Is Betting Legal In Canada?

Sports betting is always questioned in terms of its legality. Across North America there is a lot of confusion about what is legal and what isn’t as well as where you can play and where you can’t.

Best Sports Betting Sites Canada

The good news is, in Canada it is legal to gamble both online and offline across all provinces, although there are a number of grey areas and regulations to be aware of.

As you’d expect, here at Canadiansportsbetting.ca we’re well versed in all the Canadian betting laws. Below you’ll find all you need to know about betting in Canada, including regulations and the best sites to play at.

Can I Place Bets In Canada?

Betting in Canada is legal, unlike many states in the USA and you can bets online and in the many casinos around the country. There are over 100 in total, with provinces dictating many of their own regulations since a bill was passed in 1985 to legalize gambling.

Online casino and sportsbooks are incredibly popular in the country and continue to thrive thanks to there being no real online regulations to ever have been put in place to prevent bets being placed.

There are a number of rules that do need following though and it is important to be aware of. Under The Criminal Code of Canada laws, it is illegal to place single or double bets, which means all bets placed must include three or more selections. That’s made the accumulator markets incredibly popular across most sports, particularly ice hockey.

It’s believed that many are trying to see this law changed to allow singles and double wagers to be placed, with finance ministers looking to change the Criminal Code to allow them.

Canada Legal Betting Age

One thing that must be considered is the different legal betting ages across provinces in Canada. For the most part, the legal betting age is 19, although in some states that has been lowered to 18.

Currently the legal betting ages are the following:

18-years-old

Alberta
Manitoba

19-years-old

Nunavut
British Columbia
Yukon Territory
Newfoundland & Labrador
New Brunswick
North West Territories
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Quebec
Saskatchewan

What Sports Are You Legally Allowed To Bet On In Canada?

There are no restrictions on the sports you can bet on. If a sportsbook is offering odds, you can place a wager on them. Some of the bigger names like bet365 have a huge range of markets on everything from NHL to tennis, boxing and horse racing.

Some of the more popular sports to bet on in Canada include:

And of course many more, covering all major tournaments and in many cases minor leagues too.

Where Can I Legally Bet In Canada?

There are dozens of brilliant sportsbooks in which you can place bets legally in Canada.

We work with a large number, all of whom are completely legal and safe to play with, including the likes of 888sport, Betway and Guts. Before we recommend any brand to play with we make sure they have all the correct legislation and safety measures in place, and we conduct a full review to ensure you’re only playing with sportsbooks and casinos that offer great odds, offers and have a wide range of markets.

You can find a full list of sportsbooks to play legally in Canada on our Sportsbooks page.