Quebec election: the Parti Québécois wins a minority, and the Liberal opposition backs a licensed online market
Quebec voted on 5 October 2026 and gave the Parti Québécois a minority government. Election-night results reported by CTV News and BNN Bloomberg put the PQ at 59 of the National Assembly’s 127 seats, five short of a majority, with the Quebec Liberal Party forming the official opposition. A judicial recount in the riding of Vachon on 21 October 2026 gave that seat to the PQ, which now holds 60 seats, four short of a majority. The Liberals said their lawyers were reviewing the result. The governing Coalition Avenir Québec won no seats, and its leader Christine Fréchette lost her own riding of Trois-Rivières. For online gambling, the party that kept the monopoly in place is out of the Assembly, and the Liberals, who promised to license private operators, are the official opposition.
What the parties promised
During the campaign the Quebec Liberal Party committed to recognising and regulating private online gambling platforms. The Parti Québécois, now the government, made the same commitment in an interview with Radio-Canada. The outgoing CAQ government kept Loto-Québec’s online monopoly in place.
The push did not start with the campaign. The Québec Online Gaming Coalition, a group of private operators and suppliers, published four recommendations on 9 February 2026: an independent regulator covering Loto-Québec and private operators alike, common standards, licensing with revenue sharing, and dedicated prevention funding. It estimates the province forgoes more than C$300 million a year in tax revenue by keeping the monopoly.
What happens next
A promise is not a bill. No legislation has been tabled, the new government has not said when it would introduce one, and a minority government needs votes from another party to pass anything. If the new government brings one forward, the Liberals’ support for a licensed market could supply votes from the opposition benches, but the shape of the regulator, the licensing conditions and the timeline are all open. Ontario took about three years from announcement to launch, and Alberta a little over a year from Royal Assent of its act to the first live sites. Until a Quebec law passes, Espacejeux remains the only provincially authorised online casino, and sites licensed in Malta, Curaçao or Kahnawake are accessible but not Quebec-licensed, with no provincial complaint route.
What it means for players
The election result did not change anything at the account level. Quebec residents aged 18 and over can play on Espacejeux and Mise-o-jeu+, and Loto-Québec’s self-exclusion and online-break tools remain in place. We will update our Canada iGaming tracker and the Quebec page when a bill is introduced. Free, confidential help is available in French and English from Jeu : aide et référence on 1-800-461-0140 and at aidejeu.ca.
Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly and within your means.