Canada’s Legal Sports Betting Guide: Gambling Laws in 2025

If you’re someone who enjoys sports betting and looking for betting sites, there is a lot to know about the legal situation of gambling in your area. It can be confusing at times, trying to discern what is legal and what is illegal betting.

To help with this circumstance, we’ve created a comprehensive breakdown of the online gambling laws in Canada.

Yes! Sports betting is legal in Canada. While the situation can be slightly confusing, given that sports betting in Canada is now provincially regulated, the simple fact is that it is legal to bet on single-game or parlay sporting events across the country.

Canada's sports betting laws have changed in the past several years. Prior to 2021, single-game sports betting was criminalized, and there were no Canadian regulators who allowed this form of wagering. Criminal law is federal, so the provinces did not have much say in the matter. While offshore betting sites were still allowed, the situation was quite confusing for gamblers.

But in 2021, Bill C-218 was passed, altering the gambling laws in Canada. Sports betting was decriminalized, and the power was placed back in the hands of provinces. This means that it is now unquestionably legal to wager on sports in Canada. Bill C-218 was implemented across most provinces in 2022.

The province that has undergone the biggest shift resulting from the new gambling laws is Ontario. Ontario was the first province to create an online gaming regulator that oversees legal sports betting for a range of brands, not just provincial lottery companies. This regulator, iGaming Ontario, has allowed new brands like BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel to enter Ontario, and they are not available anywhere else in the country.

While there are still key differences across jurisdictions, ranging from age restrictions to regulators, the long and short of it is that Canadian gambling laws allow for single-game and parlay betting.

Bettors may be wondering, where is sports betting legal in Canada? While sports betting has been legalized federally, there are still substantial differences between provinces. To understand the full picture of sports betting regulations across the country, it is important to grasp these differences.

Below, we’ll provide a quick look at the differences between Canada’s provinces when it comes to sports betting legality.

Now that we’ve given you a brief sense of the variances around gambling laws in Canada across the provinces, let’s dive into a little more detail. Below, we’ll break down each province individually and discuss whether they’ve embraced sports betting legalization.

Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada’s biggest provinces and a hub for sports betting enthusiasts. This Rocky Mountain province attracts bettors for its low gambling age of 18 and not one but two provincially regulated sportsbooks available. While gambling hasn’t opened all the way up in Alberta like it has in Ontario, some experts see it as a matter of time. With a passionate sports fanbase that has embraced teams like the Flames and Oilers, there is a major market here.

British Columbia

British Columbia is one of the cultural hubs of Canada, a bustling West Coast province that is home to millions. Naturally, there is a high volume of sports betting enthusiasts situated in this province. The gambling situation in British Columbia is very similar to most other provinces in Canada, with a gambling age of 19 and only one provincially regulated operator. However, there is a chance the province embraces an expanded industry, as recent reports indicate British Columbians are betting billions on offshore sportsbooks.

Manitoba

Manitoba is a province famed for its natural beauty. It is a charming, historic place with many major sports fans. Bettors love the low gambling age of 18 that the province has, although it is, once again, just offers one single provincial sportsbook. Still, offshore options are abundant here, so gamblers can enjoy that. Further, Manitoba is a great place to live for sports fans, with famed teams like the Jets and Blue Bombers, both of whom have experienced plenty of success in the past few years.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is a smaller Atlantic province that has seen a slight population surge over the past several years. While many wouldn’t consider this a hub for sports betting, you’d be surprised. There are a large number of sports bettors across New Brunswick. They are one of the Proline provinces, similar to the other Atlantic provinces. While they lack any professional sports teams, there is a devoted fanbase of sports enthusiasts here, many of whom wager with Proline or the offshore sportsbooks available here.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a sparsely populated Atlantic province famed for its historic culture and gorgeous coastal scenery. While it is a smaller province, sports bettors will still find a lot to love here. The provincial Proline offering is top-notch, and residents also have access to the full suite of offshore betting options. The gambling age here is 19, as it is in most other Canadian provinces. While there is no professional sports team here, fans tend to support other Canadian squads.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is the most populous of the Atlantic provinces, a scenic, charming area with famed communities like Halifax. Nova Scotia is a serious sports betting hotspot. It is similar to the other Atlantic provinces with its gambling age of 19 and Proline sportsbook. Bettors here often use offshore betting sites. Nova Scotia may not have any professional franchises, but this province has birthed legendary Canadian athletes such as Nathan Mackinnon and Sidney Crosby. 

