Legal Online Casinos

Are online casinos in Canada legal or illegal? Learn all about legal gambling for real money and how to choose a trustworthy, legal online casino in Canada.

With our many years of experience and reviews about approved fast payout casinos in Canada and European area, we are extremely interested in providing you with the best information on this topic. We recommend casinos with Kahnawake licenses that have been tested for safety and legality to ensure gambling without any subsequent difficulties of any kind. Our recommendations will provide you with a safe and effortless entry into the world of gambling, so that you can experience much joy and exciting moments online.

Gambling Licensing

Canadians can play online casino games, which is legal in some provinces; however, there is no direct ban on cash betting in other online casinos.

Some sources have information that, in order to organize a legal online casino, an operator must have one or more licenses, depending on the type of gambling. They are classified as follows:

• Class 1 license – lotteries, slot machines or online casinos
• Class 2 license – sweepstakes and online betting
• Class 3 license – bingo, poker and their online versions
• Class 4 license – if the company sells software for online casinos

However, keep in mind that due to the variability of gaming laws from province to province, these types are very conditional and can vary significantly.

The municipality of Quebec, Kahnawake offshore zone, deserves the most attention in the Canadian market and offers favorable conditions for gambling business registration. At the same time, it has high requirements for operators, transparency of financial statements, and business reputation, which distinguishes Kahnawake from other jurisdictions.

In the area, the licensing fee for an Canada online casino license is $40,000, along with an annual payment of $35,000 after the first year, and a fee for the financial authorities, which is a replacement for accounting records after the first year of the company starting. When registering a company in Kahnawake, the operator pays a fee of $5,000, which is necessary for testing an online casino. The license is valid for one year. Upon completion, the operator must pay a one-time fee of $100,000 to obtain the right to continue working under a license in this jurisdiction.

The legalization of gaming took effect in 1999, which is why a commission was established known as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to control compliance with the regulations of gaming establishments. Control over this area is carried out on the basis of Articles Nos. 204, 206, and 207 of the Criminal Code of Canada. Each province has its own rules, so casino requirements may vary slightly.

The regulatory authority of the offshore zone is the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which decides on the issuance of the following types of licenses:

• Interactive Gaming License – gives the right to register hosting in Kahnawake.
• Client Provider Authorization – confirms the identity of the operator who wants to organize gaming services on the zone hosting. An authorized company has the rights to provide any gambling, online casino, bookmaker or poker rooms.
• Inter-Jurisdictional Authorization – A secondary license which is issued to an operator if they have a license in another jurisdiction and want to operate under the Kahnawake authorization.
• Key Persons License – granted to persons who are engaged in the management functions of the operator-holder Client Provider Authorization.

Federal regulation

The legal system of the country is similar to that of the United States; the federal government formulates general rules, which are then modified or supplemented through regional governments. In Canada, this foundation is provided by Articles 204, 206 and 207 of the Criminal Code.

• Article No. 204 regulates the organization of horse racing and betting on it
• Article No. 206 contains a list of prohibited gambling and related activities
• Article 207 describes the permitted types of gambling and related activities.

Furthermore, the regulation of gambling depends on the decisions of the provincial governments; there are 10 in Canada, each with its own unique gambling legislation. As a result, different regions of a country have different ages allowed to play, whereas different areas are considered to experience gambling quite differently – perhaps lotteries in some places may be permitted legally, but elsewhere, casinos and the relatively unsporting bookmaking business is permitted.

Review of provincial gambling regulation

Alberta – gambling is legal from the age of 18. Casino games, lotteries, and betting on horse racing are all legal.

British Columbia – gambling is allowed from the age of 19. In the land sector, casinos, betting on horse races, bingo, lotteries, and slot machines in bingo halls are all legal. Between 10% and one-sixth of business income is paid to the provincial budget. In the online realm, only casino games on the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) website are legal.

Labrador – anyone over the age of 19 can play. Only the provincial government lottery is legal online; offline, you can play the lottery and bet on horse racing.

Manitoba – you can gamble from the age of 18. Online gambling is available on the LCBC website, while the land-based sector features casinos, lotteries, and horse-racing bookmakers.

New Brunswick – a player cannot be a person younger than 19 years old. Only the local government’s lottery is legal online, whereas the land-based sector has lotteries and horse betting.

Newfoundland – you can play from age 19. Online is represented only by the state lottery; offline offers lotteries and betting at the racetracks.

Northwest Territories – play permitted from age 19 and state lottery only.

Nova Scotia – gambling is allowed from the age of 19. The province has an online lottery, as well as land-based casinos, bookmakers, and private lotteries.

Ontario – gambling is allowed from the age of 19. The online vertical has a government lottery and Ontario online casinos starting in 2022, while the land-based sector has casinos, bookmakers, lotteries, and complexes that offer mixed services.

