Is online gambling legal in Canada?

Legal overview

Canada has no federal online casino licence. Gambling is a criminal-law matter, and section 207 of the Criminal Code makes it lawful for a province to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in accordance with provincial law, including games operated on a computer. As a result, online gambling is organised province by province, and in each province the legal online casino is either a government-run platform or a private operator approved under the provincial regime.

Ontario opened a regulated market for private operators on 4 April 2022, overseen by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and iGaming Ontario. Alberta followed on 13 July 2026, with registration by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis and commercial agreements through the Alberta iGaming Corporation. Elsewhere the provincial lottery corporation is the only authorised online operator: PlayNow in British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Loto-Québec's online platform in Quebec and Atlantic Lottery in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. The territories have no dedicated online casino platform. Single-event sports betting has been legal since August 2021. The minimum age is 19 in most provinces and 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.

Outside Ontario and Alberta, sites licensed in other jurisdictions such as Malta or Kahnawake still accept Canadian players. The Criminal Code is aimed at operators rather than players, and individual players are not prosecuted for using such sites, but disputes with them can only be taken to the foreign licensing body. Recreational gambling winnings are generally not taxed in Canada.