A Guide To Canada’s Gambling Laws - Whats Legal & Whats Not

Gambling exists in some form or the other and is regulated by different regulatory authorities across Canada.

There are 10 provinces and 3 territories across Canada, and the regulatory body for gambling differs for each of these territories.

What also differs across territories are the kinds of gambling – casinos, lotteries, race tracks, Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), online casinos and others – that are legal in each territory and province.

We will take a look at all these different aspects of gambling and the laws dealing with them in Canada.

Gambling Laws in Canada – The Early Days

The early days of gambling in Canada were interesting. Gambling was a severely restricted activity in Canada right up to middle of the 20th century and even beyond. There was strict legislation governing the different forms of gambling in the country. As a result there was a lot of criminal activity centered on gambling, with crooks and assorted unscrupulous individuals using the demand factor to provide illegal gambling to the Canadian people.

It was only in 1969 that the Canadian federal government made amendments to the existing Criminal Code. The amendments regulated and legalized certain gambling activities like lotteries. This enabled residents of Canada to place wagers on lotteries that the government regulated, and the lotteries were used to raise money for different activities. The regulation of the different lotteries was transferred to the individual provinces and territories only in 1985. Section 207 of the Criminal Code makes it legal for lottery schemes operating through a computer to service Canadian players.

Today, the regulation of gambling by the government has spread to cover different sports including horse racing, casino-style gambling, VLTs, ticket lotteries, and also charitable gaming. Lotteries are still big money spinners for the governments of all the Canadian territories and provinces.

The laws related to gambling under the Criminal Code have been quite clear about land-based gambling. However, there was not much to go by when it comes to players indulging in online gambling. However, in recent times one thing is clear: online casino operators except those operating under license from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and the government-run online casinos and gambling sites. In fact, the first regulated and fully legal online casino in North America – PlayNow – was launched in 2012 in British Columbia.

Gambling Laws in the Different Provinces of Canada

Gambling is thriving in Canada today. The legal age is 19 years – same as the drinking age – in all Canadian casinos except the ones in Alberta, Quebec, and Manitoba. The gambling laws vary across the different provinces and territories of Canada. There are 10 provinces in all:

Alberta

More than 4% of Alberta’s budget is from revenue earned through the gambling avenues here. The different legal gambling activities here include:

Casino: More than 25 casinos in the province.

Online gambling: Players from here are free to gamble at casinos owned by reputed overseas operators.

Sports betting: Available to players through the Sports Select service.

Horse racing: Legally available in Alberta Downs, Northlands Park, and Century Downs. There are 15 teletheatres as well.

VLTs: More than 6000 VLTs in age-restricted locations across the province. Managed by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.

Lottery: Run by the Western Canada Lottery Corporation; daily draws conducted.

Charitable gaming: Games available include pull tickets and bingo.

British Colombia

Gambling has been legal in British Columbia for over 3 decades now. Legal gambling options include:

Casinos: 15+ casinos in British Columbia, one of them being run by the First Nations. The biggest here is the Hard Rock Café and Casino.

Online gambling: One licensed and regulated gambling site in the province – PlayNow. It was set up in 2004 and owned by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.

Lottery: Run since 1985 by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Minimum gambling age is 19.

Horse racing: Single race track that is active – Fraser Downs.

Charitable gaming: Charitable events players can participate in include bingo, raffles, wheel of fortune, poker, and social occasion casinos.

Sports betting: Players can play after buying tickets at licensed locations.

Manitoba

All gambling activities in this province are licensed and regulated by the Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba, an entity set up in 2014 by merging two existing bodies – the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission and the Manitoba Gaming Control Commission. Gambling activities available here legally include:

Casinos: There are casinos that are government owned and also a few run by the First Nations. The 2 casinos in Winnipeg are owned by the government.

Online gambling: Has its own state-run casino, PlayNow Manitoba, on the lines of the casino initially set up in British Columbia in 2013. Apart from this one state-run casino, players can also play at the online casinos run by overseas operators.

Sports betting: Available through the Sports Select system. The maximum daily wager allowed is $250.

Horse racing: One permanent race track here; races include thoroughbred and Standardbred races. Number of off-track betting facilities available as well. All racing is regulated by the Manitoba Horse Racing Commission.

VLTs: These are regulated by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. Popular games include Keno, poker, and spinning reel.

Lottery: Regulated by the Western Canada Lottery Corporation and available at land-based retailers and also online. Popular offerings include lottery tickets and also scratch cards.

Charitable Gaming: Available in the province and popular games include bingo, raffles, Calcutta Auction, sports draft, break open, and Texas Hold’em tournaments.

New Brunswick

Different legal gambling activities in the province of New Brunswick include:

Casinos: Just one casino located in Moncton.

Online gambling: No locally regulated online casinos and sportsbooks available. However, players can play at sites run by overseas operators.

Sports betting: Available through Pro-Line and administered by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation.

Horse racing: There are permanent race tracks in Fredericton and Saint John. Off-track betting facilities were set up in Dieppe and Quispamsis in 2015.

VLTs: This was the first province to put up VLTs in 1990 and today there are over 2000 of them.

Charitable gaming: 800+ charitable gaming licenses issued so far. Popular games include raffles and bingo.

Lottery: Conducted by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation and available with 900+ land-based dealers.

