Designed as a locally-based online casino that puts local interests first, Northstar Gaming officially launched Northstar Bets in May 2022.
Licensed and regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Northstar Bets is a legit online casino and sportsbook platform that offers games, bets, insights and analysis.
In this review, we'll be looking specifically at the casino side of the Northstar Gaming brand and seeing how it stacks up against other top-performing online casinos in Ontario.
Having been a trusted news organisation for more than 128 years, Northstar has several partnership agreements with leading media brands in ON. This allows the site to go beyond just casino gambling and offer a full-service entertainment package.
The Northstar Bets brand sits at the intersection of sports media and betting. Northstar Gaming has multiple agreements with leading media partners such as the Torstar Corp., allowing them to offer a diverse entertainment/gaming platform in the Ontario market.
Hosting an online casino and sportsbook on the same gaming platform, Northstar Gaming is able to offer Ontarian players both casino and sports wagering. In the former, players will find a range of popular online casino games, including slots, online roulette and live dealer blackjack.
With a mission to keep local players entertainment dollars in the province, Northstar Gaming prides itself on being an Ontario-based company. Its Northstar Bets brand also adheres to all responsible gaming standards in the province, making it a safe place to play responsibly.
Ontario-based company, Northstar Gaming, owns and operates Northstar Bets in the province. The site has offered sports wagering and online casino betting since it acquired a local license in May 2022. Due to its location, Northstar Gaming is uniquely positioned to build a sense of home team pride through its agreements with leading media partners in the province.
These include Torstar Corporation, with whom Northstar has established a robust omnichannel advertising and marketing services agreement. On the casino side of things, Northstar Gaming provides a range of slots and table games, making it one of the top Ontario online casinos.
To register an account with the Northstar Gaming-owned online casino and sportsbook, users will need to be at least 19 years old. Additionally, they'll need to be residents in Ontario and will have to be located there whenever they place a bet. To verify this, users will need to install the GeoComply plug-in from the website to confirm their location.
Signing up for a Northstar Gaming account is a simple process that only takes a few minutes. Once created, your Northstar Gaming login can be used to access both the online casino and sportsbook. Here's how you register with the gaming platform:
When reviewing any sports wagering or online gaming platform, we take a number of criteria into consideration. These are then evaluated on how they compete with other sites in ON.
Ontario-licensed company Northstar Gaming operates Northstar Bets, so players should feel pretty secure about the legitimacy of the site. Both the online casino and sportsbook feature certification from iGaming Ontario to confirm their outcomes are fair and random.
On the Northstar Bets gaming platform, players will find a range of almost 200 popular online casino games to choose from. Although not the widest selection of games for a Canada-facing site, Northstar Gaming does manage to cover most major options.
With only four titles, the table game selection at Northstar is small. The only games included are blackjack and roulette, but players will find more options in the site's live dealer section.
The online slots selection at Northstar is a bit more promising. With 100+ titles to choose from, it's one of the better selections available in Canada. Some of the popular options include Great Bear, Monopoly Megaways and Cleopatra Gold.
Software at Northstar Bets online casino and sportsbook is provided by a small but very high quality list of software providers. Studios to feature on the site include:
Northstar Gaming offers two collections of progressive jackpots from Playtech - Fire Blaze and Age Of The Gods. In total, there are 17 titles to choose from, with the largest jackpot currently standing at over C$100,000.
While the selection of table games available through Northstar Gaming is nothing to write home about, the site makes up for it in live dealer titles. In total, there are over 50 options available, including staples like live dealer blackjack and roulette and a number of live casino game shows. All games are available 24/7 and stream in full HD on desktop and mobile.
Both the online casino platform and Northstar Bets sportsbook can be accessed via mobile and desktop browser. The site's simple and uncluttered layout lends itself particularly well to the latter, with lobbies featuring clearly marked game tiles and simple navigation. Northstar also developed an online casino app which can be downloaded on iSO and Android mobile devices.
