Casino Choice Canada
Responsible gambling
Choosing a casino includes choosing the tools that keep play in proportion. This page lists the minimum age in each province, the free help lines and the self-exclusion programs, all from official sources checked on October 19, 2026.
In a crisis
Call or text 988 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline, 24 hours a day, every day.
How old do you need to be?
| Province | Minimum age | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 19 online and in casinos; 18 for lottery | iGaming Ontario; OLG |
| Alberta | 18 for regulated online play | Alberta iGaming Corporation |
| Quebec | 18 | Loto-Québec’s online 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 |
For the Atlantic provinces and the territories we found no official page stating the age.
The rule follows where you play, not where you live. A visitor from Alberta needs to be 19 to play on an Ontario site. Ontario and Alberta also require you to be physically in the province when you bet, and PlayNow.com is open only to players located in British Columbia. A site that asks you to confirm your age and location is following those rules, not getting in your way.
Free help lines
- Ontario: ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600, by text at 247247, or by chat, at any hour.
- Alberta: 211 Alberta by calling 211, texting INFO to 211, or online chat, at any hour.
- Quebec: Jeu : aide et référence at 514 527-0140 in the Montréal area and 1 800 461-0140 across Québec, at any hour.
- British Columbia: Gambling Support BC at 1-888-795-6111, at any hour.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: the Gambling Help Line by dialling 811, at any hour.
Taking a break or stopping
Ontario. BetGuard is a free central tool that blocks you from every regulated online gambling site and app in Ontario, OLG and ProLine+ included. You need to be 19 or older with government photo ID. Terms run from 6 months to 5 years and can be extended but never shortened. Every regulated operator also has its own self-exclusion, and OLG’s My PlayBreak covers its casinos, charitable gaming centres and OLG.ca.
Alberta. The centralized program can block regulated online sites, land-based casinos or both. AGLC’s Self-Exclusion Program answers at 1-844-468-8034 and se@aglc.ca.
British Columbia. BCLC’s program is Game Break, through PlayNow’s Customer Support Center at 1-866-815-0222.
Quebec. Your lotoquebec.com account has “Break and self-exclusion” and “Set my limits” in its menu.
Limits come first
Regulated operators in Ontario must offer spend and time limits, a short break and longer self-exclusion, according to iGaming Ontario, and Alberta requires registered operators to offer financial and time limits from registration. When you compare casinos, check where these tools are and set a deposit limit before your first deposit.
A limit works best when it is set in a calm moment. Decide on a monthly amount you are comfortable losing, set the deposit limit to match, and add a session reminder if the casino offers one. Relaxing a limit can take effect only after a cooling-off period; at Betty in Ontario, for example, it is 24 hours. That delay is there on purpose, so set the limit you actually want from the start.
What we will never tell you
How to get around an age check, a location check, identity verification or a self-exclusion, or that depositing again will release a withdrawal. If you want to talk to someone about your gambling, any of the lines above will listen, free and in confidence.