LEGAL GAMBLING AGE IN CANADA: GAMBLING LAWS IN ONTARIO AND OTHER PROVINCES

Canada’s gambling laws are unique, as regulations, including the legal gambling age, differ by province. Across most of the country, the casino age is set at 19, but in some provinces, gambling activities may already be accessible at 18. Read our comprehensive guide to get the complete picture of Canadian gambling laws regarding age.

LEGAL GAMBLING AGE REQUIREMENTS ACROSS CANADA

In Canada, to meet the legal threshold for gambling, the age varies – it's either 18 or 19. Each province in Canada can pass its legislation and create regulatory bodies to govern online and offline casinos, as well as enforce age restrictions. As a result, to gamble in Canada, residents and visitors must be either 18 or 19 years old, depending specifically on the province. We have compiled and listed the legal gambling age for each province below.

LEGAL STATUS OF ONLINE GAMBLING IN CANADA

Without a country-wide law or central gambling authority, the regulation surrounding online casinos and sports betting sites varies across Canada. Although most provinces currently do not allow local online casinos to host their services there, it's allowed to play at legal online casinos with an international license, as long as players meet the provincial age criteria.

However, for those living in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, or Quebec there's a more favourable gambling landscape, as these regions have licensing agencies to ensure safe gambling. Residents of Ontario can even choose between state-run online gambling sites or offshore casinos, while the other provinces only have access to the former. Although most regions with only state-run casinos have only one localized casino operator, there's a guarantee of fairness and security

LEGAL ONLINE GAMBLING IN ONTARIO

Ontario stands out as the province with the most online casino and sportsbook operators available in Canada. Since legalizing online gambling in April 2022, the province has welcomed over 70 online casinos in Canada, as well as around 30 legal sportsbooks. The gambling age in Ontario is 19, but for lottery and bingo, the minimum age drops to 18.

All offline and online gambling activities are governed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The organization is responsible for determining a suitable casino age limit, preventing underage gambling, and setting responsible gambling standards. iGaming Ontario(iGO) is also a key part of the regulatory landscape, handling the collaboration between the AGCO and the various private casinos.

PROMISING ONLINE GAMBLING LAWS IN ALBERTA

Alberta is another part of Canada that presents a distinct example of regulating gambling platforms. Apart from setting age limits, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission requires gambling operators to contribute part of their earnings to charity. This way, residents who engage in any form of gambling get more than just entertainment for their money.

The province is also one of the few where the age for gambling is 18, resulting in a more inclusive gambling environment. Unfortunately, the province currently only has one online casino—Play Alberta—as private gambling platforms are yet to be legalized. Despite this, the lower gambling age requirements give Alberta good potential to become another hotspot of online gambling in Canada, if it were to allow more operators to enter the market.

HOW DO CASINOS IN CANADA VERIFY YOUR AGE

Any legal casino is obligated to conduct Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures to comply with local regulations. The process requires new customers to submit documents proving their identity, age, and place of residence. This form of age verification is one of the standard gambling practices and is highly reliable.

1. Identity Verification Because checking the authenticity of the submitted documents to verify your identity can take some time (up to several weeks if done manually), casinos allow users to complete verification after the account has already been registered. At online casinos, this process usually doesn't take more than 24 hours. However, withdrawing winnings from a casino is still impossible without completing the KYC procedure. At land-based casinos in Canada, players may need to show two forms of identification, for example, a driver's license and a passport.

2. Geolocation Verification Geolocation also plays a part in ensuring that players meet the legal age to gamble. Casinos typically use the customer’s IP address to determine their location and comply with the region’s legal requirements. For example, an international casino operating in Canada may allow 18-year-olds to play from Alberta but will ensure that those from British Columbia must be 19.

TAXES ON GAMBLING WINNINGS IN CANADA

According to the Canada Revenue Agency, taxes are not applied to gambling winnings unless they qualify as income earned by a professional gambler. A gambler must be highly organized, have special knowledge or skills to reduce the element of chance, and regularly gamble with the intent to earn to qualify as a professional. In essence, most Canadians won't have their winnings taxed. An exception is an additional income generated from gambling winnings. For example, interest from investing your winnings will get taxed.

RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING PRACTICES IN CANADA

It is the moral obligation of all authoritative gambling resources to implement incentives promoting responsible gambling. As such, our team has made a responsible gambling guide and compiled a list of resources to help our readers.

We encourage all players to use our guide and check the legal gambling age in their province or territory before joining a casino.