Casino Rules Canada
Responsible gambling
This page gathers the official help available to players in each province: minimum ages, free help lines, self-exclusion programs and the limit tools regulated operators must offer. Every item comes from the official source named, checked on October 19, 2026.
If you are in crisis
Call or text 988, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Minimum age by province
| Province | Minimum age | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 19 for online casinos and casinos; 18 for lottery and charitable gaming | iGaming Ontario; OLG |
| Alberta | 18 for regulated online play | Alberta iGaming Corporation; Government of Alberta |
| Quebec | 18 | Loto-Québec’s online gaming pages |
| British Columbia | 19 for all gambling | Government of BC |
| Saskatchewan | 19 for PlayNow.com | Government of Saskatchewan |
| Manitoba | Age of majority | Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries |
We could not confirm the minimum age in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador or the three territories from an official source.
The age rule follows where you are when you play. Ontario and Alberta also require you to be physically in the province to bet with a regulated operator, and PlayNow.com is available only to players located in British Columbia.
Help lines
- Ontario: ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600, text 247247 or chat; free, confidential, 24/7. CAMH gambling services offer free counselling at 416-535-8501, option 2.
- Alberta: 211 Alberta; call 211, text INFO to 211 or chat, 24/7.
- Quebec: Jeu : aide et référence; 514 527-0140 in Montréal and area, 1 800 461-0140 elsewhere in Québec; 24/7.
- British Columbia: Gambling Support BC, 1-888-795-6111, 24/7.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Gambling Help Line, 811, 24 hours a day.
Self-exclusion programs
Ontario. BetGuard is the central tool for all regulated online gambling sites and apps in Ontario, including OLG and ProLine+. It is free; you need to be 19 or older, with government photo ID, a permanent Canadian or US address, a cell phone and an email. Terms run from 6 months to 5 years and can be extended but not shortened; if you do nothing when a term ends, BetGuard keeps you excluded for seven more years. The BetGuard Contact Centre is at 1-833-776-7171. Each regulated operator also runs its own program, and OLG’s My PlayBreak covers its casinos, charitable gaming centres and OLG.ca.
Alberta. Centralized self-exclusion is free and voluntary and can cover regulated online sites, land-based casinos or both. AGLC’s Self-Exclusion Program: 1-844-468-8034, se@aglc.ca.
British Columbia. Game Break is BCLC’s program, through PlayNow’s Customer Support Center at 1-866-815-0222.
Quebec. The lotoquebec.com account menu includes “Break and self-exclusion” and “Set my limits”.
Limit tools operators must offer
In Ontario, iGaming Ontario says every regulated operator must provide, at a minimum, spend-limit and time-limit tools, a short-term break and longer self-exclusion. In Alberta, the Government of Alberta requires registered operators to offer financial and time limits from registration and to ask players to affirm they are fit to play.
Before you sign up anywhere
Check three things against official sources: that the site is on your province’s own list of authorized sites, or is your province’s government site; that you meet the minimum age in the province where you will be playing; and where the site’s limit and self-exclusion tools are. Our province-by-province reference points to each province’s official list.
What we never publish
Ways to get around an age check, a location check, identity verification or a self-exclusion. If you want to talk to someone about your gambling, the lines above are free and confidential.