Casino Licensing and Regulation in Canada

Two layers: the Criminal Code and the provinces

Canadian gambling law has a federal floor and a provincial ceiling, and licensing lives in the provincial layer.

• The federal layer: what is permitted at all

  The Criminal Code prohibits gambling in general and then carves out exceptions. Section 207 allows a provincial government to conduct and manage a lottery scheme, a term that covers casino games, slots, lotteries and online play, and since 27 August 2021 single-event sports betting under Bill C-218.

• The provincial layer: who may run it

  Eight provinces run a single Crown platform. Ontario and Alberta license private operators, but a provincial corporation stays in charge so that the province, not the operator, conducts and manages the games. There is no federal licence: a site “licensed in Canada” must name a province, and only Ontario and Alberta license private companies.

Provincial regulators and Crown platforms

• Ontario: AGCO and iGaming Ontario (19+)

  In Ontario the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario registers operators and suppliers, sets the Registrar’s Standards and enforces them. iGaming Ontario, a provincial agency, signs the operating agreements and conducts and manages the market. As of 1 September 2026 its directory listed 49 operators and 84 gaming sites.

• Alberta: AGLC and the Alberta iGaming Corporation (18+)

  In Alberta, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis registers operators and suppliers and regulates the market that opened on 13 July 2026 under the iGaming Alberta Act. The Alberta iGaming Corporation conducts and manages the commercial side and publishes the directory of approved sites: 22 operator sites on day one, 34 on 30 September 2026 and 51 on 27 October 2026. Operators that served Alberta before launch had until 13 October 2026 to register or leave. AGLC’s own platform, PlayAlberta, continues.

• British Columbia: BCLC and the IGCO (19+)

  In British Columbia the British Columbia Lottery Corporation runs PlayNow.com, the only authorized online casino. Since 13 April 2026 the Independent Gambling Control Office, created by the new Gaming Control Act to replace the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, has regulated BCLC, charitable gaming and horse racing.

• Quebec: Loto-Québec (18+)

  In Quebec, Loto-Québec, a Crown corporation, runs and answers for the province’s online casino, launched as Espacejeux on 1 December 2010 and now offered through lotoquebec.com.

• Manitoba: Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries and the LGCA (18+)

  In Manitoba, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries holds the conduct-and-manage authority and has offered PlayNow.com since January 2013 under an agreement with BCLC, which runs the platform day to day. The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba is the regulator.

• Saskatchewan: SLGA, Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan and SIGA (19+)

  In Saskatchewan the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority is the independent regulator. Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, a Crown corporation, oversees Sask Lotteries, SaskGaming and the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, and SIGA has operated PlayNow.com on BCLC’s platform since 3 November 2022.

• Atlantic Canada: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (19+)

  Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador jointly own the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, which runs their online casino games: New Brunswick from 2020, Nova Scotia from 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador from June 2023 and Prince Edward Island by July 2026. Oversight stays provincial: Service Nova Scotia’s Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division, New Brunswick’s Gaming Control Branch, the PEI Lotteries Commission and, in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Department of Finance.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake established the Commission under the Kahnawake Gaming Law, and on 8 July 1999 the Commission enacted its Regulations concerning Interactive Gaming, one of the earliest online gambling rulebooks anywhere. It sits in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake, near Montreal, and bases its authority on asserted Mohawk jurisdiction rather than a provincial mandate.

• What it licenses

  Online casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks hold a Client Provider Authorization, and the people who run them hold Key Person Permits. It also licenses land-based poker rooms and gaming devices in the territory.

• Ontario, 13 May 2024

  The Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed the Mohawk Council’s challenge to the iGaming Ontario model in Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke v. iGaming Ontario, 2024 ONSC 2726, holding that iGaming Ontario is the “operating mind” of the market and that the conduct-and-manage test is met. The Council said in May 2024 that it would not appeal.

