Is online gambling legal in Canada? Laws and age limits by province

The federal rule: provinces run gambling

The Criminal Code bans most forms of gambling, then makes exceptions. The key one is section 207: a provincial government may conduct and manage a lottery scheme in its province, including one run on a computer. Casino games, sports betting and lotteries all fall under that rule.

That is why gambling looks different from one province to the next. Each province chooses which games it offers, through which corporation, and online or not.

Sports betting changed in 2021. Until then, provinces could only offer parlays: bets on two or more games at once. Since August 27, 2021, when the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act took effect, provinces may offer bets on a single game.

Who runs online gambling where you live

Saskatchewan has extended its provincial site's exclusive right to online gaming to September 2029.

Ontario and Alberta: licensed private markets

Two provinces have gone further. Ontario opened a regulated market for private online casinos and sportsbooks in April 2022, run through iGaming Ontario. Alberta opened its own licensed market on July 13, 2026. In both provinces, private operators that hold a provincial licence sit alongside the provincial site, and many international brands run separate Ontario or Alberta versions of their sites.

SpinsPilot does not cover Ontario or Alberta. Our casino pages are written for players in the other provinces and the territories.

Gambling age in every province and territory

The age is reached on your birthday, not at the start of the year you turn 19. If you live in British Columbia and your birthday is in December, you cannot gamble in January of that year.

Does the casino's age limit matter?

Many online casinos write "18+" in their terms, because they serve players in many countries. That does not lower the age where you live. If you are in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Atlantic provinces or the territories, you must be 19, whatever the casino's terms say.

How online casinos check your age

Online, your age is checked when your account is verified. Most casinos ask you to confirm your date of birth when you sign up, and check it against a document before your first withdrawal:

• photo ID: a driver's licence or passport,
• proof of address, such as a utility bill or bank statement,
• sometimes proof that the payment method is yours.

Some casinos run the check at sign-up or at the first deposit. Others only check when you first withdraw, so an underage account can exist until then. That is no loophole: a casino that finds a player under age closes the account.

Provincial sites such as PlayNow verify age and location during registration.

What happens if a minor gambles online

The casino's terms decide, and they are usually strict: the account is closed and winnings are not paid out. What happens to money already deposited depends on each casino's terms; some return it, some do not.

An age limit is not an obstacle to get around. If you are not old enough yet, gambling is not meant for you, on a provincial site or anywhere else.

If a teenager is gambling

If you notice a teenager betting or playing casino games online, start with a conversation and limits on their devices.

Explain that gambling is an adult activity and that losing is the most likely outcome. On computers and phones, parental control software that blocks gambling sites helps, and many banks can block gambling-related card transactions. A lottery ticket is not the best present for a teenager either. The free, confidential help lines on our responsible gambling page are a place to start if you are worried.

Offshore casinos and their licences

Outside Ontario and Alberta, the provincial site is the only one licensed by the province. But many casinos based outside Canada also accept Canadian players. They hold licences from regulators elsewhere, and a casino page that names a licence is telling you which of these regulators supervises the operator:

• Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission. Set up in 1996 in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke, near Montreal. Many Canada-facing brands are licensed here.
• Malta Gaming Authority. The European Union's best-known gambling regulator.
• Curaçao. The Curaçao Gaming Authority has issued new licences since 2024 and keeps a public register.
• Anjouan. A licence from the Comoros, common among newer brands.

These licences come with different rules on player funds, complaints and fair games. On every casino page we name the licence the operator shows, and whether we could find it in the regulator's own register. Where we could not, we say so. Each licence is explained in our guide to casino licences Canadians see.

Quebec once passed a law to make internet providers block unlicensed gambling sites. A Quebec court struck it down in 2018, finding that internet providers fall under federal, not provincial, rules.

Are gambling winnings taxed?

For recreational players, gambling winnings are generally not taxed in Canada. Professional gamblers can be taxed on their winnings as business income. The details are in our guide to gambling winnings and tax.

Choosing where to play

Whichever site you use, check four things before you deposit:

1. Does it accept players from your province? Many international casinos refuse at least one province besides Ontario and Alberta.
2. Which licence does it show, and does the regulator's register confirm it?
3. Does it take your payment method? For most Canadians that means Interac® e-Transfer.
4. What will it ask for before your first withdrawal? Expect ID and proof of address.

Our all casinos page answers the first three for every casino we cover. You must be 19 or older to gamble online (18 in Quebec and Manitoba). If gambling stops being fun, our responsible gambling page lists free help in every province and territory we serve.