Online Gambling BC: Is It Legal? The Rules, Age and Where PlayNow Fits

Online gambling BC policy is set by the Province, and the government's page on gambling in British Columbia opens with the rule that frames everything else: "In B.C., gambling is legal only when it's run by the provincial government." On online play it is just as direct: "PlayNow.com is the only legal online gambling site in B.C." BCLC repeats the point in its 2026/27 service plan, where it calls PlayNow "the only legal option for online gambling in British Columbia and the only site that delivers net income back to the Province".

So the answer to "is online gambling legal in BC" has two parts. Online gambling in British Columbia is legal on PlayNow. Gambling on a site the Province does not run is, in the Province's own words, outside what B.C. allows. What follows explains where those rules come from and what they do and do not say.

Gambling in Canada starts with the federal Criminal Code. Section 206 makes running a lottery scheme an offence, and section 207 carves out the exception that every province relies on: it is lawful "for the government of a province … to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in that province … in accordance with any law enacted by the legislature of that province". The same section reserves games played "on or through a computer, video device, slot machine or a dice game" for the province itself; charities and fairs cannot run them.

British Columbia's own law is the Gaming Control Act, SBC 2022, c. 29, which came into force on 13 April 2026 and replaced the 2002 Act. It makes the British Columbia Lottery Corporation "responsible for the conduct and management of provincial gaming schemes" and declares it "an agent of the government". It defines an online gaming scheme by reference to "the lottery corporation's online platform", which is PlayNow. The Act also bans any lottery scheme it does not permit, requires gaming service providers to be registered, and obliges BCLC and registered providers not to let minors take part.

The ministry that announced the new Act said it "accounts for online gambling and evolving gaming technologies". It did not open the online market to private operators.

The Province's wording leaves no gap: "You must be 19 years or older to gamble in B.C." and "People under 19 are not allowed to enter gambling venues or take part in any gambling." The same page lists lottery tickets bought in stores or online as gambling, so the gambling age in British Columbia is the same for a lottery ticket, a casino table and an online slot.

Other provinces differ, which is why national guides sometimes give 18. Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec set 18 for casinos; British Columbia does not. PlayNow requires players to be BC residents, 19 or older, and physically in the province when they play. International sites that accept players from BC also ask for proof of age, usually before the first withdrawal.

"The Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) regulates all gambling in British Columbia," the government page says, and it describes the change as "transitioning the former Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB)" to the new office. IGCO calls itself "the provincial regulator for all gambling, horse racing, and responsible gambling programs in British Columbia", and it now administers Gambling Support BC.

The online gambling BC structure has two sides. BCLC, the operator, reports to the Ministry of Finance. The regulator sits with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Older pages, including some on BCLC's own site, still name GPEB as the regulator; since April 2026 that is out of date.

Many websites accept players from British Columbia while holding licences from regulators such as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, the Tobique Gaming Commission or the Malta Gaming Authority. None of them is approved by the Province. Here is how official sources describe them, word for word:

• BCLC's 2026/27 service plan, on advertising by brands licensed in Ontario: it "drive[s] players outside of Ontario to international-affiliated sites of the same brand, which are not regulated in B.C. and are thus illegal."
• Finance Minister Brenda Bailey in the legislature, May 2026, as reported by Business in Vancouver: there has been "this influx of advertising for sites which are regulated in Ontario but operate illegally in other provinces, including our own".
• BCLC in 2020 estimated that "approximately 73% of British Columbians who gamble online do so using unregulated, grey-market sites". In 2026 the Minister put PlayNow's share of the online market at about 51 per cent.

None of them mentions penalties for players. We found no official statement from the Province, BCLC or IGCO that describes penalties for players who use those sites, and no record of enforcement against players. The official wording is aimed at operators and at advertising. We therefore do not say that playing on such a site is legal, and we do not say players face penalties. Section 206(4) of the Criminal Code does make buying into an unlawful lottery scheme an offence; how, or whether, that applies to an online player in BC is a question for a lawyer, not for this page.

This site compares some of those international casinos for adults outside Ontario and Alberta. Each listing names the regulator that licenses it, so you can see who it answers to. The comparison also lists PlayNow's terms side by side.

Ontario opened a licensed competitive market in 2022, and Alberta opened its own in July 2026. British Columbia has not followed. BCLC's 2026/27 service plan bases its revenue projections on BCLC continuing "to operate in a closed market" with no regulatory change, and its answer to competition is to move PlayNow to a new platform and build a new casino app. The Finance Minister said in May 2026 that the PlayNow platform would be replaced in the autumn.

Industry groups have lobbied for an open market and say the government is willing to talk, but there is no public commitment. If that changes, this page will say so with the date.