Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is by far one of the largest provinces in Canada. The territory was part of Canada since 1870 when it entered the Canadian Confederation. Since then, the Northwest Territories have been divided four times to create new provinces and territories.

Despite that, the territory remains the third largest province in Canada. Its impressive size is roughly equal to France, Spain and Portugal put together! The Northwest Territories are home to almost forty-two thousand people. This makes it the most populous of Northern Canada’s three territories.

Top Online Casinos for Northwest Territories 2024

Players residing in the Northwest Territories have access to plenty of offshore online casinos as Canadian residents. Websites feature plenty of casino games, promotions, payment methods, and various other factors. Casinos listed here are as Canada-friendly as they come, so we warmly recommend playing them.

How Online Casinos Won in the Northwest Territories

Having no brick-and-mortar casinos did mean that real money casinos would always spread like wildfire in the territories. However, there is a lot more to the success of these websites than just circumstances.

Offshore casinos offer quite a few benefits you might not otherwise have access to. We compiled the ones we consider most important in the list down below.

Privacy

While operators have drastically improved online casinos, the experience of playing in one is not the same as the real thing. A real casino is an experience, but one many of us would prefer not to be associated with.

After all, few of us want to be known as coming in to play every day. That is not an issue with online casinos. Players can enjoy all their favourite casino games from home using their device of choice. If you want to have fun, all you need is money in the account and an internet connection.

That said, you should also be aware online casinos require information about you. Due to know-your-customer procedures, players have to leave behind personal information.

KYC procedures are used to prevent underage gambling and to combat money laundering. As part of the program, you have to give the casino your full name, address, and birthday. These details must match whatever payment method you use. You will have to verify the information you give the casino before you can withdraw.

Ease to play

As we already mentioned, the Northwest Territories have no brick-and-mortar casinos in their territory. Players who want to enjoy casino games will have to go to a different province to enjoy themselves.

By contrast, online casinos are available no matter where in the province you are. The choice is easy to make for many NWT residents. Doubly so because offshore casinos are so convenient. They are playable on your phone, tablet, desktop, or laptop. You also do not need to download anything! Just log in and play.

Of course, being able to play whenever you want does have its problems. Players prone to addiction will have a more challenging time staying in control when the temptation is just a few taps away.

That is why we only recommend online casinos with responsible gaming programs. All of our top-rated websites give you the option to limit your deposits daily, weekly, or monthly. You can also choose to self-exclude from gambling on said websites. If you have gambling problems, make sure to use these features!

Bonuses

Part of the charm with offshore online casinos comes from their incredible promotions. This is not because the various operators who run these websites are generous.

Instead, offshore casinos have to deal with competition from every other online casino across the globe. Casinos that want to succeed need to offer some top-tier casino bonuses to attract players.

Because of that, NWT residents can enjoy various free spins, cashbacks, deposit match bonuses, or loyalty programs.

All bonuses offered by online casinos are subject to certain rules. These rules are listed in the bonus terms and give players a fair chance at winning. However, the primary reason these rules exist is to block casino members from abusing bonuses.

That said, some websites will use these rules as a way to limit how much you can win. This usually manifests as a maximum cashout limit that applies after completing the wagering requirements. Stick to our recommended casinos, and you will not run into such issues.

Payment options

Offshore casinos are more than happy to accept players from all over Canada. Because of that, payment methods based in Canada are often well represented among popular online casinos.

Currently, Interac casinos are the most popular in Canada. It allows you to send and receive funds directly to your bank account without causing any complications. Players can also use their Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards to deposit and withdraw funds.

If you do not want to use Interac or credit/debit cards, you still have plenty of options. Those come in the form of cryptocurrencies or e-wallets. E-wallets have some fees of their own when it comes to withdrawing funds from your account.

Making up for that is the fact e-wallets offer much faster withdrawals than any other payment method. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin provide similar benefits but are not as widespread among online casinos.

