Online gambling regulation in Canada

Canada, province by province

Online gambling in Canada is decided province by province. Click a province for its regulator, law, advertising rules and sources.

Hover or tap a region to see its status; click to open its page.

Online betting and casino legal 9
Online sports betting only 3
No legal online gambling 1

Boundaries: Statistics Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada), via geoBoundaries

province	Online sports betting	Online casino	Live since	Licence list
Alberta	Legal	Legal	2026/07	Yes
British Columbia	Legal	Legal	2021/08	No
Manitoba	Legal	Legal	2021/08	No
New Brunswick	Legal	Legal	2004/01	Yes
Newfoundland and Labrador	Legal	Legal	2023-06	No
Northwest Territories	Legal	Not legal	—	No
Nova Scotia	Legal	Not confirmed	2022/02	Not confirmed
Nunavut	Legal	Not confirmed	unclear	No
Ontario	Legal	Legal	2022-04	Yes
Prince Edward Island	Legal	Legal	2021/08	No
Quebec	Legal	Legal	2021-08	Yes
Saskatchewan	Legal	Legal	2022-11	Yes
Yukon	Not legal	Not legal	—	No

Casino, sports betting, poker and more

Canada treats casino, sports betting and poker mainly through provincial authorization under the Criminal Code. Ontario and Alberta now have regulated iGaming markets; outside those provinces, poker and some casino play are often available but largely unregulated/grey-market, while sports betting is generally run through provincial operators or licensed private markets where permitted.

Product	Status	What that means
Online casino	Partly allowed	—
Online sports betting	Partly allowed	—
Online poker	Legal	Legal, with provincial regulation in Ontario and Alberta; elsewhere often unregulated/grey-market rather than expressly banned.
Sweepstakes and social casinos	Unregulated	Canada treats sweepstakes/social casinos as promotional contests, not licensed gambling, generally allowing them if they comply with the federal Competition Act 1985 and Criminal Code 1985 contest provisions. Quebec functionally bans access to such sites due to stricter contest rules; this is described as a “Quebec exception,” not a specific sweepstakes‑casino statute. No federal or provincial law expressly banning dual‑currency sweepstakes casinos (e.g., Chumba, McLuck) was identified, nor any cease‑and‑desist campaigns specific to them as of 2026. These platforms operate without provincial gambling licences, in an unregulated grey area under contest law rather than gaming regulation.
Prediction markets	Restricted	Sports/entertainment event contracts: restricted – CSA/CIRO Joint Staff Notice 91‑307 (2026) says they’re not securities/derivatives and bars CIRO dealers from offering them, leaving only gambling-law routes. Economic/financial/climate event contracts via Wealthsimple/IBKR (Kalshi-linked): licensed – allowed as securities/derivatives through CIRO-authorized dealers under March 2026 CIRO bulletin and CSA‑CIRO guidance 91‑307 (2026). Direct Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, Robinhood event contracts to retail Canadians: restricted – not authorized as securities/derivatives and not provincially licensed for gambling; operate only via geo-blocks or offshore without Canadian approval (no specific cease‑and‑desist). Overlap with gambling law remains unresolved; BC’s Independent Gambling Control Office (2026) confirms sports/entertainment event contracts are gambling under Criminal Code and provincial gaming statutes.
Mystery boxes	Not confirmed	Criminal Code gaming law exists, but I found no Canada-wide regulator or court decision specifically classifying paid mystery boxes/loot boxes as gambling; BC litigation 2026 left criminal gaming theory out.

Advertising unlicensed gambling in Canada

Prohibited. Criminal Code section 202, especially paragraphs on advertising betting offers and transmitting betting-related information.

Advertising unlicensed or illegal gambling, or assisting betting communications, can constitute a Criminal Code offence, regardless of where the site is hosted.

Regulator and law

No single federal gambling regulator; each province regulates its own online gambling (e.g., AGLC, IGCO, Loto‑Québec, etc.)

Criminal Code (RSC 1985 c. C‑46), especially section 207 for provincial lottery schemes and section 202 for illegal gambling and related advertising.

Online casino: Partly allowed. Online sports betting: Partly allowed.

Checking a licence

We could not confirm a public register. Several provincial Crown platforms (e.g., PlayNow, Loto‑Québec) are public, but a unified federal or multi‑province licence register was not identified.

How the black market is fought

Criminal prosecution under Criminal Code section 202 for illegal bookmaking and advertising
General law-enforcement powers against unlicensed operators; no listed ISP or payment blocking in federal law
Provincial monopoly control: only Crown or designated entities may conduct and manage online gambling

Advertising rules for licensed operators

Federal ban on advertising betting or contest-related gambling outside authorised provincial schemes
Messages assisting bookmaking or wagering are prohibited under Criminal Code section 202
Licensed ads must promote provincially conducted-and-managed sites only, not offshore operators
Content must comply with general Canadian marketing, consumer protection and misleading advertising rules

Recent developments

Alberta iGaming Corporation and open-style online market launched under iGaming Alberta Act from July 13, 2026
British Columbia established the Independent Gambling Control Office as provincial gambling regulator on April 13, 2026
Ongoing clarification that most offshore online gambling remains illegal unless conducted and managed by a provincial authority

Questions

Is it illegal to advertise unlicensed gambling in Canada?

Yes. Criminal Code section 202, especially paragraphs on advertising betting offers and transmitting betting-related information. Advertising unlicensed or illegal gambling, or assisting betting communications, can constitute a Criminal Code offence, regardless of where the site is hosted.

Who regulates online gambling in Canada?

No single federal gambling regulator; each province regulates its own online gambling (e.g., AGLC, IGCO, Loto‑Québec, etc.). The main law is Criminal Code (RSC 1985 c. C‑46), especially section 207 for provincial lottery schemes and section 202 for illegal gambling and related advertising..

How can I check whether a gambling operator is licensed in Canada?

Several provincial Crown platforms (e.g., PlayNow, Loto‑Québec) are public, but a unified federal or multi‑province licence register was not identified.

What we could not confirm

Exact wording and numbering of Criminal Code provisions applying to online gambling advertising, beyond section 202, require direct statute verification
Specific provincial advertising standards or guidelines for licensed online gambling operators outside Ontario were not clearly detailed in available sources
Existence and URL of any formal provincially maintained whitelist or public registry of all authorised online gambling sites outside Ontario could not be confirmed
Whether sweepstakes/social casinos are expressly legal, restricted, or prohibited across Canada outside Ontario.
Whether prediction markets are treated as gambling, securities, or derivatives in Canada for retail users.
Whether paid mystery boxes/loot boxes are regulated as gambling or consumer products in Canada.
Exact province-by-province rules beyond Ontario and Alberta for online casino and sports betting products.

Sources

Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.