Gambling has always been one of the most popular pastimes among Canadians, and after Canada approved single-game sports betting in 2021, the market has been truly booming. This legislative change opened doors to tens of betting apps seeking to grab a share of the CAN online gambling market.
Note: All bonuses and promotions above are not for individuals located in Ontario. Therefore, if you are based in this Canadian territory, please check our legal Ontario betting apps page instead. If you are not a resident of Ontario, please proceed without minding this note.
While several countries across the planet remain in the dark regarding legal sports betting, Canadian citizens and lawmakers have taken an even-handed approach. Gambling has been legal in Canada for decades, but the government saw it necessary to blend in some laws to regulate the industry, especially in the online era.
By 1970, the government allowed individual provinces to formulate their own gambling and sports betting laws. So, even though Canada has both land-based and online gambling sites, regulatory oversight is mandated for respective territories. Therefore, if a sportsbook operator seeks to establish a physical or online sportsbook within the country's borders, they must first acquire a license from the sports betting commission in that province or territory.
The Canadian Gaming Commission oversees the industry at large, but individual provinces have their own rules. However, Ontario stands out from these provinces for its distinct online gambling regulations, including licensing and oversight.
Several sportsbooks, including FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM, have already entered Ontario’s online sports betting market, and most of the other big brands have followed. In addition to these familiar names, many smaller sportsbooks, and even some Canadian ones, are offering their online betting services to sports gambling enthusiasts all over the country, so the bettors have a wide selection of betting apps and sites to choose from.
Further, except for the Ontario province, which operates under its own licensing system, the other provinces do not prohibit sportsbooks with licenses from recognized regulatory bodies like the Malta Gaming Authority and the Government of Curacao, broadening the field even more.
The best thing is that they can use the sportsbook’s mobile apps or websites. While players can enjoy a personalized sports betting experience on mobile apps, the platforms may have some limitations, such as fewer payment methods.
Is online sports betting legal in Canada? | Yes |
Is in-person sports betting legal? | Yes |
Is daily fantasy sports legal? | Yes |
Is horse racing betting legal? | Yes |
Is political betting legal? | Yes |
Is eSports betting legal? | Yes |
How many legal sports betting apps are there in Canada? | 30+ |
Legal age for sports betting in Canada? | 19+; 18+ in AB, MB, and QC |
Canada's tax rate for betting/gambling winnings | 5.05% - 21.8% (Depending on income & differs by province) |
Who regulates sports betting in Canada? | The Canadian Gaming Commission |
While we can trace the history of sports betting in Canada back over 600 years ago, we can narrow it down to 1892. Around this time, the government banned all forms of gambling apart from horse race betting. Punters could only place bets on horse races at county fairs until 1969, when legislators amended the Canadian Criminal Code. This amendment allowed federal and provincial governments to run lotteries supporting good causes, such as charities.
In the early 1990s, provincial governments gave the green light to betting in sports lotteries like Sports Action and Proline. However, the amended criminal code only allowed parlay/multi-game betting. This restriction was the norm until August 2021, when the Canadian federal government passed the C-218 bill, allowing single-game sports betting nationwide. Still, individual provinces were free to legalize or not legalize it.
Canada has one of the most flexible policies among the nations where betting is legal. CA citizens can bet on pretty much any sports or event offered on sportsbooks' websites and apps, including eSports and horse racing. With the wide range of operators available, the high number of sports betting events is hardly surprising. Besides, players can opt for in-person or virtual betting.
In addition, DFS is also legal in every Canadian province.
August 2, 2024: Betsson acquires betting tech company Sporting Solutions. This deal includes all price-setting and risk-management-related services verticals. Betsson states it will integrate Sporting Solutions' advanced pricing feeds into its sportsbooks to boost its pre-match and live betting offerings.
July 25, 2024: According to iGaming Ontario's report regarding the first quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year, the sports betting handle increased slightly to CAD 2.5bn ($1.8bn) from CAD 2bn last year. Meanwhile, the iGaming handle vaulted up 31% from the previous year's CAD 14bn to CAD 18.4bn ($13.3bn).
May 14, 2024: Prince Edward Island senator Percy Downe puts forward a plan to heavily restrict ads related to sports betting sites and mobile apps, voicing concern about the ads' impact on young people.
April 25, 2024: Quebec considers adopting an Ontario-esque regulatory model for online gaming to find significant cost savings during severe budget challenges. According to the recent report by the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, legalizing online gambling added almost $1.6 billion to Ontario's GDP in the first year of legal iGaming.
April 19, 2024: After reviewing the betting activity related to the WBA (World Boxing Association) title fight between Yoenis Tellez and Livan Navarro and discovering suspicious betting patterns, AGCO orders all licensed sportsbooks in Ontario to stop offering any betting markets and odds for any upcoming WBA bouts for the time being.
Are online casinos legal in Canada? | Yes |
Are retail casinos legal? | Yes |
Are social casinos legal? | Yes |
Is online poker legal? | Yes |
Is the lottery legal? | Yes |
As said earlier, Canada has some of the most lenient gambling policies, as Canadians can freely wager on casino games, poker, lotteries, and bingo games, just to name a few, both online and in-person. Sweepstake casinos and social sportsbooks are also legal to play if you prefer them over real money gambling.
In addition to these, online poker is also fully legal in Canada. Poker enthusiasts can even find tons of different games in retail casinos and dedicated poker rooms due to the relaxed gambling legislation.
August 12, 2024: Ontario's government is considering allowing Ontario residents to engage in play with gamblers from other countries on online gambling sites and apps. This move would exponentially raise the amount of money revolving around the ON online poker and DFS markets.
August 2, 2024: British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) advises all current customers of the PlayNow gambling platform to update their passwords after a cyberattack occurred on July 24, 2024. According to the BCLC, this attack only impacted a small percentage of PlayNow's account base, and no sensitive player information was stolen. However, it is still recommended that all passwords be changed as a preventive action.
July 10, 2024: Argentina’s national soccer team mocked rapper Drake after he lost a $300,000 bet on Canada defeating Argentina in the Copa America semi-final. If Canada had won, Drake would have earned $2.88 million. Instead, goals by Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez secured Argentina’s victory.
June 3, 2024: One lucky individual from Ottawa wins a total of CAD70 million ($51.38 million) with the Lotto Max jackpot. This marks the third time the CAD7M jackpot has found its way to Ontario province this year.
April 5, 2024: Over 86% of online gamblers in Ontario use regulated sites, according to a study released by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and iGaming Ontario during the second anniversary of the province's regulated sports betting and online gaming market.
Mobile and online sports betting in every Canadian province, but so far, only Ontario has established an open and regulated gambling market. This means that in other provinces, offshore sportsbooks can still be accessed.
According to market research company Ipsos, an average Canadian spends around $6.75 per month on gambling. However, this figure includes both sports wagers and other types of gambling activities.
Yes, all kinds of novelty bets are perfectly legal and allowed in Canada, so bettors can, for sure, place wagers on political elections, TV, movie, and music award shows, as well as other silly and unusual markets.
The 10-year and $225 million contract extension Joey Votto signed with Cincinnati Reds back in 2012 remains still the most lucrative deal signed by a Canadian sports figure.