Customer service

The support staff is available to resolve any problems you might come across. Depending on the online casino, customer service may be available 24/7. Very useful for offshore casinos that have a few hours difference between themselves and Canada.

Players can contact customer service using live chat, e-mail, or via phone call. Live chat is the simplest option. You simply write your message in the chatbox and wait for a reply!

E-mail is slower but perfect if you cannot wait for a reply. Phone support is good but only effective if the casino has a Canadian number. Otherwise, you have to pay international fees.

How Does Northwest Territories Regulate Casinos

When it comes to regulating online casinos, the Northwest Territories leave a rather notable legal gray area. All gambling regulation is left to the Government of the Northwest Territories Municipal and Community Affairs department.

The MACA handles regulations of lotteries, raffles, and charity bingos, among other things. However, Northwest Territories does not handle anything related to online casinos.

It does not address anything related to brick-and-mortar casinos either. As the territory does not have any physical casinos, opting for the offshore variant is your only choice.

Best we can tell, the Northwest Territories have no laws that prevent their residents from enjoying offshore casinos. Given that NWT residents are not blocked from making an account, that certainly seems to be the case. If the legal status of offshore casinos changes, we will do our best to update this page accordingly.

Taxes

After our investigation, we could not find any specific Northwest Territories laws when it comes to gambling taxes. As such, taxes on gambling are defined by Canada’s federal law instead.

According to said law, winnings gained from gambling are not taxable. They are not held to the same standard as employment, property, or other viable sources of income.

That said, you will have to pay taxes on your winnings if you are a professional gambler. Once it becomes your primary source of income, you have to start paying taxes on that. That said, we recommend double-checking this information before you start playing.

Regulatory outlook

We do not see much interest by the territory to tackle regulating online casinos. After all, there is not even enough interest for the Northwest Territories to launch a brick-and-mortar venue.

While the territory does allow for some gambling, casino games are not on that list. Of course, this could change in the future. Currently, the various lotteries run by the state help fund a variety of social programs across NWT.

Expanding this by launching their online casino could bring the Northwest Territories in line with other Canadian provinces. However, there are no indications they plan to do this currently.

Getting Help with Responsible Gambling in Northwest Territories

Because gambling has such a small presence in the Northwest Territories, you will not find any extensive responsible gambling programs here. The province takes part in the GameSense program, which seeks to educate players about different types of gambling.

Even then, the program only covers lotteries, scratch cards, and sports betting. It does not mention casino games: primarily because there are none in NWT. We also did not see any programs related to self-exclusion run by the territories government.

However, the Northwest Territories do have a helpline that players can call. Through the helpline, you can speak with people that can help you get a hold of your problematic gambling. The NWT helpline is 1-800-661-0844.

While the territories themselves do not have their responsible gambling programs, offshore casinos do. Each casino operator runs its programs, which allows players to limit their deposits or to prevent them from playing entirely.

Once you opt into the program, the casino forces you to go along with the limitations for a while. However, each responsible gambling platform is specific to that casino or operator. That means you have to set your limits whenever you sign up to play in a new offshore casino.

FAQ

• Which offshore casinos accept players from the Northwest Territories?

  All online casinos that accept Canadian players also accept NWT residents. Local regulations do not forbid players from participating in online casinos, but they do not explicitly allow it either.

• What is the legal gambling age in the Northwest Territories?

  Northwest Territories residents have to be nineteen years old to be able to gamble. This restriction also applies to offshore online casinos.

• Do residents of the Northwest Territories need to pay tax on online winning?

  According to Canadian law, winnings from online gambling are not taxed unless they count as your primary income. As such, you do not have to pay taxes on winnings unless you are a professional gambler.

• Is it legal as a resident of the Northwest Territories to gamble online?

  According to NWT’s laws, online casino gambling exists in a legal gray area. The territory supports gambling for lotteries, scratch cards, and bingos. While offshore casinos are not officially supported, you can still play in them without any issues.