Pragmatic Play in Canada
The studio behind Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza, and the live dealer games of Pragmatic Play Live: what its games are like, how its RTP is shown, how to check the RTP inside a game, and where its games are offered in Ontario, Alberta and the rest of Canada.
Key facts
- 500+ slots in the studio’s catalogue, by its own count
- 96.50% theoretical RTP in the Gates of Olympus game rules, generic and Ontario demo
- 30+ jurisdictions where its games are certified or licensed, by its own count
What Pragmatic Play games are like
Pragmatic Play has two sides. Its slots, a few table games and crash games such as Spaceman run on a random number generator (RNG). Its live casino, Pragmatic Play Live, streams real dealers and presenters from its own studio. Every game is built in HTML5 for phones and desktops, and the studio offers its games in 33 languages.
- 1
Pay-anywhere and cluster slots
Gates of Olympus (2021) and Sweet Bonanza (2019) pay for 8 or more matching symbols anywhere on the screen. Paying symbols disappear and new ones drop in, until no new combination forms. In Gates of Olympus, four or more scatter symbols start a feature round of 15 spins. Sugar Rush (2022) and Gems Bonanza (2020) pay for clusters of five or more touching symbols instead.
- 2
Line and Megaways slots
Wolf Gold (2017), The Dog House (2019) and Big Bass Bonanza (2020) are reel slots with 3 rows that pay along 25, 20 and 10 lines. Great Rhino Megaways (2020) uses the Megaways mechanic licensed from Big Time Gaming: six reels change height every spin, so the number of ways to pay changes too.
- 3
Live dealer and RNG tables
Pragmatic Play Live runs blackjack, roulette, baccarat, sic bo and dragon tiger tables, plus game shows such as Mega Wheel, a 54-segment wheel. The RNG side has Roulette, Multihand Blackjack and Baccarat. A live table and an RNG table with the same rules carry the same house edge.
- The feature round is rare
In games like Gates of Olympus, the bigger payouts come from a feature round that starts only now and then. Many spins in a row can return little or nothing, so set your budget for the session, not for the next feature.
- A volatility label in the game
Gates of Olympus shows the studio’s own volatility rating, “Medium volatility”, on its intro screen and again in the game rules, with a one-line explanation. Check the label of each game; it is the studio’s rating, not an independent one.
- One RTP line per bet setting
The game rules list one RTP for the standard bet and one for each optional bet setting. In Gates of Olympus all three read 96.50%, but one optional setting raises the cost of every spin by a quarter.
- No autoplay in the Ontario version
In the Ontario version of the Gates of Olympus demo we checked on 20 October 2026, the autoplay button was gone and a clock showed the time in the bottom corner. The generic demo on the studio’s website still has autoplay.
How RTP is shown in Pragmatic Play games
Pragmatic Play’s website lists one RTP for each game, and its play-money demo shows the same figure in the game rules: 96.50% for Gates of Olympus. Inside the game, the rules give one RTP line for the standard bet and one for each optional bet setting. The figure that applies on a casino site is the one the game rules show on that site.
| Game | RTP on the studio’s game page | House edge | Long-run average cost per C$100 bet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates of Olympus | 96.50% | 3.50% | C$3.50 |
| Sweet Bonanza | 96.48% | 3.52% | C$3.52 |
| The Dog House | 96.51% | 3.49% | C$3.49 |
| Big Bass Bonanza | 96.71% | 3.29% | C$3.29 |
RTP as listed on each game’s page on Pragmatic Play’s website, checked 20 October 2026. House edge and cost are 100% minus the RTP. Averages over a very large number of rounds. A single session can end anywhere above or below them.
You cannot read the RTP from the reels or the artwork. The studio’s game page and demo show the figure it publishes for the game; the game rules of the game you open on your site show the figure that applies there. If they show no RTP line, ask the site’s support team before you play.
How to check the RTP in a Pragmatic Play game
Pragmatic Play slots print the RTP in their game rules. This is how to find it, using Gates of Olympus on desktop as the example.
Open the game where you play
Check the RTP in the game on the site you use. The studio’s website and demo show the figure it publishes; the game rules on your site show the figure that applies there.
Open the information screen
In Gates of Olympus on desktop it is the round “i” button at the bottom left of the game, to the right of the small menu icon (three lines) and the sound icon, just before the CREDIT and BET labels.
