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Most Popular Games in Canada Right Now

Published

2 years ago

5 minute read

Here in Brandon and right across Canada, gaming continues to grow as a popular hobby. Almost 60% of Manitobans regularly enjoy playing on their smartphone, tablet, computer, or console.

This figure is expected to grow even larger as more and more Canadians discover just how fun playing video games can be. Interest from older generations is going to be the biggest driver of this growth, particularly as casual titles are generally among this demographic.

Another source of the popularity of gaming is the fact that there are almost infinite options for players to choose from. No matter what your taste is or how you want to play, you’ll be sure to find games that tickle your fancy.

But while that may be true, it’s also the case that some games are in much higher demand than others, either because they are just really fun to play, or thanks to better marketing efforts by their creators.

Irrespective of what helped them become so popular, these below happen to be the hottest games in Canada right now:

Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V is almost nine years old. It should, by normal standards, have been replaced by one or more sequels by now. Yet, despite the fact that it has now been released on three different generations of video game console, GTA V continues to remain one of the most popular titles – both in Canada and the rest of the world.

This has been achieved by way of the continual stream of new content getting released for the online portion of the game.

Almost immediately after GTA V’s initial release, Rockstar began pumping out new missions, cars, weapons, and even islands for players to sink their teeth into.

Although it has been confirmed that the company is working on Grand Theft Auto VI, we’re unlikely to see that anytime soon. Therefore, GTA V will continue to be a huge hit among Canadians for the foreseeable future.

Slots

Slots are one of the most-played games in the world, and Canada is no exception. Traditionally, slots were played in casinos mostly. 

However, the internet has made it possible to play slots and for real money too through mobile devices and desktop computers. Online slots have several major benefits, including the increased convenience of playing wherever you want, and the greater choice of thematic games. It is, therefore, only natural that most popular online slots in Canada are enjoyed by millions of Canadians every single year. 

Minecraft

Minecraft is a sandbox construction game that allows players to create just about anything they can imagine.

It’s even older than Grand Theft Auto V and is so popular that it has become the best-selling video game in history after shifting more than 238 million copies since it was released in November 2011. 

Despite its age, Minecraft still has around 140 million monthly active players, accounting for more than half of the copies sold.

In the game, players are dropped into a block-based world that is created using procedural generation. This allows the environment to be dynamic and wholly unique each and every time you play. It’s this variety that keeps it popular even after 11 years.

Wordle

Wordle is a word puzzle game that took the world by storm just under a year ago. Originally created by a British software developer named Josh Wardle, it has since been bought by The New York Times.

The game is simple, requiring players to guess a single five-letter word. They’re given a total of six guesses, with blocks changing colour depending on whether your guess was correct or not.

These green, yellow, and white squares help you progress by telling you whether your guesses have any letters that match that day’s correct answer.

Wordle remains incredibly popular among Canadians today, helped by its sharing feature that lets you show off how quickly you guessed the word without revealing it to others.

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The bizarre story of Taro Tsujimoto

Published on March 28, 2025

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The National Hockey League (NHL) has seen its fair share of strange moments, but few compare to the bizarre and hilarious tale of Taro Tsujimoto, a player who never existed. His “selection” in the 1974 NHL Draft remains one of the most legendary pranks in hockey history. If you want to wager on actual players, making the 1xBet app download is definitely a great idea.

In the 1970s, the NHL Draft was a much less glamorous event than today. It was a tedious process conducted over the phone, with teams calling in their picks. The 3 biggest highlights of what happened during that year’s draft were:

  • the draft dragged on for hours;
  • there were multiple rounds and teams selecting unknown prospects from obscure leagues;
  • frustrated with the monotony, Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach decided to have a little fun.

As the 11th round approached, Imlach instructed his team’s representative to draft Taro Tsujimoto, a supposed forward from the Tokyo Katanas of the Japan Ice Hockey League. The name sounded authentic enough. The league officials, unfamiliar with Japanese hockey, accepted the pick without question. By downloading the 1xBet app you will also be able to wager on great NHL teams too.

A small problem

There was a small problem with all of this, as 2 things didn’t exist: Tsujimoto and the Tokyo Katanas. Imlach had completely fabricated the player as a joke, taking advantage of the NHL’s lack of verification. When it comes to NHL wagers, there is no better platform than the 1xBet Canada site.

For weeks, the league listed Tsujimoto as an official draft pick, and even some newspapers reported on Buffalo’s mysterious new Japanese prospect. Eventually, the Sabres admitted the hoax, and the NHL was forced to retroactively erase the selection from its records.

