Online gambling in Canada: regulation, licence and market guide

Is online gambling legal in Canada?

The Criminal Code lets only provincial governments 'conduct and manage' gambling, so private operators enter through a provincial conduct-and-manage structure rather than a classic licence. Ontario registers operators with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and contracts them through iGaming Ontario (iGO), which keeps 20% of gaming revenue; 50 operators were live at March 2025 and the market produced more than CAD 4.2 billion in gaming revenue in the year to March 2026. Alberta copied the model with the iGaming Alberta Act (2025) and opened on 13 July 2026 through the AGLC and the Alberta iGaming Corporation. Quebec, British Columbia, the Prairies and Atlantic Canada remain lottery-corporation monopolies online, and single-event sports betting has been legal nationwide since August 2021.

Partially regulated: Some verticals are licensed (usually betting); others are prohibited or unaddressed.

Who regulates gambling in Canada?

• Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) — Registers igaming operators and gaming-related suppliers in Ontario and sets the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming
• iGaming Ontario (iGO) — Provincial agency that conducts and manages Ontario's regulated igaming market through operating agreements with registered operators
• Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) — Registers and supervises igaming operators and suppliers in Alberta; the Alberta iGaming Corporation holds the commercial operating agreements

Canada gambling licence: how it works

There is no federal licence. In Ontario an operator first registers with the AGCO (due diligence on the company, owners and key people, plus technical compliance with the Registrar's Standards) and then signs an operating agreement with iGO, under which the operator acts as iGO's agent and keeps 80% of gaming revenue. Platform providers and game studios must hold their own AGCO registration as gaming-related suppliers, and games must be certified by an independent laboratory. Alberta uses the same two-step structure: AGLC registration (due diligence, compliance testing and integration with the centralized self-exclusion program) followed by a commercial agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation. Elsewhere no private online licence exists; the Kahnawake Gaming Commission has issued international licences from Mohawk territory since 1999, but whether an operator may accept residents of monopoly provinces under it is a question for the operator's counsel.

What an applicant needs

• Corporate registration with the AGCO (Ontario) or AGLC (Alberta), including background checks on owners and key persons
• Operating agreement with iGO or the Alberta iGaming Corporation before accepting deposits or bets
• Platform and game suppliers registered as gaming-related suppliers; games and RNG certified by an accredited laboratory
• Compliance with the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming (Ontario) or AGLC Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming (Alberta)
• Integration with the provincial centralized self-exclusion program and responsible-gambling controls
• Anti-money-laundering program with reporting to FINTRAC and player identity verification
• Provincial geolocation: only players physically in the province may play

Gambling taxes in Canada

• Operators: Ontario: 20% of gaming revenue (wagers less winnings and eligible promotional deductions) retained by iGO under the operating agreement, plus federal and provincial corporate income tax; iGO self-assesses 13% HST on the operator's service fee. Alberta: revenue share to the Alberta iGaming Corporation under the operating agreement (rate set in the agreement), plus corporate taxes.
• Players: None for recreational players; the Canada Revenue Agency treats gambling winnings as windfalls, and only professional gamblers are taxed on gambling as business income.
• Also: Lottery corporations in monopoly provinces remit net income directly to provincial treasuries.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

Ontario's Registrar's Standards prohibit advertising inducements, bonuses and credits to the public (they may only be shown on the operator's own site or with direct consent) and, since 28 February 2024, ban active or retired athletes and celebrities, influencers or characters likely to appeal to minors, except for responsible-gambling messaging. Alberta adopted comparable standards for its 2026 launch. Quebec has cited Ontario's advertising volume as a reason not to open its market.

Responsible gaming

Player-set deposit, loss, wager and time limits, cooling-off and self-exclusion tools, integration with the provincial centralized self-exclusion program (Ontario and Alberta), staff training and prominent helpline information. Ontario requires operators to monitor for high-risk play and intervene.

Identity and age verification

Identity and age verification before play (19 in Ontario and most provinces, 18 in Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba), geolocation confirming presence in the province, self-exclusion screening, and FINTRAC anti-money-laundering obligations including suspicious transaction reporting.

Payments

Interac e-Transfer and online banking dominate, alongside debit and credit cards, digital wallets and prepaid vouchers; Ontario operators may not offer credit to players. Cryptocurrency is not accepted by registered operators in Ontario or Alberta.

Notable restrictions

• Only players physically located in Ontario or Alberta may use those provinces' regulated sites; cross-province play is not permitted without an interprovincial agreement
• International pooled liquidity for poker and daily fantasy has not launched: the Ontario Court of Appeal approved the model in November 2025 but the Supreme Court of Canada hears the appeal on 7 October 2026
• Public advertising of bonuses and inducements is prohibited in Ontario
• Athletes may not appear in Ontario igaming advertising except for responsible-gambling messages
• Operating an unregistered site directed at Ontario or Alberta residents is unlawful

Canada iGaming market: size, players and payments

iGaming Ontario reported CAD 82.7 billion in wagers and CAD 2.9 billion in gaming revenue for fiscal 2024–25 (50 operators, 2.6 million active player accounts), and unaudited figures of more than CAD 103 billion wagered and more than CAD 4.2 billion in gaming revenue for fiscal 2025–26 (iGO, May 2026). Alberta's market opened in July 2026 with 49 registered operators (AGLC).