Ontario

Ontario is the mecca of the sports betting world in Canada. It is the only province that has fully embraced legal sports betting by creating a provincial regulator that licenses private sports betting companies to operate in the province. This means there is a much higher volume of sportsbooks available in Ontario than in any other location in the country. Operators like FanDuel, BetMGM, and DraftKings, which are not available outside of Ontario, are highly popular here. And with a huge amount of professional sports franchises, it is a sports bettor’s dream. 

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is the smallest of the provinces, both in size and population. It is a quaint Atlantic Coast community. While there may not be a ton of variation here for bettors, gamblers will still find plenty of sports betting options to enjoy here. Like the rest of the Atlantic provinces, they utilize the Proline sportsbook and have a 19-year-old gambling age. For those who prefer to use different gambling methods, offshore betting sites can be found in P.E.I.

Quebec

Quebec is a province that many gamblers flock to. The low gambling age of 18 is a selling point for some, as is the Mise-o-Jeu operator. Quebec is a huge market in Canada, home to more than nine million people. It has several professional sports franchises, and many believe that this is a place where sports betting can continue to take off. While there has yet to be major movement on this front, many believe that this could be the next province to initiate the changes Ontario has by bringing in a provincial regulator to license private betting sites.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province that is famed for its open landscapes. It includes several major communities, like Regina and Saskatoon, and naturally, it is as sports crazy as the rest of Canada. Saskatchewan residents enjoy the local PlayNow sportsbook, which enables them to place parlay or single-game bets. Residents are also able to access offshore betting sites. The gambling age here is 19, similar to the majority of other provinces across the country. Saskatchewan is famed for its beloved CFL franchise, the Roughriders, and it has birthed several famous Canadian athletes.

With all the changes in gambling laws in Canada, it is important that bettors do what they can to protect themselves from falling victim to online scams. Not every betting site is safe and trustworthy, and utilizing the wrong one can lead to financial information falling into the wrong hands.

To avoid this issue and take advantage of the legal sports betting situation in Canada, below are some important things to look for in a legal sportsbook.

Licensed

This is the most important safety factor. If a sportsbook is licensed, that means there is a regulator who oversees it and can vouch for its safety. The more trustworthy the licensing regulator, the better.

Strong Cybersecurity

Checking cybersecurity information is another critical factor. Gamblers should want a sports betting site with excellent cybersecurity, so check their information on this front. SSL encryption is a big green flag.

Active and Helpful Customer Support

Problems can crop up, which is why bettors should only rely on sportsbooks with helpful customer support options. You can often check out customer support before you even register for a sportsbook, which will allow you to gauge how responsive and helpful they are.

Clear Policies

Most sports betting sites will post their policies on a link on their home page. This will allow you to see their policies for things like withdrawals and deposits, as well as gambling rules. Read the policies, see if they seem fair and clear, and you will have great insight into what the sportsbook offers.

For bettors who are looking to avoid any sports betting sites that may not be legitimate, there are a few warning signs that should catch your attention. These red flags are things that may hint that an operator is not trustworthy and should be avoided. Below are some of the key signs to look out for.

No License Information on Home Page: If a sportsbook has a trustworthy license, that is something they normally prominently display on their home page. If there is no license information on the home page, that is a major red flag.

Asking for Financial Information Early: A betting site should not need financial information from you until you are depositing. If they ask during the registration phase, do not give them your details.

Website Looks Dated: One red flag that isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker is if the sportsbook looks dated. Some betting sites do look a little old, but it should trigger some suspicion, simply because a nice-looking website that functions well suggests financial investment that most scam websites can’t make.

Misspelled Website Name in Search Bar: There are some websites that try to “dupe” other most successful ones. They attempt to look like other legal sportsbooks, so bettors sign up and give their information. If a website has a search bar with a misspelling, that should give you pause. For example, if, instead of proline.com, the sportsbook is pr0line.com.

We've covered the legal sports betting industry in Canada, breaking down the rules across provinces. But what is considered illegal betting in Canada? This is a difficult question because the vast majority of betting across the nation is legal.

With Bill C-218, sports betting across the country has been federally decriminalized. Essentially, sports betting is not really on the law enforcement radar. Now, the concern is primarily for consumer protection, which is why using non-regulated sportsbooks can be concerning.

There are still forms of gambling that are illegal. For example, underage sports betting is illegal. The legal gambling age is 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec, and 19 everywhere else.