• Quebec, February 2026

  The Quebec Court of Appeal dismissed the Commission’s appeal in the Magic Palace case and upheld a November 2024 Superior Court ruling that Quebec’s courts can judicially review the Commission’s decisions. The underlying dispute continues.

• New commissioners, October 2026

  On 21 October 2026 the Commission announced five new commissioners, appointed by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake on 13 October 2026 to fill vacancies left by recent resignations. They join two commissioners already in office. Separately, the Commission’s application and renewal fees for Client Provider Authorizations and Key Person Permits rise on 1 January 2027.

Offshore licences Canadians will see

• Malta Gaming Authority

  Established in 2001 as the Lotteries and Gaming Authority and renamed in 2015, the MGA has the most detailed rules of the four. Licensees must hold player funds in segregated accounts, show a licence number in the format MGA/B2C/123/2020, and offer an approved alternative dispute resolution body. It does not apply Canadian consumer law or answer to any Canadian regulator.

• Curaçao Gaming Authority

  From 1996 Curaçao worked through a few master licence holders who issued sub-licences with little oversight. The National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK) came into force on 24 December 2024, replacing that system with direct B2C and B2B licences from the renamed Curaçao Gaming Authority, formerly the Gaming Control Board. Old sub-licences lapsed and operators had to reapply. The regime is stricter on paper, but its enforcement record is short.

• Isle of Man and Gibraltar

  The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission licenses online operators, with player funds ring-fenced from operating money. Gibraltar licenses under its Gambling Act 2025, which replaced the 2005 Act in 2026. Neither can compel a refund for a player in Canada.

How to check a licence yourself

• 1. Find the licence number in the footer

  A regulated site names its regulator and a licence or registration number at the bottom of every page. A badge without a number is a warning sign.

• 2. Match the legal entity name

  The footer names the company that holds the licence, often not the brand. Note it exactly, including the suffix such as Limited or B.V.

• 3. Check the regulator’s public register

  iGaming Ontario, the Alberta iGaming Corporation, the MGA and the Curaçao Gaming Authority all publish searchable lists of licensees. Search the entity name and confirm it is active.

• 4. Confirm the domain is listed

  Registers list the exact web addresses each licence covers; a look-alike domain is not covered, and copied footers are common.

• 5. Look for segregated-funds and dispute-resolution rules

  Look in the terms for a statement that player balances are held apart from company money and for a named complaints route outside the operator. Provincial markets, the MGA and the Isle of Man require both.

What a licence does not promise

• Recourse in Canada

  Only a provincial regulator or Crown corporation takes complaints from Canadian residents about a site it authorizes. A foreign licence means a foreign complaints process.

• Fair games by itself

  Game testing is a separate certification. Provincial regulators require independently tested gaming systems, and standards vary among offshore regulators. Our glossary explains RTP and testing terms.

Frequently asked questions

• What is the difference between the AGCO and iGaming Ontario?

  The AGCO is the regulator: it registers operators, writes the standards and imposes penalties. iGaming Ontario signs the agreements with operators and, in the Criminal Code’s language, conducts and manages the games. Alberta copies the split with AGLC and the Alberta iGaming Corporation.

• Is a Malta-licensed casino legal in Ontario or Alberta?

  A Malta licence on its own does not authorize a site in either province. Many Malta-licensed companies have also registered with the AGCO or AGLC and run a separate provincial site, and that registration is what counts.

• Is a Kahnawake licence recognized anywhere in Canada?

  No province recognizes it as authorization to serve residents. The Commission continues to license operators; the 2024 Ontario and 2026 Quebec decisions left that unchanged while confirming the courts’ authority.

• Does PlayNow or lotoquebec.com hold a licence?

  Not in the private-operator sense. A Crown corporation is itself the body the Criminal Code authorizes, so it operates under its own statute and a provincial oversight body.

Free, confidential help

Every provincial platform and open market includes deposit limits and self-exclusion; our responsible gambling guide explains how to use them.

Players must be 18 or older in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec and 19 or older in every other province. Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly and within your means.