Canada — Gambling Regulation
The Criminal Code lets provinces 'conduct and manage' gaming. Ontario opened the first open licensed iGaming market in April 2022 (AGCO + iGaming Ontario); other provinces run their own platforms through lottery corporations.
Legal status by vertical
| Vertical | Status | Since | Tax / basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online casino | Regulated | 2022 | — |
| Sports betting | Regulated | 2021 | — |
| Poker | Regulated | — | — |
| Lottery | State Monopoly | — | Provincial lottery corporations |
Ontario: private operators register with AGCO and contract with iGaming Ontario. Elsewhere: provincial monopoly platforms (PlayNow in BC/MB, OLG, Loto-Québec...). Alberta legislated its own open market via the iGaming Alberta Act (2025); AGLC registration opened January 2026, launch scheduled July 13, 2026.
Single-event betting legalized federally August 2021 (C-218); offered provincially + Ontario open market.
Available via Ontario-registered operators and provincial platforms.
Provinces conduct and manage
Canadian gambling law starts from a single provision: section 207 of the Criminal Code, which permits provinces to "conduct and manage" gaming schemes. For decades that meant provincial lottery-corporation platforms — PlayNow in British Columbia and Manitoba, OLG in Ontario, Loto-Québec — operating as monopolies, while offshore operators served Canadians from a legal grey zone the provinces could not easily reach.
Single-event sports betting was the federal unlock: Bill C-218 legalised it in August 2021, replacing the old parlay-only rule and clearing the way for modern sportsbooks on provincial platforms and beyond.
Ontario opened the door — Alberta follows
Ontario built Canada's first open licensed iGaming market, live April 4, 2022, on a two-body model: the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) registers and regulates operators, while iGaming Ontario holds the commercial agreements that bring private brands inside the provincial "conduct and manage" umbrella. The model converted much of Ontario's offshore traffic into a regulated market without a constitutional amendment or federal statute.
Alberta is the second mover: the iGaming Alberta Act (Bill 48, 2025) created an open market on the Ontario pattern, with AGLC registration open since January 2026 and launch scheduled for July 13, 2026. Elsewhere the monopoly platforms remain the only locally authorised offer, and operators outside those regimes continue to serve Canadians offshore — grey by province, not by country.
Key facts
- Criminal Code s.207 is the foundation: provinces conduct and manage gaming
- Ontario market opened April 4, 2022 — AGCO regulates, iGaming Ontario contracts
- Operators outside Ontario's regime serve Canadians from offshore (grey by province)
Frequently asked questions
Is online casino legal in Canada?
Who regulates online gambling in Canada?
What is the online gambling tax rate in Canada?
Is online sports betting legal in Canada?
Can private operators run lotteries in Canada?
- Criminal Code (Canada), s. 207 — permitted lotteries — Justice Laws Canada, laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
- AGCO — Internet gaming in Ontario — agco.ca, www.agco.ca
- iGaming Alberta Act (Bill 48, 2025) — Legislative Assembly of Alberta, www.assembly.ab.ca