It is also illegal to operate a betting service without any kind of license within Canada. But this doesn't impact gamblers; it is more about those who take bets. Overall, the only thing gamblers need to be concerned about is being above the legal gambling age. There really aren't any major legal concerns for gamblers, just safety issues.

We’ve given you the rundown on the answer to the question: Is betting legal in Canada? But bettors might also be curious about what they can wager on in the Great White North. 

There are truly no real limits to what you can bet on in Canada. Canadians can wager on everything from parlay bets that tie together NHL, NBA, and tennis results, to single-game bets on the CFL.

Below, we’ll dive into the types of bets and popular sports to wager on in Canada.

Single-Game Betting: The biggest change brought on by Bill C-218 was the decriminalization of single-game betting. Single-game betting is a wager on a single outcome, like the Maple Leafs to beat the Canadiens in an NHL game.

Parlays: The alternative to a single-game bet is a parlay. These were decriminalized prior to Bill C-218. Parlays are when multiple different outcomes are tied into a single bet, with each outcome needing to hit for the bet to cash. For example, a gambler could wager on the Toronto Raptors, Buffalo Bills, and Ottawa Senators to all win their game.

Futures: A future bet, also known as an outright, is when gamblers make a long-term wager on an outcome within a league. These are things not decided by a single game. For example, bettors could wager on the Stanley Cup Champion or the NFL MVP.

Props: Prop bets are a form of wagering that is tied to outcomes within a game. These can be team props, like which team will score first or how many points a team will have at halftime, or player props, like whether a player will score a touchdown.

Live Betting: Live betting is when bettors wager on games that are already underway. Most sportsbooks allow for this and have algorithms that update the odds as the game is being played, accounting for things like changes in score.

Popular Sports in Canada

NHL (Hockey): Hockey is Canada’s national sport and a beloved tradition in the country. The NHL is the world’s biggest hockey league, and features several Canadian teams. Some of the most popular ones in the nation include the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, and Edmonton Oilers.

NBA (Basketball): Basketball was invented by a Canadian and has spread across the globe to become one of the world’s most popular games. The NBA is the world’s biggest and best basketball league, featuring world-renowned superstars. The Toronto Raptors are the country’s lone NBA team, but there is a dedicated fanbase across the country.

NFL (Football): The NFL is an iconic sports league in North America. The NFL dominates Sundays through the fall and winter, and Canadians love to wager on this sport. The Buffalo Bills are the most popular franchise in many parts of Canada.

MLB (Baseball): Baseball is a tradition that dates back to the 1800s, and Canadians are absolutely crazy about the MLB. The MLB is the world’s top baseball league, and it features the Toronto Blue Jays as a Canadian representative.

CFL (Football): The CFL is a Canadian league that features franchises across the country competing for their chance at the Grey Cup. It features unique rules that differentiate it from the NFL. It is highly popular across the country, although it hasn’t spread across the border quite yet.

Soccer: Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, played and watched by billions around the world. Canadians can certainly be counted amongst those who enjoy soccer, particularly as the Canadian National Teams have risen to become world-class international soccer brands.

Tennis: Tennis is another internationally beloved sport, and Canadians are heavily invested in watching and betting on the biggest tournaments. More and more prominent Canadian tennis players are rising through the ranks, and Canadian bettors have certainly taken note.

The 2020s have been the decade of change for gambling laws in Canada. Bill C-218 has completely altered the landscape by opening things up to the provinces, giving the different jurisdictions of the country the ability to chart their own course. While there have been many changes, it is not likely that things will settle down anytime soon.

The biggest likely change outside of Ontario is that many provinces will likely see the impact that fully legalized, provincially regulated private gambling sites have made and embrace a similar change. 

Ontario has generated billions of dollars of revenue since iGaming Ontario was launched, and every province that does not make the same change is losing out. Provinces like Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia are considered likely to make the same move, and let in new sportsbooks so they can tax the revenue and ensure consumer safety.

Within Ontario, the changes are likely to be less drastic. The gambling industry in the province is now well established. The only major shifts in Ontario we will likely see are the addition of new sports betting operators.

While there have been some calls to overturn the changes we've seen over the past few years, these are unlikely to amount to much. The situation is much improved, and the billions of dollars of gambling money are now being taxed, helping to fund projects that benefit consumers.

For sports betting enthusiasts, the changes in the laws can be quite a headache. If you are at all confused about the legal betting situation in Canada, we are here to help. Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about legal betting in Canada.