Online gambling in Saskatchewan

How online gambling works in Saskatchewan

Canada’s Criminal Code lets a province conduct and manage gambling directly or through an agent. Saskatchewan’s answer is a single site run under the province’s Gaming Framework Agreement with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).

• PlayNow.com, operated by SIGA

  SIGA signed with BCLC in June 2022 and PlayNow.com went live for Saskatchewan residents on 3 November 2022, described by SIGA as “Saskatchewan’s first and only legal online gaming site”. It opened with more than 400 casino and sports-betting products; live dealer tables and poker followed in 2023. SIGA, a non-profit that also runs seven land-based casinos, manages and operates the site with BCLC as service provider, the same arrangement BCLC has in Manitoba. The province says PlayNow has been “steadily growing in profitability, despite heavy competition from illegal platforms”.

• The regulator: the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority

  Regulatory oversight of gaming in Saskatchewan sits with the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA). Management oversight for lotteries, VLTs, casinos and online gaming is consolidated under Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (LGS), a commercial Crown corporation that also represents the province in the Canadian Lottery Coalition. SIGA’s right to run PlayNow flows from the Gaming Framework Agreement between the province and the FSIN, amended on 31 August 2026 to extend the online exclusivity to September 2029.

• Legal age: 19

  Saskatchewan sets its gambling age at 19, like British Columbia and Ontario and a year above Alberta and Manitoba. PlayNow confirms age and Saskatchewan residency when the account is opened.

• Voluntary Self-Exclusion and GameSense

  Saskatchewan’s Voluntary Self-Exclusion programme is province-wide: one enrolment covers all SIGA casinos, Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw (run by SaskGaming) and PlayNow.com, for a term of six months to five years. Players can enrol through SIGA’s responsible gaming office by phone or email, or for PlayNow through customer support and live chat, where a GameSense Advisor can also refer them to free counselling. Deposit limits, time limits and short breaks are set inside the account. Our responsible gambling hub lists the tools province by province.

What is and is not licensed in Saskatchewan

Offshore sites and Saskatchewan residents

The province itself acknowledges “heavy competition from illegal platforms”. Here is what that means for a player.

• Accessible, but not provincially licensed

  Casinos licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority or Curaçao, and brands registered in Ontario, will generally accept a Saskatchewan address and advertise on national sports broadcasts. None is authorised in Saskatchewan. Enforcement has focused on operators: the Canadian Lottery Coalition, which includes LGS, won a permanent injunction against an offshore operator in the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench on 26 May 2025.

• No local recourse

  A dispute with PlayNow can be raised with SIGA and, if needed, with the SLGA. A dispute with an offshore site can only go to the body that licensed it, if there is one, in that body’s jurisdiction. Saskatchewan’s self-exclusion register, its game-testing standards and Canada’s anti-money-laundering rules do not apply to those operators.

• Why the province cares

  SIGA redistributes 50 per cent of casino net income to the First Nations Trust, 25 per cent to community development corporations and 25 per cent to the province, and reported record gross revenue of C$418 million for the year to 31 March 2026. Money wagered offshore leaves that system entirely.

Paying in and cashing out

PlayNow’s cashier is the same one BCLC runs in British Columbia and Manitoba.

• At PlayNow

  A Saskatchewan account offers the same deposit methods as the other PlayNow provinces: Interac e-Transfer, Visa Debit and the major credit cards, PayPal and online bill payment. Winnings go by electronic funds transfer to a bank account, and the first withdrawal needs your occupation on file under federal anti-money-laundering rules. Our British Columbia page sets out the cashier rules.

• At offshore sites

  Sites outside the provincial system tend to offer iDebit and paysafecard next to Interac, because many Canadian card issuers decline gambling payments. Money paid in there sits outside Saskatchewan’s self-exclusion register and SLGA oversight, and the operator alone decides how fast it pays out. Our payment methods guide compares the options.

Frequently asked questions

• Is online gambling legal in Saskatchewan?

  Yes, on PlayNow.com, which SIGA operates under the province’s Gaming Framework Agreement. No other site is authorised. Our guide to whether online gambling is legal in Canada explains why.

• Why does a First Nations authority run the province’s online casino?

  SIGA has run Saskatchewan’s First Nations casinos for 30 years, under the Gaming Framework Agreement between the province and the FSIN since 2002. When the province decided to offer legal online gambling, it gave SIGA the exclusive online role, with SaskGaming as partner and BCLC as technology provider.

• Will Saskatchewan license private operators like Ontario and Alberta?

  Not before September 2029, and nothing has been announced beyond that. The 31 August 2026 amendment extends SIGA’s exclusivity for three years and says nothing about a competitive market. We record every change on the Canada iGaming tracker.

• Does self-exclusion cover both the casinos and PlayNow?

  Yes. Saskatchewan’s programme is province-wide: one enrolment covers every SIGA casino, Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw and PlayNow.com for the term you choose, from six months up to five years.

Free, confidential help

Players in Saskatchewan must be 19 or older. Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly and within your means.