Ontario had over 2.6 million active player accounts in fiscal 2024–25 (iGO annual report).

Casino products account for about 84% of Ontario wagers, most of it on mobile (iGO, 2025).

Ontario had 50 active operators at March 2025, including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365 and theScore; Alberta launched with a similar roster alongside the government-run PlayAlberta. Loto-Québec, BCLC's PlayNow and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation hold monopolies in their provinces.

Timeline: how Canada got here

1. 1985Criminal Code amendments give provinces exclusive authority to conduct and manage gambling, including computer-based games
2. 1999Kahnawake Gaming Commission begins licensing online operators from Mohawk territory
3. 2021-08Bill C-218 legalizes single-event sports betting nationwide
4. 2022-04Ontario opens Canada's first regulated private igaming market under AGCO and iGO
5. 2024-02Ontario bans athletes and minor-appealing celebrities from igaming advertising
6. 2025-05Alberta passes the iGaming Alberta Act (Bill 48), creating the Alberta iGaming Corporation
7. 2025-11Ontario Court of Appeal rules 4–1 that international pooled liquidity would be lawful (Reference re iGaming Ontario)
8. 2026-01AGLC publishes its internet gaming standards and opens operator registration
9. 2026-07Alberta's regulated igaming market launches on 13 July with 49 registered operators

Outlook

The Supreme Court of Canada hears the appeal against the Ontario pooled-liquidity ruling on 7 October 2026; a favorable decision would let Ontario and Alberta poker and fantasy players join international pools. Quebec's finance ministry restated in 2025 and 2026 that it will not open its market, despite lobbying by the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, while British Columbia and Atlantic Canada show no legislative movement. Expect Alberta's first-year data in 2027 and continued tightening of advertising and affiliate rules in Ontario.

Launching in Canada with GameBridge

Turnkey (your licence, our platform). Ontario and Alberta register the operator itself and contract it as the province's agent, so the operator holds the registration and runs on GameBridge technology; GameBridge does not hold a Canadian registration and platform and game suppliers must complete their own AGCO or AGLC registration as part of the launch plan.

A Canadian brand on GameBridge runs in English and French with a CAD wallet, provincial geo lists that admit only players located in Ontario or Alberta (or both, under separate registrations), and Interac and online-banking rails on request through the operator's Canadian payment partners. The bonus engine shows inducements only inside the logged-in site, the marketing module blocks athlete imagery, and responsible-gaming settings map to the Registrar's Standards, including the centralized self-exclusion feed. Monopoly provinces are excluded by default unless the operator's counsel confirms otherwise. GameBridge Studios and Originals ship with the certification package an accredited laboratory needs.

• English and French site languages with a CAD wallet
• Province-level geo lists with monopoly provinces excluded by default
• Interac e-Transfer and online banking on request through the operator's processors
• Bonus engine restricted to on-site inducements per Ontario standards
• Centralized self-exclusion integration, deposit and time limits and age gates (18 or 19 by province)
• FINTRAC-aligned AML reporting workflows
• Certification package for every GameBridge Studios and Originals release

Slots and live casino generate about three quarters of Ontario's gaming revenue and hockey drives sportsbook volume; the aggregated catalog brings the studios already registered in Ontario on request, and GameBridge Studios builds exclusive hockey- or winter-themed slots to the operator's brief.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and review

Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.

• Internet Gaming Fees — Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, accessed 2026-09-11
• Annual Report 2024–2025 — iGaming Ontario, accessed 2026-09-11
• Financial Statements 2024–2025 — iGaming Ontario, accessed 2026-09-11
• AGCO to ban athletes in Ontario's igaming advertising to protect minors — Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, accessed 2026-09-11
• Reference re iGaming Ontario, 2025 ONCA 770 — Court of Appeal for Ontario, accessed 2026-09-11
• Supreme Court of Canada case 42141 (Atlantic Lottery Corporation et al. v. Attorney General of Ontario) — Supreme Court of Canada, accessed 2026-09-11
• Application Guide for iGaming Registration — Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, accessed 2026-09-11
• iGaming Alberta Act — Government of Alberta, accessed 2026-09-11
• Alberta's iGaming Market Opens July 13 to Operators — The iGaming EU, accessed 2026-09-11
• Jeux en ligne: Québec n'ouvrira pas la porte aux privés — La Presse, accessed 2026-09-11
• Gambling Law: Canada — Lexology, accessed 2026-09-11

Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.