Page to Game Rules
Use the green arrows at the bottom left of the information screen. In Gates of Olympus, Game Rules is page 4, and the line reads “The theoretical RTP of this game is 96.50%”. On the site you use, this line shows the figure that applies there.
Read the line for your bet setting
The next lines give the RTP for each optional bet setting; in the Gates of Olympus demo all three read 96.50%. Compare them with the figure on the studio’s game page, and go by the one in the game on your site.
If the line is missing, ask
Both the generic and the Ontario demo showed the RTP lines when we checked them on 20 October 2026. If the game on your site shows none, ask the operator’s support team for the game’s RTP before you play.
What the games look like
Screenshots from the demo versions on Pragmatic Play’s own website, taken on 13 October 2026. The play-money balance and status bar have been cropped off. Each game is explained in full in the guide listed in the table below.
Pragmatic Play games in our guides
Five of our game guides use a Pragmatic Play game as a worked example, and the roulette and blackjack guides also name Pragmatic Play Live among the live dealer studios. The figures below come from those guides and from the games’ own rules and felts.
| Game (links to our guide) | Type | What the guide shows |
|---|---|---|
| Great Rhino Megaways | Megaways slot, 6 reels | Ways change every spin; the screenshot shows 200,704 |
| Gems Bonanza | Grid slot, 8×8 | Blocks of five or more touching gems pay, with cascades |
| Roulette | RNG roulette, single zero | 2.70% house edge, 97.30% return on most bets |
| Multihand Blackjack | RNG blackjack, eight decks | Blackjack pays 3 to 2, dealer stands on 17; the built-in strategy table has no surrender column |
| Baccarat | RNG baccarat | Banker 1.06%, Player 1.24%; Tie at 8 to 1 has a 14.36% edge |
| Spaceman | Crash game | 95% RTP listed on the studio’s game page; a 50% partial cash-out option |
Is Pragmatic Play available in Ontario, Alberta and the rest of Canada?
A game studio does not run casinos. It supplies its games to operators, and in a regulated province it needs its own registration first. Pragmatic Play’s games are developed by Arrise Solutions, the company named in both provincial registrations. This is where it stands, as checked on 20 October 2026.
Ontario
- Regulator AGCO
- Registered as Arrise Solutions Limited
- Live since Slots 2022, live casino May 2023
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) states that Arrise Solutions Limited is registered to create and supply slot and casino-style games for Ontario’s regulated gaming sites. Pragmatic Play took its slots live in Ontario in 2022, after the open market launched on 4 April 2022, and says its live casino games first became available in the province in May 2023. Under the Registrar’s Standards, each game must be approved by the Registrar or certified by a registered independent testing lab before it goes live.
Alberta
- Regulator AGLC
- Class Critical gaming systems provider
- Valid until 13 July 2027
The public list of gaming registrants kept by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) shows Arrise Solutions (Malta) Limited, trading as Pragmatic Play, as an iGaming critical gaming systems provider, with the registration expiring on 13 July 2027.
Rest of Canada
- Quebec Not confirmed
- Other provinces Check the lobby
Outside Ontario and Alberta, each province offers online casino games through its own Crown platform, and the territories have none. We found no statement from Pragmatic Play or a provincial lottery corporation, Quebec included, that confirms which Crown platforms carry its games. The game lobby of your province’s platform shows the studio of each game. Our guide Are online casinos legal in Canada? covers each province.
Testing and fairness
- Independent testing labs
Pragmatic Play says its games are RNG tested and certified by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), Quinel and Gaming Associates, and that this is a requirement in every market it serves.
- Every round is random
The RNG fixes the result the moment you press spin or deal. Past rounds, near misses and the time you have played carry no information about the next one. On a live table, the cards, wheel or dice decide on camera.
- Player protection tools
The studio says all its games are linked to player protection software as a condition of its licences, and that it releases a game in a market only after the regulator there approves it.
- Only on registered sites
Play Pragmatic Play games only on sites registered in your province. An unregistered site offers none of the provincial player protections, even when the games are genuine.
Frequently asked questions
Play within your limits
Pragmatic Play games are games of chance and the house edge applies to every round, whichever game or table you play. Set a time and money limit before you start and treat any spend as the cost of entertainment. 19+ (18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec). Free, confidential help: ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600, and every province’s helpline is on our responsible gambling page.