As a locally-licensed ON site, both the online casino platform and Northstar Bets sportsbook support four online payment methods for deposits, two of which can also be used for withdrawals.
As you can see from the table above, both Interac and iDebit can be used to withdraw. Both are fee-free and feature identical minimum cash outs, while neither will take longer than five days.
Use the button at the top of the page to navigate to the Northstar Casino cashier.
Select your payment method and add all of the requested details.
Choose an amount to deposit and click confirm.
Licensed and regulated by AGCO, Northstar Bets is definitely a brand players can trust. The site has been independently tested for fairness and transparency and displays certification from both iGaming Ontario and the International Betting Integrity Association. Like all big operators in the Ontario sports betting market, Northstar encourages customers to play responsibly through a number of RG initiatives and protects data with 128-bit encryption.
Any site wishing to launch in the Ontario sports betting market must ensure users have easy access to customer support and safety measures that help them play responsibly. Northstar Bets Ontario is certainly no exception.
Despite being pretty new in the industry, Northstar have already done their bit for home team pride in Ontario by rolling out a well-reviewed customer support service. Agents are available through live chat, phone (855-218-7827) and email (support@northstarbets.ca), with response times generally increasing in that order. The site also features FAQs for smaller queries.
Northstar Ontario uses 128-bit SSL encryption to ensure sensitive data never gets into the wrong hands. This software covers all data capture forms on the site including the account registration and deposit/withdrawal pop-ups, so players won't need to worry.
Northstar also helps customers play responsibly by giving them access to several resources and tools. A link to the Responsible Gambling Council is included on the homepage, as are instructions about how to play responsibly by adding the following restrictions:
As the first province in Canada to offer licensed sports and casino betting, the legal situation in ON is pretty clear-cut. All brands based in the province must now acquire a local license to operate, with this in turn imposing a number of conditions on them in terms of fairness and security. Visit our Gambling.com page for more information about online betting in the country.
Situated at the intersection of sports media and online betting, Northstar is a highly credible brand. The site is dedicated to creating a sense of home team pride by working closely with major media partners in the province to deliver up-to-the-minute news and information on Ontario teams, along with the very latest developments in the online casino industry. Although a fairly new brand, these partnerships and its AGCO licensing are indicative of a strong reputation.
Despite being the new kid on the block in terms of Ontario betting, Northstar is on its way to becoming one of the up-and-coming online casinos in Canada. The online casino features a selection of slots and progressive jackpot games, with live dealer titles also well-represented. However, the little number of table games is a bit disappointing.
But the fact that Northstar made it also easy to play on the go with its mobile app is definitely a plus for this brand.
Gambling.com provides independent and unbiased reviews of major online casinos and sports betting platforms. Our team has decades of industry experience between them, meaning we'll only ever bring you the most relevant information to better guide your betting choices.
Yes. Northstar is fully licensed and regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The site has been audited for fairness by an external third-party organisation, meaning customers should have no concerns about playing there.
Northstar casino first launched in Ontario in May 2022. In preparation for its debut in the province, the brand partnered with Torstar to establish a robust omnichannel advertising and marketing services agreement so it can share up-to-the-minute news and stats.
As per province regulations, you need to be aged 19+ to play at Northstar Bets casino. Not only will users have to click to confirm their age when signing up, but they'll also need to send a copy of their ID to verify this fact.
Yes. Although the site performs equally well on both mobile and desktop browsers, Northstar Gaming developed a standalone application that can be used by players on both iOS and Android mobile devices.
Yes, you do. In order to access the Northstar Bets website, players will have to install a geolocation plug-in called GeoComply. This will ensure that they are located within the borders of the province while betting online.
Northstar Bets prides itself on the fact that local players' entertainment dollars go back into the community and support a number of Ontario-based initiatives. This makes the site a great choice for ON residents who want their wagering to make a positive impact.