Online Gambling in British Columbia

In BC, legal online gambling means PlayNow.com, run by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC). It offers casino games, live dealers, sports betting, poker, lottery and bingo to players aged 19+ who are located in the province. BC does not license private online casinos — and in 2026 it got a brand-new gambling regulator.

By Otto von Stierlitz · Independent guide, not affiliated with BCLC or the Government of BC.

Is Online Gambling Legal in BC?

Under the Criminal Code, only the province can conduct and manage online casino games, and in BC it does that through BCLC. So PlayNow is the only online casino authorized in British Columbia. Sites licensed elsewhere — in Malta, Curaçao or Kahnawà:ke — are not authorized in BC, and BCLC says hundreds of them target British Columbians.

For players, the practical risk is not prosecution — we found no case of a BC player being charged — but the lack of protection: if an offshore site refuses to pay, BC’s regulator cannot step in. The money involved is large. BCLC has estimated that about C$441 million a year is wagered on illegal online sites, almost as much as the C$454 million bet on PlayNow.

New in 2026: The Independent Gambling Control Office

On April 13, 2026 BC’s new Gaming Control Act came into force. It replaced the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) with the Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO), which oversees BCLC, casinos and gaming suppliers and can issue directives to BCLC without the minister’s approval. The reform grew out of BC’s anti-money-laundering inquiries into casinos.

What it did not do is open the market. Unlike Ontario and Alberta, BC has no plan, bill or consultation to license private online operators, so PlayNow keeps its monopoly.

PlayNow: BC’s Official Online Casino

BCLC started selling lottery tickets online in 2004 and added casino games in 2010. Today PlayNow has slots, table games, live dealer tables, jackpots, poker (Windows client), bingo, the full lottery range — Lotto Max, 6/49, BC/49, Daily Grand, Keno — and PlayNow Sports. BC players also earn Encore Rewards, BCLC’s loyalty program shared with land-based casinos.

• Sign-up: an electronic identity check with Equifax that usually takes under five minutes and does not affect your credit.
• Deposits: Interac e-Transfer, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, PayPal, online bill payment and Web Cash vouchers, from $5.
• Withdrawals: bank transfer (EFT) only, up to 3 business days plus about 1 day at the bank.

Full details in our PlayNow review.

Sports Betting in BC

Single-game betting has been legal since August 2021. Online you bet on PlayNow Sports, with live betting; the PlayNow BC Sportsbook app is on the App Store. In stores, BCLC replaced its old Sports Action game with BCLC PROLINE in 2024 — you build bets in an app and pay at a retailer. In April 2026 BCLC and Atlantic Lottery chose Kambi to power a shared PROLINE sportsbook for BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada, expected in 2027. See Sport Select and Pro-Line explained.

Land-Based Casinos

BCLC conducts and manages casinos and community gaming centres across the province, including large venues such as River Rock in Richmond, Parq Vancouver and Grand Villa in Burnaby. The age limit is 19, as online.

Online Casinos That Accept BC Players

Some international casinos accept players from British Columbia. They are not licensed by BC, so read the section above first. We only list sites that pass our checks on licence, ownership, Interac and CAD, and real payout times.

Getting Help in BC

Gambling Support BC is free and available 24/7 at 1-888-795-6111. BCLC’s GameSense advisors can be reached at 1-866-815-0222, and PlayNow offers deposit limits and self-exclusion (Game Break). More on our responsible gambling page.

Last updated: 2026-11-03