Online Gaming in Canada

Several provinces offer online gaming to their citizens. British Columbia was the first to enter the online gaming market when it launched its online casino, PlayNow.com, in 2010.

Canada has adopted a relaxed stance toward offshore online casinos, and most provinces have chosen not to block them or try to prosecute them. Instead, they allow Canadians to bet with those sites, hoping the provincial offerings will be both competitive and safer.

Québec, however, announced plans in March 2015 to propose new legislation that would compel internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to a list of unlicensed sites. The legislation passed in May 2016, but has since been tied up in a series of legal challenges. In August 2018, the Québec Superior Court ruled the legislation unconstitutional; the Québec government has since filed an appeal. As of 2025, this legal challenge remains unresolved, and Québec has not enforced ISP blocking of unlicensed sites. Subsequent proceedings have continued to affirm that the province cannot unilaterally mandate ISP blocking of gambling sites because this intrudes on federal jurisdiction over telecommunications.

On March 25, 2021, a Canadian Parliament committee unanimously passed an amended bill to legalize single-game sports betting, with an amendment allowing horse racing to continue offering parimutuel bets and prohibiting fixed-odds wagering on horse racing. On 22 June 2021, the Senate of Canada passed Bill C-218 without any amendments, 57-20, with five abstentions, and the new law legalized single-event sports betting in Canada once it received Royal Assent.

On April 4, 2022, Ontario became the first province in Canada to license and regulate third-party online gambling sites. In provinces where online casino gaming is not legalized and regulated, residents may still access offshore online casinos. However, these offshore operators are not licensed by Canadian authorities and operate in a legal gray area.

Provincial online gaming markets continue to expand, with Ontario’s private operator model driving increased competition and consumer choice. First Nations regulators, led by Kahnawake, maintain a significant global presence licensing online operators, with updates to their regulatory framework in 2023 streamlining licensing and compliance.

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