Canadian Gambling Laws 

Online gambling is relatively new in Canada—well, it is new for most of the world. Every day, new and amazing sites pop up in Canada. The problem is that, unlike other countries worldwide, there has never really been a drive to create online gambling legislation within Canada. 

In fact, there is still now law within Canada that says that online casinos can legally operate within the country, or any casino for that matter. Now, don’t get us wrong. This does not mean that you should not gamble online in Canada. In fact, it seems to be perfectly fine to do so. Nobody has ever been prosecuted for gambling at an online casino in the country, and no casino vendor has been either.

With the construction of various casinos and the establishment of several lotteries throughout the country is basically screaming ‘this is legal’, even if there is no law that specifically says that it is.

Part 4 of the Criminal Code

Part 4 of the Criminal Code in Canada makes it illegal to operate commercial gambling companies within Canada. However, it is worth pointing out that this law was made long before online casinos existed.

This means that it does not expressly prohibit online gambling. However, some provinces within Canada have established that this part of the criminal code does apply to online gambling. Once again, it is worth pointing out that nobody has ever been charged with online gambling in Canada. It does not seem to be a crime in the eyes of the courts.

Provinces Can Licence Online Casinos

It is worth noting that the various provinces in Canada do have the right to licence online casinos if they wish to do so, much like other countries around the world. Some provinces, notably British Columbia and Quebec, licence their gaming casinos, which means it is perfectly fine to gamble there, even though the actual letter of the law technically prevents it. This is what we mean when the country seems to accept online casinos, which is nice.

Online Poker

It is worth noting that many of the online poker sites you can find in Canada are not actually hosted in Canada. You may get the odd one that has been hosted on an Indian Reservation, but these are few and far between. However, once again, we do want to point out the fact that there is no law that prevents online casinos outside of the country from offering their services to Canadians, which is how they can continue to offer their services.

Just as a point to note, if you are going to be gambling with an online casino located outside of Canada, you should check that it is licensed to operate in the country where it is based.

The last thing you really want to do is gamble at a shady online casino. If you gamble at an online casino licensed within the United Kingdom or Europe, then you should be fine. Always check the licence, though, to ensure that the site is genuine when it tells you what it can provide.

Sports Betting

It is worth noting that although it is very restricted, sports betting is legislated for in Canadian law. For example, you can only make parlay bets over three matches. You can’t bet on individual sporting events at the moment. However, there is a chance that this restriction will be lifted soon.

You will unlikely have any issues gambling on a betting website outside of Canada. Still, once again, it is important that you check the license of the betting company so you know what you are getting yourself into.

Paying Taxes

In Canada, you do not need to pay taxes on any gambling wins. The only exception to this rule is if you are gambling professionally. For example; if you derive your income from playing poker day in and day out, there is a high chance that you will need to pay taxes on whatever you earn. If you remain playing for fun, you should be ‘good to go’.

Summary

Gambling laws in Canada are likely to change significantly going forward, particularly since the country seems to be becoming more liberal with its policies. So, expect the rules and regulations we discussed on this page to change over the coming years.