CBS Canadian Betting Sites

Reference · 13 Jurisdictions · 18+/19+

Provinces and Territories

Online sports betting in Canada is regulated province by province. This page covers all thirteen, with the minimum age, the authority, the licensed platform, and the market model in use in each province or territory.

By the CBS Editorial Desk About a 9‑minute read

01 / Overview

Key Facts at a Glance

  • 13 Provinces and territories, each with its own online sports betting framework.
  • 1 Open licensed market. Ontario, via iGaming Ontario.
  • 18+ Minimum age in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec.
  • 19+ Minimum age in every other province and territory.

02 / About This Page

How to Use This Reference

The entries below are listed alphabetically and cover every province and territory in Canada. Each entry shows the minimum age, the regulatory or operating authority, the licensed online platform, and the market model in use, followed by a short plain-language note.

Rules and operators change over time. For binding answers about what is permitted where you live, the provincial or territorial regulator is the authoritative source. The last-updated date is shown at the top of this page and at the bottom.

03 / Index

Jump to a Province or Territory

04 / Reference

Province by Province

Thirteen entries, alphabetical. Provinces and territories are interleaved rather than grouped, so the order reads like a reference list.

Alberta

AB
Minimum age
18
Authority
AGLC
Platform
Play Alberta
Market model
Crown-run, single platform

Alberta’s online gambling market is run by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), which both regulates the market and operates Play Alberta, the province’s licensed online platform. Because the same Crown body sets the rules and runs the site, Alberta’s model is one of the more direct in Canada.

Alberta has signalled plans to expand toward an open licensed market similar to Ontario’s. At the time of writing, and under Alberta law, Play Alberta remains the sole authorised online platform for residents.

The minimum age for online betting in Alberta is 18, in line with the province’s general age of majority.

British Columbia

BC
Minimum age
19
Authority
GPEB
Platform
PlayNow (BCLC)
Market model
Crown-run, separate regulator

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) operates PlayNow, the province’s licensed online platform. Unlike Alberta and Quebec, the regulator is a separate body: the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB), a unit of the provincial government.

PlayNow is also the licensed online platform in Manitoba and Saskatchewan under inter-provincial agreements with BCLC. From a player’s perspective the same site appears in each of the three provinces, but each provincial regulator retains its own rules and oversight.

The minimum age for online betting in British Columbia is 19, matching the province’s general age of majority.

Manitoba

MB
Minimum age
18
Authority
LGCA
Platform
PlayNow (via BCLC)
Market model
Crown-run, inter-provincial partnership

The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA) regulates gambling in the province. Manitoba does not run its own online betting platform; instead, it offers online play through PlayNow under an agreement with BCLC.

The LGCA continues to set Manitoba’s gambling rules and enforce them within the province. The technical platform is BCLC’s, but the regulatory framework is Manitoba’s.

The minimum age for online betting in Manitoba is 18, in line with the province’s general age of majority.

New Brunswick

NB
Minimum age
19
Authority
Atlantic Lottery Corporation
Platform
Atlantic Lottery (ALC.ca)
Market model
Crown-run, inter-provincial joint

New Brunswick is one of the four Atlantic provinces that jointly own Atlantic Lottery Corporation. ALC.ca is the shared licensed online platform across the region.

Each Atlantic province retains its own regulatory authority, but the platform infrastructure is pooled across New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

The minimum age for online betting in New Brunswick is 19, matching the province’s general age of majority.

Newfoundland and Labrador

NL
Minimum age
19
Authority
Atlantic Lottery Corporation
Platform
Atlantic Lottery (ALC.ca)
Market model
Crown-run, inter-provincial joint

Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the four Atlantic provinces that jointly own Atlantic Lottery Corporation. ALC.ca is the shared licensed online platform across the region.

Each Atlantic province retains its own regulatory authority, but the platform infrastructure is pooled across New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

The minimum age for online betting in Newfoundland and Labrador is 19, matching the province’s general age of majority.

Northwest Territories

NT
Minimum age
19
Authority
None for online betting
Platform
WCLC lottery only
Market model
No territorial sportsbook or casino

The Northwest Territories does not operate its own licensed online betting platform. Lottery products are available through the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC), which the territory participates in alongside other western jurisdictions.

There is no territorially licensed online sportsbook or casino in the Northwest Territories. Beyond WCLC lottery products, no provincially or territorially regulated online betting option is available to residents.

The general age of majority in the Northwest Territories is 19.

Nova Scotia

NS
Minimum age
19
Authority
Atlantic Lottery Corporation
Platform
Atlantic Lottery (ALC.ca)
Market model
Crown-run, inter-provincial joint

Nova Scotia is one of the four Atlantic provinces that jointly own Atlantic Lottery Corporation. ALC.ca is the shared licensed online platform across the region.

Each Atlantic province retains its own regulatory authority, but the platform infrastructure is pooled across New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

The minimum age for online betting in Nova Scotia is 19, matching the province’s general age of majority.

Nunavut

NU
Minimum age
19
Authority
None for online betting
Platform
WCLC lottery only
Market model
No territorial sportsbook or casino

Nunavut does not operate its own licensed online betting platform. Lottery products are available through the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, which the territory participates in.

There is no territorially licensed online sportsbook or casino in Nunavut. Beyond WCLC lottery products, no provincially or territorially regulated online betting option is available to residents.