Prince Edward Island – gambling access from age 19, too. Online, the government has only allowed its lottery; however, offline, residents can visit a rasino (a complex that consists of a casino and a racino) and private lotteries.

Quebec – a player can be a person from the age of 18. There are several lotteries and poker rooms operated by Lotto Quebec, Atlantic Lottery, and BCLC. Casinos, private lotteries, and sweepstakes at racetracks are legal in the province.

Saskatchewan – you can play from the age of 19. Legal government online lotteries and land-based casinos, bookmakers, lotteries, and racinos.

Yukon – participation in gambling from age 19. Governments and private lotteries are present; only non-profit casinos are legal.

Online Gambling Status

The online vertical itself is regulated by the already mentioned articles of the Criminal Code of Canada, which remains unchanged, and from a legal point of view, 10 provinces have a final word about legality of the operation of land-based and online casinos. At the same time, there is no clause in the Criminal Code of Canada that prohibits online casinos.

But even if the law is violated, the authorities can only punish the owners of gambling sites registered in Canada.

Therefore, we can say that online casinos are in a gray area of the legislation. Some provinces allow online lotteries and gambling, while others allow legal private lotteries. Other games are not recognized as legal; however, there has never been a case of a person being jailed or fined for online gambling. International operators offer Canadian players the ability to make payments through third-party services and websites, so that they can play both land-based and online casinos without any problems.

Gambling regulators

Because of the established legislative framework, the Canadian provincial authorities are both operators and regulators of the gambling industry. The legislation has a number of similar aspects that they emphasize, including:

• Protecting the public from the undesirable consequences of gambling
• Responsible gambling
• The location and size of gambling establishments
• The types and number of games offered
• Financial controls
• Investigation, security, and surveillance of gambling sites.

Horse racing is supervised in conjunction with the federal Department of Agriculture. The ministry has a special department for horse racing betting, the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA). This agency creates the proper legal framework and regulates horse racing across the country.

Usually provinces set up lottery commissions – for example, The Western Canada Lottery Corporation, British Columbia Lottery Corporation. In others, the Liquor and Gambling Commissions become regulators – for example, Manitoba Liquor and Lottery Corporation.

Some provinces submit some of the regulatory issues to law enforcement agencies, such as the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch in British Columbia.

The conditions for obtaining a license

There is no concept of a license in Canada; gambling is usually offered by the authorities through Crown corporations. The government works through the commissions and corporations aforementioned.

In many provinces, lottery corporations sign agreements with private operators to provide the necessary services, removing the concept of licenses.

Service providers cooperate with private businesses and government regulators, supplying services, equipment, goods, and products.Service providers are required to register with provincial regulators.

Each province sets its own conditions and requirements for permits and contracts. For example, British Columbia offers four types of permits, which vary in the amount of revenue generated from the gambling offered. The permit is valid for up to 12 months.

Risk of playing in an illegal casino

A gambling company that does not have a license to gamble is called an illegal online casino. Participation in the games is associated with an increased risk and should not be undertaken if possible. It happens again and again that winnings are withheld, not paid out, or only partially paid out. That is why it is extremely important to choose only legal online casinos in Canada with a Kahnawake Gaming license.

The Most Popular Legal Online Gambling Sites

The provinces receiving the most revenue from gambling businesses are: Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta. Some of the largest and most popular legal online gambling sites in Canada belong to these provinces. They are:

LotoQuebec – Quebec’s online lottery scheme site
BCLC – British Columbia’s online casino;
WCLC – Western Canada Casino, which operates in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Additional participants include the Yukon, Northern Territories and Nunavut.

All sites offer a large selection of lotteries and other gambling: casinos, sports betting, poker, and slot machines.

Summary

Gambling is legal in Canada, and the gross revenue of the industry annually amounts to 31 billion USD. Compared to 1995, the market volume has tripled.

The gambling industry employs more than 128,000 people. Revenues to the government budget and various social programs are up to 9 billion USD annually.

Canadian provinces spend approximately 110 million USD on protecting players from addiction, which includes research, preventive measures, and treatment. Depending on the province, the percentage of addicted gamers varies from 0.7% to 1.4% of all gamers.

FAQ

Is online casino legal in Canada or forbidden?

The legal situation now allows a reputable online casino with a license to operate legally in Canada.

How do I get access to reputable licensed online casinos?

With our many years of experience in this industry, we only recommend reputable and legal online casinos that we have checked ourselves. Our compilation gives you an overview.

What are the disadvantages of playing illegally in online casinos that do not have a license?

These casinos are illegal, and there is a very good chance that you will not be paid out, or only partially paid out, for your winnings. Additionally, your data may be misappropriated.