How the law is divided
Gambling is regulated in two layers. The federal Criminal Code defines what is prohibited and then carves out an exception: under section 207(1)(a) a provincial government, alone or with another province, may conduct and manage a lottery scheme inside its own territory, provided it follows a provincial law. Everything else is left to the provinces, which write the rules, choose the operator and set the age. The wording of the carve-out is on the section 207 page.
Other parties can run schemes only under a provincial licence, and the Code limits that route to charities and to fairs and places of amusement. Section 207(4)(c) takes games run on a computer out of the definition for those licensed routes, which is why charities cannot run online casinos.
Online gambling in Canada: is it legal for operators?
A private company can offer online gambling to people in Canada in two provinces today. In Ontario the operator registers with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and signs an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario, a model that opened on 4 April 2022. Alberta followed on 13 July 2026, with registration at Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis and a commercial agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation.
In every other province the only online platform is the government's own: PlayNow in British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Espacejeux in Quebec and Atlantic Lottery in the four Atlantic provinces. The Western Canada Lottery Corporation covers the territories.
What the Criminal Code says about players
Section 207(3) makes taking part in a lottery scheme that section 207 does not authorize a summary offence. A casino with no provincial approval also leaves the player without the protections that regulated sites owe: Ontario's regulator states that regulated sites must provide transparent play and timely payouts, with data security as well. iGaming Ontario has no legal relationship with unregulated operators and does not decide disputes about their transactions.
Where the Kahnawake licence stands
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission licenses interactive gaming in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke and argues that its authority rests on the community's right to govern itself. The Commission's pages describe a licence for gaming within and from the territory; they do not say it authorizes games in any province. The Kahnawake page has the detail.
Age limits
The minimum age is 19 in Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, and 18 in Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba. The territories follow the 18 set in the Western Canada Lottery Corporation's policy. Each province page gives the source.