the casino plan saying, "Mayor Mandel is trying to sneak it in behind everyone's back" and that if elected mayor he would consult with citizens before signing any agreement between Edmonton and Gateway Casinos.

His opponent Mr. Bratina wasn't as critical but did say at that time that "the city has to consider the social costs of what a casino brings with it" and that people should have a chance to vote on it before anything is signed.

In June 2009 Edmonton's mayor said in an interview with the CBC when asked about why he is so supportive of a casino in Edmonton he responded saying, "I want to take casino gambling out of the hands of the gangs and put it in the control of a responsible gaming operation," and went on to claim that he thinks it has "tremendous potential" for Edmonton.

On November 1, 2010, after over two years of negotiations around bringing a casino to Edmonton city council finally voted 9-6 in favor of signing an agreement with Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited (a company out of BC).

While the mayor wasn't pleased with the 6 votes against, he was very happy that there were more yes votes than no. The next step is for the council to pass the downtown arena (which they are still debating), then it will be up to citizens to vote on the casino in a plebiscite to be held sometime in the spring during the next civic election.

One of the best things about living in Edmonton is that it sits close to major American cities such as Seattle and Vancouver while still maintaining its own unique culture. This means you'll see some things familiar to residents of those cities, but at the same time there's plenty Edmonton does differently than anywhere else.

The gambling scene is one place where we see this.

Thanks to the close proximity of so many American states, we get a fair few people who come looking for some action. This means we've got a lot more than just the typical riverboat and charity casinos you'd normally associate with Canadian cities; in Edmonton, we boast everything from south of the border-style casino hotels to local casinos with low limits and a feeling of familiarity.

That's not to say that these casinos are the only places you can gamble in Edmonton - you'll also be able to find your way into bingo halls, slots-based bars, charity fundraisers with poker games and even slots arcades out in shopping malls.

Canada has become home to some of the best online casinos in the world. There is no particular reason for this phenomenon. It's just that most Canadian players have been playing casinos from Europe and the United States for a long time, so they know what to expect from online casinos. When the need arose to create an exclusive platform, they simply took all the best features of the most trusted casino brands and integrated them for Canadians to use.

The gambling industry is strictly controlled by various Canadian commissions, so only the most reliable casinos are allowed into this market. They are also known as some of the safest online platforms, where no data breach has ever been reported. This is why Canadians are gambling more and making the most of every dollar they spend.

So how do Canadian players choose casinos? There is no universal answer, as different people have different preferences. However, there are some factors that make online casinos very attractive to Canadian players, such as:

- Wide selection of games - A player should have a large selection of games to choose from, as this allows them to find something that suits their mood.

- Variety of banking options - Canadians are known for being careful with their money, so they expect the casino to have several safe and secure payment methods.

- Online support - Canadian players want help as quickly as possible, so they expect the online platform to have decent customer support with competent and friendly advisors.

- Loyalty Programs - The best casinos are those that offer their players lucrative offers for long term cooperation, such as monthly bonuses, cashback offers and free spins.

The list of the best online casinos in Canada is topped by Jet Casino. It is a fully licensed casino and is regulated by the relevant authorities (Curacao eGaming). The platform provides secure software with 128-bit encryption for player security.