The general age of majority in Nunavut is 19.

Ontario

ON
Minimum age
19
Authority
AGCO
Platform
Open market (iGaming Ontario) + OLG.ca
Market model
Open licensed market plus Crown platform

Ontario is the only province in Canada with an open licensed market for online betting. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) regulates the market. iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of AGCO, contracts with private operators that hold individual licences to take wagers from Ontario residents.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) also operates OLG.ca, a Crown-owned online platform that runs alongside the privately licensed operators.

The minimum age for online betting in Ontario is 19. Ontario’s open market launched in April 2022, following the passage of Bill C‑218 the previous year.

Prince Edward Island

PE
Minimum age
19
Authority
Atlantic Lottery Corporation
Platform
Atlantic Lottery (ALC.ca)
Market model
Crown-run, inter-provincial joint

Prince Edward Island is one of the four Atlantic provinces that jointly own Atlantic Lottery Corporation. ALC.ca is the shared licensed online platform across the region.

Each Atlantic province retains its own regulatory authority, but the platform infrastructure is pooled across New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

The minimum age for online betting in Prince Edward Island is 19, matching the province’s general age of majority.

Quebec

QC
Minimum age
18
Authority
Loto‑Québec
Platform
Espacejeux (Loto‑Québec)
Market model
Crown-run, single platform

Quebec’s online gambling is operated by Loto‑Québec, the provincial Crown corporation. Espacejeux is the licensed online platform, and under Quebec law, Loto‑Québec is the only operator authorised to offer online gambling to Quebec residents.

Quebec has historically taken a more assertive stance toward offshore sites than other provinces, though the legal questions around resident access have been contested in court.

The minimum age for online betting in Quebec is 18, matching the province’s general age of majority.

Saskatchewan

SK
Minimum age
19
Authority
SLGA
Platform
PlayNow (via BCLC)
Market model
Crown-run, inter-provincial partnership

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) regulates gambling in the province. Like Manitoba, Saskatchewan offers licensed online betting through PlayNow under an agreement with BCLC, rather than running its own platform.

SLGA retains authority over what is permitted within Saskatchewan. The platform technology is BCLC’s, but the regulatory framework is provincial.

The minimum age for online betting in Saskatchewan is 19, matching the province’s general age of majority.

Yukon

YT
Minimum age
19
Authority
None for online betting
Platform
WCLC lottery only
Market model
No territorial sportsbook or casino

Yukon does not operate its own licensed online betting platform. Lottery products are available through the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, which the territory participates in.

There is no territorially licensed online sportsbook or casino in Yukon. Beyond WCLC lottery products, no provincially or territorially regulated online betting option is available to residents.

The general age of majority in Yukon is 19.

05 / Patterns

Differences Across Canada

Four axes account for most of the variation between provinces and territories.

Market Model

Open Market vs Crown-Run

Ontario stands alone with an open licensed market. The other nine provinces with licensed online betting use a Crown-run single-platform model, either directly through their own provincial Crown (Alberta’s AGLC, Quebec’s Loto‑Québec) or under an inter-provincial agreement (PlayNow, Atlantic Lottery).

Age

18 in Three Provinces, 19 Elsewhere

Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec set the minimum age for online betting at 18. Every other province and territory sets it at 19. The split tracks each jurisdiction’s general age of majority rather than any gambling-specific rule, which is why the three “18” provinces are not geographically contiguous but share the same threshold.

Platform Sharing

Two Platforms Cover Seven Provinces

Atlantic Lottery’s ALC.ca serves the four Atlantic provinces. BCLC’s PlayNow serves British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Alberta’s Play Alberta and Quebec’s Espacejeux operate independently, and Ontario sits outside the sharing model entirely. Two licensed platforms account for seven of the ten provinces with regulated online betting.

Territorial Gap

No Territorial Platforms

The Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon do not run licensed online betting platforms of their own. Lottery products are available through the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, but no online sportsbook or casino is territorially licensed. This is the clearest exception to the otherwise consistent provincial pattern.

For citations and direct links to each regulator and Crown operator, see the Sources and Authorities section of the Laws and Regulations page.

06 / Common Questions

Frequently Asked

Which Provinces Have an Open Market for Online Sports Betting?

As of this page’s last update, only Ontario operates an open licensed market. The other nine provinces with licensed online betting use a Crown-run single-platform model, whether operated by a provincial Crown corporation or shared under an inter-provincial agreement. The three territories do not operate online betting platforms of their own. Alberta has signalled plans to open its market in the future.

Why Is the Minimum Age 18 in Some Provinces and 19 in Others?

The minimum age for online betting tracks each province’s general age of majority. Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec set the age of majority at 18, so online betting starts at 18 there. The remaining provinces and territories set it at 19.

Can I Use a Betting Site Licensed in Another Province?

Generally no. Each provincial licence covers residents of that province. Inter-provincial sharing arrangements exist, such as PlayNow operating in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan under agreements with BCLC, but they are negotiated exceptions rather than a general right to bet across provincial lines.

What if I Live in a Territory Without a Licensed Online Platform?

The Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon do not operate their own online betting platforms. Lottery products are available through the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, but there is no territorially licensed online sportsbook or casino. Beyond WCLC lottery products, no provincially or territorially regulated online betting option is available to residents.