Is online gambling legal in Canada?
Online gambling is legal in Canada when a province conducts and manages it. That one rule in section 207 of the Criminal Code explains why every province is different.
Short answer
Yes, when a province runs or licenses it. The Criminal Code makes most gambling an offence, then allows a provincial government to “conduct and manage” lottery schemes, including online casino games (section 207). Ontario and Alberta do this through licensed private operators. The other provinces offer only their own site. Offshore casinos are not authorized by any province.
How the Criminal Code works
Gambling law in Canada starts with the federal Criminal Code. Part VII (sections 197 to 209) makes it an offence to keep a gaming house, run bookmaking or operate a lottery scheme. Section 207 then lists the exceptions. The one that matters for online casinos is section 207(1)(a): it is lawful for the government of a province, alone or with other provinces, to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in that province under the province’s own laws.
Section 207(4)(c) closes the door for everyone else. A game “operated on or through a computer, video device, slot machine or a dice game” cannot be run under the charity, fair or private licence exceptions in 207(1)(b) to (f). So only a provincial government can offer slots or online casino games. Everything else depends on what each province decides to do with that power.
Two provincial models
| Model | How it works | Provinces |
|---|---|---|
| Provincial site only | A Crown corporation runs the only legal online casino. | British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan (PlayNow), Quebec (Loto-Québec), Atlantic provinces (Atlantic Lottery) |
| Licensed private market | Private operators register with the provincial regulator and sign an agreement with a provincial agency, which legally conducts and manages the games. | Ontario (since April 4, 2022), Alberta (since July 13, 2026) |
In the second model the province is still the one “conducting and managing”, through iGaming Ontario or the Alberta iGaming Corporation. That is how private operators fit inside section 207. In 2024 the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed a challenge by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke that argued Ontario’s model breached the Code (Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke v. iGaming Ontario, 2024 ONSC 2726).
Single-event sports betting since 2021
Until 2021, section 207(4)(b) kept bets on a race or fight, or on a single sport event or athletic contest, out of provincial lottery schemes. Provinces could only sell parlays, where you had to pick several games at once. The Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act (Bill C-218) removed the single-event restriction. It came into force on August 27, 2021.
Horse racing was not part of the change: pari-mutuel betting on horse races stays under federal oversight. Each province decides whether and how to offer single-event betting, through its Crown corporation or, in Ontario and Alberta, through licensed operators.
Offshore sites and Canadian players
Many casinos licensed abroad (Malta, Curaçao, Kahnawake and others) accept Canadian players. None of them is authorized by a province outside Ontario’s and Alberta’s registered lists. B.C. and Saskatchewan both state on official pages that PlayNow.com is the only legal online site in their province.
The Criminal Code offences are aimed mainly at those who run gambling. The practical risk for a player is different: on an offshore site, no Canadian regulator can help if your account is closed or a withdrawal is refused. You depend on the foreign regulator named in the casino’s licence.
Ontario and Alberta also act on advertising. Ontario’s AGCO bars registered operators from using affiliates that promote unregistered sites to Ontarians (Standard 1.21). That is why this site shows no partner casinos to readers in Ontario or Alberta.
Kahnawake
The Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission, set up in 1996 in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke near Montreal, licenses online gambling operators. It bases its authority on Kahnawà:ke’s rights as an Indigenous community to govern its own affairs. A Kahnawake permit is not an authorization from a province under section 207, and it does not give a site a place in Ontario’s or Alberta’s regulated markets. The debate is explained on our Kahnawake casinos page.
Pooled liquidity: the case before the Supreme Court
Ontario asked its Court of Appeal whether its online players could share games and prize pools with players outside Canada. In November 2025 the majority said yes, within the Code (Reference re iGaming Ontario, 2025 ONCA 770). The Atlantic Lottery Corporation, BCLC, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries and Loto-Québec appealed. The Supreme Court of Canada heard the appeal on October 7, 2026 and reserved judgment. The ruling will say how far a province’s “conduct and manage” role can stretch.
What “legal” means where you live
| Province | Private online casinos | Provincial site | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Yes, registered with AGCO + iGaming Ontario | PlayOLG | 19 |
| British Columbia | No | PlayNow | 19 |
| Alberta | Regulated market (AGLC) | PlayAlberta | 18 |
| Quebec | No | Loto-Québec | 18 |
| Manitoba | No | PlayNow | 18 |
| Saskatchewan | No | PlayNow | 19 |
| New Brunswick | No | Atlantic Lottery | 19 |
| Nova Scotia | No | Atlantic Lottery | 19 |
| Prince Edward Island | No | Atlantic Lottery | 19 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | No | Atlantic Lottery | 19 |
Each province page explains the regulator, the legal site, the age and how to check a site: Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan.
FAQ
Is online gambling legal in Canada in 2026?
Yes, on sites a province runs or licenses. Ontario and Alberta license private operators; the other provinces run their own sites.
Is it legal to play at an offshore casino?
Offshore casinos are not authorized by any province (except those registered in Ontario or Alberta for those provinces). The Code targets mainly operators. The clear risk for you is that no Canadian regulator protects your money there.
Since when is single-game sports betting legal?
Since August 27, 2021, when the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act came into force.
Do I pay tax on winnings?
Recreational winnings are generally not taxable in Canada. Professional gambling income can be. See gambling winnings and tax.
What is the legal gambling age?
18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec; 19 in the other provinces.
Sources
- Justice Laws: Criminal Code, section 207 (checked November 3, 2026)
- Justice Laws: Criminal Code (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46), Part VII (checked November 3, 2026)
- iGaming Ontario: Ontario’s new iGaming market to launch April 4, 2022 (checked November 3, 2026)
- Government of Alberta: Alberta’s iGaming strategy (checked November 3, 2026)
- Government of British Columbia: Gambling in B.C. (checked November 3, 2026)
- Government of Saskatchewan: Don’t fall for fake casino ads online (checked November 3, 2026)
- AGCO: Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming (checked November 3, 2026)
- Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission: FAQ (checked November 3, 2026)
- Supreme Court of Canada: Case 42141 (checked November 3, 2026)