Online casinos for Canadian players

Canada has no national online casino licence. Under the Criminal Code, gambling is prohibited except where the law allows it, and the main exception lets each province's government run, or "conduct and manage", gambling in its own territory. In practice the rules differ depending on where you live, and two provinces, Ontario and Alberta, now also license private operators.

Many international online casinos accept Canadian players. This page explains who is allowed to offer online casino games in Canada, what that means for the casinos listed below, and how to try games for free before you decide anything.

What Canadian law says

The Criminal Code makes it an offence to keep a common gaming house or betting house (section 201) and to run betting, pool-selling or book-making (section 202). Section 207 is the exception: it makes it lawful for the government of a province to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in that province, in line with provincial law. Provinces use that exception to run their own casinos and online sites, and, in Ontario's case, to license private operators through a provincial agency.

There is therefore no single Canadian regulator. Each province sets its own rules, including the minimum age, which is 18 in some provinces and 19 in others. Ontario's regulated sites, for example, require players to be 19 or older.

Provincial online casinos

Provincial government sites include PlayNow (British Columbia and Manitoba), Espacejeux (Loto-Québec), PlayAlberta (AGLC) and the Atlantic Lottery's site for the Atlantic provinces. Only residents of the province can use its site, and each follows its own province's rules and responsible gambling tools.

Ontario's regulated market

On 4 April 2022 Ontario opened a regulated market for internet gaming. Operators must be registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and have an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario (iGO). iGO publishes a directory of the registered sites and says to look for its logo on an operator's site. Many of the casinos on the list below may not be registered in Ontario, so check iGO's directory before you sign up there.

Alberta's regulated market

Alberta introduced its iGaming law (Bill 48) in March 2025, and its regulated market launched on 13 July 2026. Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) regulates it, and the Alberta iGaming Corporation handles the commercial agreements. Operators must register with AGLC and sign an agreement with the corporation, and AGLC publishes the list of registered operators.

• 2022 Ontario opens a regulated market for private internet gaming operators (4 April)
• 2025 Alberta introduces its iGaming law, Bill 48 (March)
• 2026 Alberta's regulated iGaming market launches (13 July)

What this means if you play at an offshore casino

Most casinos on this page are run from outside Canada, and some are licensed by bodies such as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which licenses gaming "within and from the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke". A Kahnawake licence is not a registration in Ontario or Alberta, where operators must be registered with the local regulator. The Criminal Code's gaming offences are aimed at people who keep, run or assist gaming and betting rather than at players; we could not find an authoritative source on whether an individual player commits an offence by playing at an offshore site, so ask a lawyer if you need a definite answer.

In practice, that means:

• Different protection: a regulator in Ontario or Alberta only handles complaints about operators it has registered. For other casinos, your options are the casino's own complaints process and the licensing authority named on its site, if there is one.
• Payments vary: deposit and withdrawal methods, limits and fees differ between casinos. Read the payment and bonus terms before you deposit.
• Licence and reputation matter: check who licenses a casino and read reviews and player comments first. Our casino warnings list operators to avoid.

Are winnings taxed?

Generally not, for recreational players. The Canada Revenue Agency's income tax folio says an amount received as a windfall is not subject to tax, and that lottery prizes are not taxable as income or capital gains. It says gambling can be taxable in exceptional cases, for example when it amounts to carrying on a business.

Try the games for free first

You don't need to bet anything to learn how a game works. Our free casino games, from slots to roulette and blackjack, run in demo mode with play credits: no money, no sign-up and nothing to download. Demo credits have no cash value, and a good run in demo mode doesn't predict real-money results.

About the casinos listed below

The list shows casinos that, according to our data, accept players from Canada. It is not a statement that they are legal or registered in your province. Where we have reviewed a casino, its page has our review, ratings and player comments; check its current terms on its own website before you sign up.