Newfoundland and Labrador

This is towards the easternmost side of Canada. Almost every kind of gambling is legal in this province. Land-based casino gambling is illegal here; the sole exception being the casinos run by the First Nation tribes. The legally available gambling activities here include:

Online gambling: No locally run online gaming establishments here; players can access casinos and online gaming sites run by overseas/offshore operators.

Sports betting: Available to players through the Pro-Line service with the maximum daily wager being $250. The minimum age requirement is 19 years.

Horse racing: One legal racing track currently – St. John’s Racing and Entertainment Center.

Lottery: Run by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Jackpots range from $10 million to $50 million.

VLTs: Over 2000 VLTs in 500 retailers that strictly follow age restriction norms. They are regulated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Payouts range between 80% and 93%.

Charitable gaming: Regulated by the Department of Government Services. Popular games include bingo and raffles. More than 3800 charitable licenses in operation at this point in time.

Nova Scotia

Studies earlier indicated that over 87% of the province’s adult population gambled at least once annually. The different legal gambling activities here include:

Casinos: 2 land-based casinos here, both Casino Nova Scotia – one in Halifax and the other in Sydney. Games available include slots and table games. They are licensed and regulated by the Nova Scotia Provincial Lotteries and Casino Corporation.

Online gambling: There are no government-run online casinos; players can play at casinos run by overseas operators.

Sports betting: Available to players through the Pro-Line system and is licensed and run by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation.

VLTs: More than 2700 VLTs across the province, with payouts ranging from 93% to 95%.

Horse racing: Three legalized tracks in Nova Scotia.

Lottery and charitable gaming: Run by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Games available include bingo and video and ticket lotteries. Tickets are available at more than 1000 retailers across the province.

Ontario

More than 90% of the residents of southern Ontario stay within an hour’s drive from a gaming establishment. As of 2011, 82.9% of Ontario’s adult population said they had gambled at least once in the previous year. The different gambling activities popular in Ontario include:

Casinos: Ontario has 25+ casinos, including government-run establishments as well as private casinos.
Slot machines: You find slots at casinos; until 2013 they were found at the race tracks as well. Ontario is the province with the biggest number of slot machines in Canada.

Sports betting: Available through the Pro-Line system at land-based and online lottery centers. Players must wager on a minimum of 2 games. Betting options available include over/under and point spread.

Horse racing: Very popular across Ontario. From 1998 to 2013 the race tracks had slot machines as well, with led to a surge in popularity and revenue for the tracks. The government withdrew the slots in 2013.

Charitable gaming: Licensed by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, games available include bingo and raffles.

Lottery: Includes provincial lotteries and also the National Lottery that is administered by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. The lottery network here is the largest in North America, with revenues crossing $3 billion in 2011.

Prince Edward Island

This is Canada’s smallest province, with 1 large island and 231 smaller ones. All gambling is run in this province by the Prince Edward Island Lotteries Commission right from the time it was established in 1976. The different legal gambling avenues here include:

Casino: Only one legal entity that is actually a combination of casino and harness racing.

Online gambling: No locally regulated casinos; players can play at any of the casinos run by offshore or overseas operators.

Sports betting: Available to players through the Pro-Line service.
Horse racing: 2 legal race tracks currently – Summerside Raceway and Charlottetown Driving Park. Off-track betting facilities are not present.

Lottery: Operated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation.

VLTs: The VLT operator for this province has been Atlantic Lottery Corporation since 2003. There was a cut in the number of VL sites and terminals in 2008 by 50% and 20% respectively. As of 2014 there have been 268 terminals at 39 sites across the province.

Charitable gaming: Games available include raffles, bingo, and also lottery-like competitions.

Quebec

Casino games were legalized here since 1970. The different legal gambling activities here include:

Casinos: There are 9 land-based casinos that are licensed and regulated by the Quebec Alcohol, Racing, and Gaming Commission.

Online gambling: Available to players at the numerous online casinos run by overseas operators and also at the government-run Espacejeux. Plans are afoot to ban access to all online casino websites except the ones licensed and approved by Loto-Quebec.

Horse racing: One race track available currently where harness racing occurs.

Sports betting: Possible through a game called Mise-O-Jeu.

Lottery: This is the oldest legalized gambling activity in the province and draws are held daily.

VLTs: These flourished at one time, touching a mammoth 40,000 machines in the province in 1998. Now there are approximately 12,000 of them in gaming halls and bars. This province is one of the last to offer VLTs to players.

Bingo and charitable gaming: These are licensed and regulated by Loto-Quebec and games available include bingo and Kinzo.

Saskatchewan

The legally available gambling options in the province of Saskatchewan include:

Casinos: 6 casinos that are regulated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, with another 2 run by the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation. All revenue generated by First Nation tribes’ casinos is divided among the First Nations Trust, the General Revenue Fund run by the government, and various Community Development Corporations.

Online gaming: No locally run online casinos; players can play in any of the licensed offshore casinos.

Sports betting: Available to players through the Sports Select system.

Horse racing: 3 legal race tracks available.

VLTs: Available in the province since 1993. Revenue generated from the VLTs goes to the General Revenue Fund run by the government. Today there is a cap of 4000 machines.

Charitable gaming: Conducted by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority. Popular games include raffles and bingo.

Lottery: Legal since 1974 and operated by Saskatchewan Lotteries.

Author Milica is a keen sports enthusiast , she often contributes to betting.ca as well as other sites. Milica enjoys betting on varies events such as sports and others.