Despite being a fictional player, Taro Tsujimoto took on a life of his own. Buffalo Sabres fans embraced the prank, and over the years, his name has become a cult legend in hockey culture. Some fans even wore jerseys with “Tsujimoto” on the back. The joke persisted so much that when EA Sports released NHL video games, players could occasionally find Tsujimoto in the game’s draft pool as a hidden Easter egg.

More than just a prank, the story of Taro Tsujimoto highlights 2 things: the quirks of old-school sports management and the creativity of one of hockey’s most colorful executives. Today, with the draft process being highly scrutinized and broadcast live, such a prank would be impossible. But Tsujimoto’s legacy lives on as one of hockey’s greatest inside jokes. What is not a joke are the great rewards that a platform like the Canadian 1xBet site can give you.

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60% of Canadians gamble each month – why the industry is going from strength to strength

Published on March 26, 2025

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When it comes to regulating gambling, Canada has a somewhat relaxed approach. The Canadian Gaming Association oversees the industry, but it’s up to individual provinces to enact and enforce any laws relating to online casino gaming, sports betting, traditional casino gaming, and other forms of gambling.

Canada’s online casino gaming laws are not totally clear, but individual provinces are starting to put this right. Ontario was the first and did so when it launched its own regulated igaming market in April 2022. Now some other provinces have followed suit, creating a safer igaming environment for players in those provinces. Below is a look at gambling in Canada compared to other parts of the world, at gaming laws in Alberta compared to other provinces, and at the future of the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries.

Canada: a forever love of gambling

Gambling in some form or other has always been popular in Canada. Way back in the 1990s, research found six in ten Canadians (60%) gambled every month. Additionally, four in ten (43%) spent between 1 and 20 Canadian dollars on gambling. Fast forward to today and the Canadian gambling market is worth 14.2 billion US dollars as of January 2024, according to data on the website of consumer and market data company Statista.

It seems Canada enjoys wagering just as much as two other countries that love a gamble: the US and the UK. Data on the Statista website shows that 49% of US adults took part in gambling activities in 2023. Fifty-six percent said their attitude towards gambling had relaxed, compared to the 50% of 2019.

The UK returned similar stats for the same year. Forty-eight percent of adults reported engaging in gambling activity. Online casinos generated the most gross gambling yield in 2023, but it was the nation’s National Lottery that people played the most.

 

Alberta: following Ontario’s lead

The regulatory developments in Ontario have triggered movement in Alberta. In May 2024, Bill 16, the Red Tape Reduction Amendment Act, made it through the process and later received Royal Assent to become law. The act removes the monopoly of gaming by a single government entity and will allow private operators, licensed by Alberta’s provincial regulator, to provide online gaming services in Alberta, meaning players will have a choice of more than one Alberta online casino to play at.

The regulation transforms Alberta into one of the more liberal provinces when it comes to online gambling, others being Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Several provinces, such as Novia Scotia and Northwest Territories, have no provincially regulated online gaming sites. Some also restrict betting on horse racing and/or other types of sports betting, obliging citizens to use international betting sites for freedom from caps and betting on as many events as they wish.

What lies ahead for the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries?

Canada’s appetite for gambling is clear, and the industry’s online sector is beginning to thrive. Ontario has enjoyed vast success by creating its own regulated market, one which, in just its first year, saw Canadians place billions in wagers and the industry itself generate more than a billion in total gaming revenue.

Canada can expect to see other provinces follow Ontario’s lead and allow private operators to provide services in the province under license. The purpose of the regulation is player protection. Any province that develops a regulated market will focus on this, so there will also be regulations around the advertising of gambling services.

The US

Gambling online is the future for the US, too, although states are slow to legalize it. As of September 2024, 38 states had legalized sports betting, following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that states could regulate sports gambling directly.

Despite allowing sports betting, some states only permit in-person betting, and only a few states allow online casino gaming. Operators believe online casino gaming is the future of gambling.

The UK

In the UK, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will get bigger and bigger. Companies have realized AI can enhance players’ experience and are embracing it more and more. For instance, sports betting websites can use it to crunch data and provide iGamers with stats and other data to make better betting decisions. They’re also understanding they can use AI to prioritize content players are likely to be interested in and to personalize their offerings and services to players’ preferences.

Canada enjoys gambling as much as America and the UK. Although laws around igaming are more of a grey area in Canada, some provinces are clearing the issue up by creating regulated markets and experiencing great success. As time goes by, more are sure to follow.

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