For many years, gambling has been taboo for Canadians. Yet, the situation faced its first change in 2021 when single-game sports betting was legalized in some regions. Since then, the gambling market has entered the era of rapid transformation. Today, the authorities plan to shift from the old “monopoly model” to a new, more open and legalized one. Of course, the standard will be created for the online gambling Canadian sites, and the player’s protection is going to be stricter.
The Foundational Law: Federal vs. Provincial
Canada has its unique control of gambling activity. While the federal framework is based on the Criminal Code that prohibits gambling, it’s up to the provinces to decide whether to fully ban it or not. It means that the 10 provinces have their sovereign regulators.
As a result, several provincial lottery corporations were created to hold total monopolies. The most famous are OLG in Ontario and BCLC in British Columbia. They were the monopolists until the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act changed the game. It allowed bets on certain games (not just parlays), which led to the modern, digital-first industry.
Ontario’s Success and the “Alberta Expansion”
The first province that made a step forward to modern changes was Ontario. It launched the open market in 2022. Today, it holds up to 50 private operators that bring billions of Canadian dollars in total wagers annually, based on the iGaming Ontario 2025 reports.
Being a witness to this success, Alberta decided to follow the trend and passed its iGaming Alberta Act in 2025. According to it, Alberta’s gambling market will meet such changes:
- New private companies will be able to obtain their license.
- The provincial government will retain 20% of the new revenue.
- 2% from this revenue will be given to First Nations, and 1% will be dedicated to gambling research (as part of the proposed framework).
- The full market activity is expected in autumn 2026.
It means that the legalization of online gambling halls can be expected in other provinces as well in the near future.
The New National Standards: Responsible Gambling
In addition to the gaming diversity and provincial availability, Canadian authorities also plan to change the responsible gambling regulations. The House of Commons is going to review the laws and promise a higher level of players’ protection, including:
- Continuing the exclusion of celebrities from the casino promotion, as they are the idols for youth who might follow them and bet more actively.
- Launch a national gambling standard, where bettors’ activities will be as strictly regulated as the sale of tobacco and alcohol.
- Finally, there will be strict control over the live advertising that will limit the frequency and duration of betting ads.
These rules will make gambling more supervised and controlled, so the open model will have more chances to be launched in other provinces.
British Columbia’s New Regulations
British Columbia, which is in Western Canada, will launch its Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) on April 13, 2026. It will be an independent regulator that will not be influenced by the government’s revenue-generating arms. The job of the organization will be to control the AML policy and create a new, improved centralized self-exclusion system, allowing users to easily ban their activities across all gambling platforms.
The Gambling Status in All Provinces in 2026
Currently, the situation in Canadian provinces differs in regulations and official permits.
| Province | Legal status | Requirements for players |
| Ontario | Regulated open market; approximately 50+ private operators | Must be 19+ and physically located in Ontario to use private licensed sites |
| Alberta | Shifting to open market | Age 18+; private operators are still registering now |
| British Columbia | Provincial monopoly | Age 19+ on platforms managed by BCLC |
| Quebec | Provincial monopoly | Age 18+; only Loto-Québec is officially authorized |
| Saskatchewan | Provincial monopoly | Age 19+ on platforms operated through a partnership with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) and BCLC |
| Manitoba | Provincial monopoly | Age 18+ in casinos, operated by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries |
| New Brunswick | Provincial monopoly | Age 19+ at regulated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) platforms |
| Nova Scotia | Provincial monopoly | Age 19+ on platforms, regulated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) |
| Prince Edward Island | Provincial monopoly | Age 19+ in halls, regulated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | Provincial monopoly | Age 19+ in casinos, regulated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) |
Except for the legal bodies, there are a great number of “grey markets” that are not officially registered in Canada. Yet, due to the national gambling standards, a number of new mobile-based platforms will be expected in late 2026. They will be obliged to follow the law to offer their services legally to Canadian players.
