Betting rules province by province, from Ontario to Nunavut
In Canada online sports betting is legal only through the provincial system. Ontario and Alberta register private operators, while British Columbia, Manitoba and Québec rely on provincial operators. The minimum age is 19 in Ontario and British Columbia and 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Québec. For Saskatchewan, the Atlantic provinces and the territories, we could not confirm the rules as of 2026-11-13.
Checked by the editorial team on
- 3 min read
- 6 sections
- 1 table
- 3 FAQ
Province by province
| Province | Regulator and operator | Model | Age | Self-exclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario (ON) | AGCO; iGaming Ontario registry | Private operators, registered | 19+ | BetGuard, from 2026-05-14 |
| Alberta (AB) | AGLC; Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) | Private operators, registered, market open since 2026-07-13 | 18+ | selfexclusion.ca |
| British Columbia (BC) | IGCO since 2026-04-13; BCLC (PlayNow) | Provincial operator | 19+ | Required on PlayNow |
| Québec (QC) | Loto-Québec | Provincial operator only | 18+ | Autoexclusion, breaks of 1 to 89 days |
| Manitoba (MB) | Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (PlayNow MB) | Provincial operator | 18+ | Not confirmed |
| SK, NB, NS, NL, PE | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| YT, NT, NU | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Takeaway: a province's page shows only operators that province authorizes. If your province is marked "Not confirmed", we publish no operator for it.
What is not confirmed
- The rules for Saskatchewan, the Atlantic provinces and the territories: the regulator pages were not readable when we checked.
- Self-exclusion in Manitoba: the PlayNow MB page lists two help numbers without labels, so we do not state which is Manitoba's.
- Federal advertising rules: a bill on a national framework for sports betting advertising exists, but we could not confirm its status.
Operators by registry are on the operator index; help lines are on the safety page.
How we checked
- We read the regulator or operator page for each province and kept the age and the model as written there.
- We marked a field "Not confirmed" when a page was unreachable or unclear.
- We re-read the regulators' sites weekly and date every change.
Sources
- AGCO and iGaming Ontario
- AGLC and Alberta iGaming Corporation
- BCLC (PlayNow), Loto-Québec and Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries official pages.
What changed
- : first version of the province table.
Age and help
19+ in Ontario and British Columbia; 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Québec. Gambling involves risk. Play responsibly. Need help? See help lines by province. Need a break? Ontario: BetGuard. Alberta: selfexclusion.ca. Not an official site of any operator or regulator. Questions: betting FAQ.
FAQ
Is there a federal licence for online sports betting?
No. The Criminal Code allows betting only as schemes run or licensed by a province. Single-event sports betting has been allowed since 2021-08-27, except on horse racing.
Can I use an Ontario operator while in another province?
Not on that basis. Ontario requires the player to be physically in the province. A brand in the Ontario registry may operate elsewhere under a different regime, so status is tracked province by province.
Does a Kahnawà:ke licence replace a provincial one?
No. The Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission licenses interactive gaming on Mohawk territory, which is not a provincial authorization. We do not recommend brands on that basis.