Online casinos and the law in Canada, by province
Short version: in Canada only provincial governments may run or license gambling, including online. The casinos on this site hold foreign licences instead. They accept Canadian players, but no province regulates them, so you have no Canadian regulator to turn to in a dispute. This page explains how that plays out where you live. It is general information, not legal advice.
The federal rule
Gambling is covered by the Criminal Code. Section 207 lets each province conduct and manage gambling itself, or license certain operators. Everything else is up to the provinces, which is why the rules differ so much from one to the next.
Province by province
| Province | Who runs online gambling | Minimum age | On this site? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | A regulated private market since 4 April 2022: operators registered with the AGCO and contracted by iGaming Ontario, plus OLG | 19 | No, use Ontario-registered sites |
| Alberta | A regulated private market opened on 13 July 2026, overseen by the AGLC, plus PlayAlberta | 18 | No, use AGLC-registered sites |
| British Columbia | BCLC through PlayNow | 19 | Yes |
| Manitoba | PlayNow, run with Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries | 18 | Yes |
| Saskatchewan | PlayNow Saskatchewan | 19 | Yes |
| Quebec | Loto-Québec | 18 | Yes |
| New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador | Atlantic Lottery | 19 | Yes |
Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are not covered here. Check with your territorial government.
Why Ontario and Alberta are left out
Both provinces license private online casinos and expect players to use registered operators. Alberta's rules also bar licensed operators' marketing partners from promoting unregistered sites. None of the casinos here is registered in either province, so we do not recommend them to readers there. Several of them also block Ontario in their own terms.
What an offshore licence means for you
- No Canadian complaint route. If a withdrawal is refused, your options are the casino's support and the regulator that issued its licence (Curaçao or Anjouan for the sites here).
- Your province's protections do not apply, such as provincial self-exclusion programmes or advertising and bonus rules.
- Banks may block payments. Some Canadian banks decline card payments to gambling sites, which is one reason most players use crypto.
- Do not use a VPN to get around a casino's restrictions. Casinos check your location, and doing so can void winnings and close the account.
Tax
Winnings from recreational gambling are generally not taxable in Canada. Professional gamblers can be treated differently. Crypto is a separate issue: the Canada Revenue Agency treats it as a commodity, so selling or swapping coins can create a taxable gain or loss. Keep your exchange records and ask a tax professional about large amounts.