The Legality of Online Gambling in Canada

Gambling Laws and Regulations in Canada

Gambling has been popular in Canada for hundreds of years. However, it is still heavily regulated on both the local, provincial, and national levels. One thing that has led to more changes in rules and regulations than anything else is the rise of online gambling sites.

The History of Canadian Gambling

Unfortunately, there is often a lack of clear-cut regulations regarding online gambling in Canada. In an effort to help you understand why this is, we’ll provide a bit more insight into the history of gambling in general. For instance, before 1970, all gambling was illegal in Canada due to a wide variety of “moral implications.”

• Canada legalized Bingo and Horse racing in the early 1900s. For decades, they remained the only form of legal gambling in the nation.
• In 1969 the Criminal Code was amended, allowing provinces to run public lotteries in order to fund various public events.
• In 1985, other forms of gambling were authorized on a provincial level, including slot machines.

As new types of gambling were legalized, land-based casinos began opening their doors, as did a new wave of legal sports betting locations. The sport saw a particular surge in Alberta and Ontario, with the latter being home to such major sites as Caesars Windsor Casino.

The Canadian government still owns several land-based casinos, but private companies currently own the vast majority of brick-and-mortar and online sites.

The Arrival of Online Gambling

It is illegal for any entity to run a gambling site or online mobile casino unless it has approval from the Canadian government. However, since the government doesn’t grant licenses to such entities, there has been a lot of confusion regarding the legality of online gambling in general. For instance, since no laws prevent companies operating overseas from offering their services to Canadian players, Canadian citizens are free to play and win at hundreds of different sites.

The power to make decisions regarding the legality of different sites remains with the provinces, and some have even begun operating their own casinos and online lottery programs. This, of course, can lead to additional confusion as regulations tend to vary from place to place. In order to be ascomprehensive as possible, we’ll explore each province’s rules and governing bodies in detail in the next section.

Gambling in Canada (By Province)

Quebec (Loto Quebec)

The provincial government of Quebec has tried on multiple occasions to ban gambling at offshore casinos. Unfortunately, the ambiguity of the law has rendered it highly ineffective. Loto Quebec may be the governing body that issues licenses to gaming providers, but regulating offshore operators is a task that falls to the Federal Government. As a result, there is no actual legal precedent for going after online casinos.

Espacejeux.com

Loto Quebec’s own online gambling site is the primary place for citizens of the province to spend their dollars. It offers everything from lottery tickets and sports betting to casino games like slots, poker, and even a Live Casino. The site also provides players with a list of brick and mortar locations also owned by Loto Quebec. While this all might seem quite impressive for a provincial site, there is far less variety than most private online sites offer.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission

The Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in Quebec has its own regulatory body in charge of granting gambling licenses. Though Canadian law still requires sites to meet certain criteria, the fact that Kahnawake is essentially a sovereign nation gives the commission quite a bit of authority. Some of the biggest sites with licenses from the KGC include:

1. Quatro Casino
2. Ruby Fortune
3. Jackpot City
4. Spin Casino

Feel free to check-out the most Popular Casinos in Canada.

Ontario (The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation)

2019 was the first year in which Ontario gambling law began regulating offshore companies, effectively ending the monopoly held by the OLG, which owns its own site: Playolg.com.

Launched back in 2015, the OLG is a high-quality online casino platform offering English and French-speaking players access to top-rated games from Boss Media, IGT (International Game Technology), and Bally Technologies. Ontario residents can use the site to purchase lottery tickets as well as play casino games, and it is fully compatible with both desktop and mobile devices. The OLG even offers newcomers a sizeable welcome package, 24/7 support, and high levels of security. While the province-owned site is not renowned for its vast game selection, it is still one of the most popular sites for local players, easily competing with the best offshore sites when it comes to traffic.

British Columbia (British Columbia Lottery Corporation)

The province of British Columbia has an organization known as the British Columbia Lottery Corp. that is in charge of handling all gambling and gaming matters. Interestingly enough, the organization was also the very first to offer an online lottery game, which it did back in 1986. Since then, they have constructed a highly popular provincial online casino called Playnow.com. Though the organization has the authority to regulate offshore gambling providers, it has yet to begin creating any official licensing process.

Playnow.com

Playnow.com provides a wide range of activities to players, including slots games, table games, lottery, keno, poker, bingo, and sports betting. Both residents of BC and Manitoba are able to play at the site due to a special agreement made between the two provinces back in 2012. Though it remains extremely popular among players, Playnow.com also suffers from a lack of variety when compared to offshore casinos.

Manitoba (Liquor and Gaming Authority)

Speaking of Manitoba, all gambling in the province is handled by the province’s Liquor and Gaming Authority. Since there is no law regulating or banning offshore casinos sites currently in place, citizens of the province are free to spend their time and money at any site they choose. That said, the majority opt to gamble at British Columbia’s Playnow.com, which has been serving the province the longest.

Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Gambling Laws)

Like the rest of the provinces in the country, Saskatchewan also has a “gray area” dictating most of the offshore gambling laws. There are currently no rules in place controlling citizens’ access to offshore casinos. Instead, it would take a Federal law to provide jurisdiction. Unlike many of the other provinces, Saskatchewan does not have its own provincial casino.

Alberta (Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis)

The AGLC attempted to regulate internet gambling in 2015, but the motion ended up being squashed. Five years later, the organization did release its own site, however: PlayAlberta.ca. Of course, since there are no rules governing offshore sites from operating in the province, citizens are free to spend their money wherever they please.

PlayAlberta.ca

Launched in 2020 by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis Commission, this is the newest provincial casino in Canada. It offers a wider selection of games than most others of its kind, including virtual table games, online slots, instant win games, and live table games from Evolution Gaming.

