Gambling in British Columbia

Online gambling in some forms in British Columbia is regulated and legal, while gambling sites based offshore are also allowed; with these often the most popular operators. While PlayNow.com is legal and backed by the British Columbia gambling regulator, most choose to wager with offshore gambling sites, with these including major UK and US operators. The best gambling sites in British Columbia are accessible by mobile, including apps, offer multiple forms of real money wagering, have bonus offers or free bet deals, and enjoy a high level of regulation. Below we will break down everything you need to know about gambling in British Columbia, including sports betting, online casinos, horse racing and a list of venues in this Canadian province.

Online gambling in British Columbia

The Canadian province of British Columbia has a diverse gambling industry which incorporates casinos, horse racing, teletheatres, bingo, gaming centres and lottery. Sometimes there will also be legal gambling at public events such as skiing or snowboarding competitions.

The legal age to gamble in British Columbia is 19, unless you are gambling online, when the age limit at the website’s home licensing body will apply. It is against the law for minors to enter a gambling venue in BC.

Speaking of online gambling, British Columbia, like most of Canada, fails to really address online wagering, which means gambling at offshore casinos and sportsbooks is perfectly legal. There are no known cases of the police or authorities prosecuting an individual for using these sites.

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is the body overseeing gambling in the province and runs the only online gambling site licensed in BC. Its PlayNow.com has an extensive selection of online sports betting markets, lottery and casino, including live dealer and many other gambling pursuits.

The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch is responsible for the overall integrity and regulation of gaming and horse racing in British Columbia. This includes all provincial gaming conducted, managed and/or operated by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation

Online casinos in BC

Royal Vegas Casino

5/5

100% up to $1200

Play Now

T&C apply1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th Deposit – Match Bonus up to $300 • 10 daily spins to win a Million • New customers only • Min deposit $10 • Wagering & Terms apply

Review

iLucki Casino review

4.4/5

$/€900 + 150 free spins welcome offer

Play Now

Review

Up to $30 in Free Bets + Free Spins

Play Now

T&C applyMin Deposit: €/$10. First deposit matched up to €/$30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bet. Customers are required to deposit a minimum of $/€10 to qualify for free spins, free Spins expire 48 hours after crediting and the free Spins will be credited as Cash.

Review

$1600 welcome package

Play Now

T&C apply1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th Deposit – Match Bonus up to $400 • 10 daily spins to win a Million • New customers only • Min deposit $10. Full terms apply.

Review

100% up to €500 + 200 FS

Play Now

Review

225% deposit bonus + 225 free spins

Play Now

T&C applyBonus has 40x wager. Max bet applies. Max bonus amount varies depending on currency. Offer is active for 96 hours after signing up. Full terms apply.

Review

GET UP TO $1,500 + 100 FREE SPINS

Play Now

T&C apply18+ LeoSafePlay.com, Promotional T&Cs apply. Please play responsibly. Full terms and conditions apply.

Review

There are many options for those wishing to gamble at online casinos from BC with all the biggest software companies and many of the biggest casino brands still operating in the province. You can even play at online casinos licensed by Canada’s own Kahnawake Gambling Commission, which is a well-known licensing body with members such as Bodog.eu and RoyalVegasCasino.com – two popular brands in the online world.

Online casinos licensed both in Canada and offshore may cater to the Canadian dollar and it makes sense to play at sites that do, so you do not lose out on currency exchanges. This simply means that your balance will be displayed in CAD.

You can play online slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker and literally 100s of different variations and games at online casinos – far more than at your average land-based gambling venue.

The land-based casino scene in BC is dominated by Gateway Casinos, which also operates in Alberta and Ontario, although it has not all been smooth sailing in recent times for the company, with the company’s 700 workers striking for over four months, up until November 2018.

Online sports betting in British Columbia

Betway review

4.2/5

• Outstanding reputation!
• Android and iOS apps available
• Great promotions

• Can restrict winning punters

Up to $30 in Free Bets + Free Spins

Play Now

T&C applyMin Deposit: €/$10. First deposit matched up to €/$30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bet. Customers are required to deposit a minimum of $/€10 to qualify for free spins, free Spins expire 48 hours after crediting and the free Spins will be credited as Cash.

Review

Leo Vegas Review

• Self-described “Kings of Mobile” and we agree!
• Live dealer table limits suit high rollers
• Outstanding customer service department

• Can have overzealous KYC and verification requirements

GET UP TO $1,500 + 100 FREE SPINS

Play Now

T&C apply18+ LeoSafePlay.com, Promotional T&Cs apply. Please play responsibly. Full terms and conditions apply.

Review

You can bet on sports with the BC-backed PlayNow.com if you are in the province, but there is also nothing stopping you from wagering with offshore betting sites. The odds are generally better and you will find more markets are available.

