Canada Sports Betting

Until 2021, sports betting in Canada was limited to parlay wagering on multiple events, but that changed when bill C-218 was signed into law. This bill legalized single-event sports betting and gave local provincial governments the power to self-regulate their single-event sports betting markets.

Mobile parlay sports betting had already been available in the majority of provinces through government-owned lottery apps and websites. However, following the legalization of single-event sports betting, the province of Ontario moved to launch the first regulated sports betting industry in the country that was open to privately-owned sportsbooks.

It is estimated that there are 19.3 Million million gamblers in Canada.

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Canada online sports betting regulators

Both retail and online sports betting in Canada is regulated at provincial level. Each of Canada’s ten provinces has a gaming commission, dedicated government department, or a government-owned lottery acting as a regulator for sports betting.

While all provincial governments have complete control over their respective sports betting industries, they must still operate within the limits of federal laws on gaming and online gambling.

*No government gaming department, lottery reports to Finance dept.

Online sports betting laws in Canada

In 1985 the Canadian government passed legislation that gave all provincial governments absolute control over their individual gambling industries. However, the law was quite specific in banning single-event wagers on sports meaning that Canadian gamblers could only make parlay wagers on multiple events.

It wasn’t until the early 1990s that provincial governments took advantage of the legalization of parlay sports betting and launched sportsbooks through government-owned lotteries.

One of the first was PROLINE, the Ontario Lottery’s online sports betting terminal. This along with several other lotteries’ parlay betting products were a huge success, but it wasn’t until 2017 that the first mobile sports betting app was launched in Canada. This was the OLG PROLINE app that finally saw sports betting come online.

The launch of the PROLINE app came after an unsuccessful attempt to legalize single-event sports betting in 2015. C-290 was introduced by Joe Comartin as a private member’s bill in 2011 and was successfully pushed through the House of Commons. However, lengthy delays saw the bill repeatedly come back for discussion right up until 2015 when an election was called and the bill died in the Senate.

New Democrat MP Brian Masse made another attempt in 2016, but his bill was immediately shut down by the Liberal majority.

The next legislative attempt didn’t arrive until 2020 when MP Kevin Waugh introduced C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act. This bill aimed to legalize single-event sports betting and allow provincial governments regulate sports betting.

The bill was initially passed by the House in April of 2021 and then by the Senate just two months later. This gave each province the power to immediately legalize and regulate single-event sports betting in their jurisdictions.

All provinces had already allowed sports wagering through their lottery apps and websites so the transition to single-event sports betting was a seamless one.

Following the passing of bill c-218, the province of Ontario announced that it would open a regulated market that would allow privately-owned sportsbooks to launch within the province. The industry officially launched on April 4th, 2022 with multiple sportsbooks immediately accepting wagers online.

Canada online sports betting apps

Online sports betting in Canada is available in all provinces through provincial lotteries’ apps and websites. Saskatchewan is the sole exception. Its Sports Select sportsbook is available only through lottery terminals at retail lottery agents.

Ontario is the only province to date that has launched an iGaming market that allows privately-owned online sportsbooks to operate within its limits. Each of the other provinces offers only one government-owned online sportsbook.

Ontario – Multiple options

Following the passing of C-218 and the legalization of single event sports betting in Canada in 2021, the Ontario provincial government set about creating a regulated iGaming market. This would see both online sportsbooks and online casinos regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

In the build up to the launch date of April 4th 2022, the AGCO released industry guidelines and updated the list of approved sports betting operators. At the time of launch, 13 operators went live, but this grew to 16 in just a few hours.

The list of approved online sportsbooks is expected to grow further in the coming months.

It’s worth noting that the list above does not include all approved iGaming operators in Ontario. There are several other gambling companies that have also entered the market, but these are exclusively online casinos with no sports betting options. You can find full details of these operators on our Legal & Regulated Canadian Casinos page.

Alberta – PlayAlberta

Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan share a lottery commission—the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC). However, unlike other lotteries in Canada, the WLC does not offer any sports betting options.

As a result, the local government in Alberta launched PlayAlberta which offers single-event sports betting alongside casino gaming. This is the only legal online sports betting app or website that is approved to operate in the province.

British Columbia – PlayNow

British Columbia online gambling is regulated by the the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch of the British Columbia government. Oversight of the industry and management of all activity is handled by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC).

The BCLC also runs the only legal sportsbook available in British Columbia. This can be found at the BCLC’s PlayNow website and app.

Manitoba – PlayNow

Manitoba does not run its own government-owned online sportsbook. However, the province has entered into an agreement with British Columbia that allows Manitobans to use BC’s PlayNow online casino and sports betting app.

Newfoundland – PROLINE Stadium

Newfoundland shares a lottery with Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island—The Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC). The ALC runs PROLINE Stadium, a subsidiary of the PROLINE sportsbook that operates in Ontario. This is the only legal and approved online sportsbook available in Newfoundland.

Nova Scotia – PROLINE Stadium

Nova Scotia’s only legal and approved online sports betting option is the PROLINE Stadium sportsbook available through the Atlantic Lottery Corporation.

New Brunswick – PROLINE Stadium

New Brunswick has only one legal and approved online sportsbook. This is the same PROLINE Stadium sportsbook that is available through the Atlantic Lottery Corporation in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward Island – PROLINE Stadium

Currently, there is only one legal sports betting option available in the province of Prince Edward Island. The PROLINE Stadium sportsbook which is also available in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia offers single-event sports betting and is a subsidiary to the PROLINE sportsbook first launched in Ontario.

Quebec – Mise-o-jeu

Loto Quebec is the provincial and government-owned lottery which also provides regulatory oversight on all online gambling. It is also the only approved and licensed sports betting operator in the province.

Loto Quebec’s online sportsbook is called Mise-o-jeu. It offers single-event sports betting and is available through the lottery website and app.

Saskatchewan – Sport Select

Saskatchewan’s only sports betting option at present is the government-owned Sport Select which is only available at terminals and not available online. However, this could change in the very near future as the government has the government signed an agreement with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).

The deal will allow the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) to manage all online gambling in the province with the exception of the provincial lottery. There are plans to launch a dedicated sports betting website and app at some point in 2022 but no firm date for launch has been announced.

How to spot a licensed Canada online sportsbook

International gambling companies, which are also called offshore sportsbooks, are extremely active in Canada despite the fact that they are often unlicensed. Technically speaking, and according to Canadian federal law, they are not illegal which is why so many are still active.

However, for peace of mind, the best course of action is to only use an online sportsbook that is licensed and approved by the local provincial government. For most provinces, this means the government-owned online sportsbook run by the provincial lottery.

In the case of Ontario, there are quite a number of approved and privately-owned online sportsbooks in operation. Each of these will clearly state that it is approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and/or iGaming Ontario. If in doubt, check with the latest list of approved gambling operators.

Marta Cutajar

Marta Cutajar is an experienced iGaming and sports betting writer with over 7 years of experience in the online gambling industry. She has written extensively for major online casinos and sports betting sites, covering betting guides, casino reviews, and regulatory updates.