New online casinos in Canada: the law and the risk

Provincial sites

Each province runs its own site through its lottery corporation, for example PlayNow in British Columbia and Espacejeux in Quebec. Ontario also lists licensed private operators on the iGaming Ontario website.

How Canada's Criminal Code governs online casinos

Canada regulates gambling through the Criminal Code. Canada cites that statute as R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46. The Code treats gambling as an offence unless a province conducts and manages it or licenses it. Provinces therefore hold the power to decide who may offer online casino games to their residents.

Canada's federal government does not issue a national casino licence. Canada's provinces fill that role, and each one has built its own model. Our country record lists Canada's online casino legal status as Restricted. That word describes a market where access runs through approved channels only.

Minimum age for online casinos in Canada

Canada has no single age limit for online casinos. The minimum age depends on the province, and our records cover six of them. Alberta sets the minimum age at 18. Manitoba sets it at 18. Quebec sets it at 18.

British Columbia sets the minimum age at 19. Ontario sets it at 19. Saskatchewan sets it at 19. A reader aged 18 can therefore be eligible in one province and ineligible next door. Singapore readers should also remember that the site footer asks for players aged 21 or older.

Penalties for unauthorised gambling in Canada

Canada's penalty rules differ for operators and for players. An operator who runs an unauthorised lottery scheme faces a prison term of up to 24 months under section 207(3). A player who takes part in an unauthorised lottery scheme commits a summary conviction offence under section 207(3)(b).

These penalties show why provincial licensing matters. A licensed site answers to a provincial regulator. An unlicensed site answers to no Canadian authority. Our country record does not list a Canadian self-exclusion register or a national helpline, so check your province for those services.

Recent changes to Canadian online casino rules

Canada's provinces keep changing their markets. Ontario opened its online market to private operators registered with the AGCO on 4 April 2022. Quebec's Loto-Quebec launched its Espacejeux site on 1 December 2010.

Alberta opened a regulated online gambling market under the AGLC on 13 July 2026. Alberta also set 13 October 2026 as the deadline for operators without AGLC registration to launch or exit. British Columbia launched an independent Gambling Control Office on 13 April 2026, which replaced the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch.

What offshore casinos mean for Canadian players

Offshore casinos are casinos that hold no Canadian provincial licence. These casinos may still accept Canadian sign-ups, because their terms do not block the country. Accepting a player is not the same as being licensed to serve that player.

Offshore casinos give a Canadian player no provincial regulator to complain to. Offshore casinos set their own dispute routes, and those routes vary. Before you deposit, read the terms, confirm the licence the casino does hold, and decide how much you can afford to lose.