You can wager on the NBA, NFL, NHL and minor leagues and college games and many soccer competitions around the world. Basically if you are watching an international competition on television, you will be able to find a market for it at an offshore site.

Both PlayNow.com and international betting sites servicing British Columbia now allow customers to place single-event wagers, following new legislation Bill C-218 being implemented. This bill essentially legalised single-event wagers and paved the way for Canadian betting sites to be based out of British Columba in the future, but it will require further legislation (like Ontario betting sites) for them to be implemented.

The deposit methods at these sites are plentiful and you will not have any trouble funding your account as long as you have a bank card, or another form of electronic money. Even if you don’t you will be able to deposit money directly into a bank account or buy a pre-paid card, which can then be used to fund your account.

The top betting sites in BC have got a plethora of free bet offers and promotions available, with these including matched deposits, no deposit free bets, bet insurance or bet back offers, and even enhanced odds. These BC free bet offers do have wagering requirements, but can be a great way to enhance your betting experience.

Some of the more popular offshore sites to gamble at if you are from Canada include Betway.com, WilliamHill, Pinnacle Sports and bet365. Each of these sites has a strong reputation and is known to be safe for CAD deposits.

Horse racing in British Columbia

Turnover on horse racing in the past few years in BC has been more than $200 million annually. Remarkably most of this is on “fake” racing, or computer-generated games, but there is also a live horse racing scene.

It is estimated that there are more than 3000 jobs supplied by the racing industry in BC and almost half a billion dollars injected into the local economy.

The tracks due to host horse racing in BC in 2018 include Fraser Downs and Hastings, with the tracks in Surrey and Vancouver respectively.

What is the British Columbia Lottery Corporation?

The BCLC manages all gambling in British Columbia, including lotteries, casinos, electronic games including slots, sports betting and one-off ticket lotteries. It also manages online gaming such as PlayNow.com. The Gaming Policy Enforcement Branch manages horse racing in British Columbia.

First Nations do have heavy involvement in some gambling venues but unlike some provinces in Canada, they are forced to abide by the same rules that apply under the licensing body in BC.

Towards the tail-end of 2017 the BCLC announced they were launching an investigation into money-laundering, with it to be headed by experienced Mountie Peter German. The recently appointed QC then released a report titled the Peter German Report which made recommendations to curb money laundering in BC casinos, with two of these that were implemented being deposits of over $10,000 CAD needing a proof of source and appointing someone to work permanently in heading up anti-corruption in horse racing and casinos.

The BCLC is also part of the Inter-Provincial Lottery Corporation, which runs lottery games in some Canadian states, with five members in total.

Funding your gambling account

Funding your account is a simple process and you will be able to use, among others, Visa, Mastercard, Web wallets, bank transfers and many cryptocurrencies.

Generally these deposit methods will be instant and you will be able to begin playing straight away, but in case such as bank transfers you may have to wait a few days for the money to hit your account.

With BC in the process of regulating online gambling, we can expect this to mean local payment options will become more prevalent, and offshore options like bitcoin or international bank transfers will become less common.

But as it stands, no date for a regulated gambling industry has been announced, with sometime in 2026 looking likely.

The current list of British Columbia payments available at gambling sites includes:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• Neteller
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• iDebit
• Skrill
• Bitcoin
• Ethereum

Gambling laws in British Columbia

Gambling in BC is governed provincially, with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) — under the authority of the Gaming Control Act — responsible for all legal commercial gambling: casinos, lotteries, bingo, and online gaming.

The regulatory oversight of real money gambling in British Columbia is performed by the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB), which licenses gambling operators, certifies equipment and ensures compliance.

At the federal level, gambling per se isn’t prohibited; instead the law delegates regulation to provinces. This means the federal framework under the Criminal Code of Canada only prohibits unlicensed gambling operations — licensed provincial schemes like BCLC are lawful.

Online casinos are legal in BC — but only when operated via the province’s official site PlayNow.com, which launched as North America’s first regulated online casino in 2004. Despite this, offshore/private online casino sites are the main way people in BC play at gambling sites, but they are no licensed under the local regulatory regime, leaving you open to trouble.

As for sports betting: following amendments to federal law in 2021 that legalized single-event wagering nationwide, BC expanded its offerings — PlayNow now provides online sports betting, including single-event bets. Again, despite the lack of regulation, many corporate sportsbooks offer their services to BC residents, and you are highly unlikely to get into any trouble for this practice.

At present, there is no public indication of mooted legislation aiming to privatize or substantially change how gambling is regulated in BC: the model remains a government-controlled monopoly under BCLC, with GPEB oversight.

Gambling venues in BC

There are many different casino venues in British Columbia, with these ranging from massive full-service gambling venues, right through to smaller poker or slots rooms.