Responsible Gambling

Legal Age to Bet in Canada

Online betting is only for adults. The minimum age is 19 in most provinces and territories, including Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the Atlantic provinces, and 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. Every licensed app checks your age and identity before you can withdraw, and our content is not intended for anyone under the legal age in their province.

Our Commitment

We list only apps that give bettors real control over their play, and responsible gambling tools are one of the six criteria in our ratings. We never describe betting as a reliable way to make money, and we do not publish content aimed at minors or people who have chosen to self-exclude. If you have self-excluded from an operator or a provincial program, please do not use our comparisons to look for another app during that period.

Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines

Canada’s Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines, developed by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, suggest three simple limits for people who choose to gamble:

• Gamble no more than 1% of your household income before tax each month;
• Gamble on no more than 4 days a month;
• Avoid regularly gambling on more than 2 types of games, such as sports betting and slots.

Staying within these limits lowers the risk of harm. They are a guide, not a target.

Signs That Betting Is Becoming a Problem

Problem gambling often builds slowly. Ask yourself honestly whether any of these apply to you:

• You bet more than you planned or more than you can afford to lose;
• You chase losses by placing bigger or more frequent bets;
• You borrow money, use credit or sell things to fund betting;
• You hide your betting from family or friends, or lie about how much you spend;
• You feel restless, anxious or irritable when you try to cut down;
• Betting affects your work, studies, sleep or relationships;
• You keep the app open during every game, even when you planned a break.

If one or more of these sound familiar, it is a good moment to use the tools below or talk to a helpline. Reaching out early makes change easier.

Tools Inside Every Licensed Betting App

Licensed betting apps in Canada must give you tools to control your play. You will usually find them under Account, Settings or Responsible Gambling, and support can also set them for you:

• Deposit limits: cap how much you can add each day, week or month;
• Wager and loss limits: cap the total you can stake or lose over a period;
• Time limits and reality checks: get a reminder of how long you have been playing and how much you have spent;
• Time-outs: pause your account for a short break, from 24 hours to several weeks;
• Self-exclusion: block access to your account for months or years;
• Account closure: close your account permanently.

Limit reductions usually apply immediately, while increases often take effect only after a waiting period. That delay is there to protect you from decisions made in the heat of a game.

Self-Exclusion Programs by Province

Self-excluding from one app blocks only that app. Provincial programs go further and cover every regulated site at once.

Each program is separate. An exclusion registered in Ontario does not carry over to Alberta, so if you move or bet in more than one province, register in each one.

Protecting Minors

Keep betting apps away from children and teenagers:

• Lock your phone with Face ID, a fingerprint or a PIN, and never save your betting password on a shared device;
• Log out of betting apps when you hand your phone to someone else;
• Turn on the parental controls built into iOS and Android to block gambling apps;
• Install blocking software such as Gamban, BetBlocker or Net Nanny on devices that children use;
• Talk openly with young people about the risks of betting and the ads they see.

Free Helplines by Province and Territory

Every province and territory runs a free, confidential helpline. Most are open 24 hours a day and can connect you with counselling, treatment and support for family members.

More Support and Self-Assessment

Beyond the provincial helplines, these organizations offer information, self-tests and peer support:

• Responsible Gambling Council (responsiblegambling.org): Canadian non-profit with prevention resources and a directory of treatment services;
• GameSense: player-support program offered by BCLC and other Canadian gaming bodies, with advisors available through PlayNow live chat;
• Jeu : aide et référence (aidejeu.ca): bilingual helpline, online gambling test and free TeleCounselling for Quebec residents;
• Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org): free online support and live chat available worldwide;
• Gamblers Anonymous (gamblersanonymous.org): peer support meetings across Canada;
• Gam-Anon (gam-anon.org): support groups for family members and friends.

A short self-assessment can help you see your betting more clearly. Jeu : aide et référence offers a free online gambling test, and the Problem Gambling Severity Index, a nine-question checklist developed in Canada, is widely used by counsellors to gauge gambling risk.

How We Can Help

We do not run betting accounts, so we cannot set limits or close an account for you. The operator’s support team can do that immediately, and in Ontario and Alberta you can also self-exclude from every regulated site through the provincial program.

If you are unsure where to start, or if you notice content on our site that seems to encourage risky betting, write to us at [email protected]. We will point you to the right service in your province, and we review every report about our content.

If you or someone close to you is in crisis or thinking about self-harm, call or text 9-8-8, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, available across Canada 24 hours a day.