The Atlantic Provinces (Atlantic Lottery Corp.)

Gambling on Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, is all regulated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. The ALC has its own unique site, but it only offers instant win tickets, lottery tickets, keno, and bingo games. The organization is considering opening its own online casino, but currently, offshore sites are dominating the gambling market on the islands. As with other provincial governments, there are no laws in place preventing offshore casinos from reaching out to citizens.

The Canadian Territories

As most of you know, Canada has three territorial regions in addition to its ten provinces. They are Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Due to their small populations, these regions are managed by the Canadian Federal Government. Even so, the gambling rules and regulations in these far-flung regions do tend to vary quite a bit.

The Territory of Yukon

The Yukon territory includes the oldest brick-and-mortar casino in Canada, which was opened in Dawson City back in 1971. However, the local government does not allow for the sale of online lottery tickets and deems any casino attempting to operate on Yukon soil illegal. However, this provides a nice loophole to offshore casinos that only operate via the internet.

Nunavut

The territory of Nunavut is considered the most remote in Canada and has the smallest population despite its large size. Brick and mortar casinos are non-existent here, but there are a few lottery games to be found if you look hard enough. In order to operate bingo or a table game, companies need to apply for a three-day permit. However, as all regulations only apply to gaming taking place on Nunavut soil, online casinos continue to operate unimpeded.

Northwest Territories

Another remote area with a relatively harsh climate, the Northwest Territories are governed by a Legislative Assembly that regulates all gambling in the region. However, as should be familiar by now, offshore casinos are not covered by any existing laws, and therefore can operate freely within the territory’s borders.

Gambling at an Offshore Online Casino

Curious as it may sound, it is illegal for Canadian companies to offer online gambling to Canadian citizens, but perfectly OK for offshore companies to do the same. This has resulted in an immense growth in popularity among online casinos and sports betting sites, many of which have years of experience from being licensed in other jurisdictions.

While it’s possible that Canada may change its laws in the future, the government will most likely only require foreign casinos to purchase an operating license or undergo a series of evaluations to ensure fairness. That said, no such law has been proposed as of the time of this writing. This gives Canadian players an massive amount of online casinos from which to choose.

Just remember: the fact that you cannot be charged with illegal gambling for using an offshore casino also means you lack any sort of governmental protection from fraud or abuse. That’s why we strongly recommend you only play at casinos that are regulated by official offshore gambling jurisdictions like the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission. This means that the casino and its games have been tested for fairness, responsible gaming, and timely payouts.

Is it Safe to Gamble with Online Offshore Companies?

International online casinos have been quick to take advantage of the ambiguity in Canadian law and are currently offering hundreds of promotions, games, and bonuses to Canadian players. However, not all casinos that happen to have a web address are operated with the same sense of integrity. Again, this is why we always recommend you only play at offshore platforms licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority  and / or the UK Gambling Commission.

The vast majority of these casinos are located in jurisdictions like Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, and Malta, which means they are subject to strict regulations that can help protect players from sign up to cash out.

Most of the casinos regulated by these jurisdictions are also happy to provide access to Canadian players, with the only restrictions usually referring to the payment methods allowed to be used.

This is all great news, of course, as it means that Canadian players can get access to a huge variety of games, take advantage of tons of different bonuses and promotions, and check out dozens of different sites without a care in the world.

CanadaCasinoNews is Your Online Gambling Resource

Casino reviews like the ones you find on this site are a great indicator of which sites offer the best bonuses, most timely payouts, and the best selection of games. At CanadaCasinoNews, our team has put together many comprehensive casino reviews based on the criteria we feel are most important to players. From bonus offers to payouts to licensing and more, we give you all the info you need to make a choice about where you want to spend your hard-earned cash.

Online Casinos in Canada and Responsible Gambling

One of the factors that reliable gaming authorities consider when granting licenses to offshore casinos is responsible gaming. This refers to the measures a casino can take to protect vulnerable gamblers from potentially harmful behaviours. This might include problem gambling, spending too much, over-wagering, and a variety of other actions.

The very best sites will even have safety measures in place that allow players to self-limit their own betting, as well as rules that prevent underage players from getting accounts. Here at CanadaCasinoNews, we work hard to make sure we only promote those gambling sites that are totally committed to responsible gaming practices.

Bitcoin Online Gambling from Canada

Cryptocurrency is perhaps one of the biggest topics of discussion in the world right now, so it should come as no surprise that it is quickly making its way into the gambling world. While gambling with Bitcoin is currently only offered by a few casinos, many players enjoy the anonymity that comes with this form of payment. However, there remain significant issues related to player protection and fraud, which makes gambling with crypto a bit riskier than traditional cash methods. Our team will certainly keep our finger on the pulse of this fast-developing trend. However, if you want to start playing with Bitcoin right away, we recommend PM.IO Casino.

The Future of Online Gambling Canada

Due to the fact that laws governing online gambling in casinos remain rather unclear, Canadian players currently have a literal smorgasbord of options to choose from. Indeed, operators are offering great bonuses and other benefits to first-time and returning players all over the country. While there’s no telling whether or not the Federal Government will change its tune when it comes to regulating offshore casinos, the legislation will probably change in one way or another before too long.

Ontario, for instance, has already taken steps to get rid of the online gambling monopoly, and the ALC has been working for years to establish its own online casino. In our opinion, there will likely be some increased legislation put in place in the next decade or so, especially given the sheer number of people joining these offshore gambling sites and the amount of revenue that stands to be generated from licensing or taxing them. Whatever the case, CanadaCasinoNews will be here with all the latest information.