Gambling in New Brunswick, Canada
Welcome to our gambling guide for New Brunswick, Canada, which will teach you about the various gambling pursuits you can do in this region. This will include the best casino venues, how to gamble online and the laws surrounding all forms of wagering. While Picture Province’s gambling landscape is dominated by Casino New Brunswick, the biggest gambling venue in the region, the real money gambling landscape is diverse and includes online casinos, poker and sports betting.
New Brunswick gambling overview
All gambling in New Brunswick is governed by the Criminal Code of Canada, which basically refers the governance back to the specific province.
Residents of New Brunswick have many forms of legal gambling in which they can partake, including visiting several land-based casinos, visiting a local race track, playing bingo, lotto or, of course, partaking in the many forms of online wagering.
Because Canada does not specifically outlaw offshore gambling websites, citizens are legally allowed to play at both websites licensed within their own borders and elsewhere. This means can bet with many of the best betting sites in the world, with these bookies regulated in places like Malta and the United Kingdom.
Canadian betting sites are also available to New Brunswick residents, with these often licensed by a local regulator or the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. There are sportsbook bonus offers available as a perk to those who bet online from New Brunswick.
Sports betting in New Brunswick
- Outstanding reputation!
- Android and iOS apps available
- Great promotions
- Can restrict winning punters
- 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
There are many great sports betting sites available in New Brunswick, with these operators based in offshore locations, although there is one locally licensed option that some bettors use.
The Atlantic Lottery Corporation now offers single-event sports betting in New Brunswick through its regulated online platform, following the 2021 amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada (Bill C-218). This reform ended the old parlay-only requirement and brought NB into line with most major sports-betting jurisdictions. ALC’s products — including PROLINE Singles, Futures, and Fantasy — give players a safe, locally regulated option, though the market remains relatively limited compared to global sportsbook brands.
There are advantages to wagering with a site licensed within Canada: player protections are clear, the operator is accountable to local regulators, and revenue supports provincial programs. That peace of mind matters to many, but the reality is far different.
But, like the wider Canadian betting community, many New Brunswick bettors still turn to offshore sports-betting sites. These platforms typically provide deeper markets, sharper odds, more promotions and advanced features such as player props and live-betting tools. Although they are not licensed in New Brunswick, many are regulated in respected jurisdictions like Malta, Gibraltar or the UK — and have long served Canadian players.
Popular betting interests include major North American leagues — NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL — as well as Canadian favourites like the CFL and the growing Canadian Premier League.
At present, New Brunswick has no announced plan to license private online sportsbooks, so the ALC monopoly model remains in place. In practice, however, Canadians continue to bet online with both domestic and overseas operators — and doing so is not illegal for the player.
Best NB online casinos
Online casino gambling in New Brunswick can be done at websites licensed in Canada and at offshore online casino sites. What is the difference, you might ask? It just comes down to licensing in the end with similar software available at both offshore and Canadian online casinos including some of the biggest brands in the industry such as Playtech, Pragmatic Play and Net Entertainment.
The games available at online casinos mirror those at land-based casinos, although as a general rule of thumb you will find more varieties of titles at the virtual version. This means you can play blackjack, roulette, baccarat, slots and many other casino games. Some online casinos might even have a total game number of more than 3000 titles.
Essentially NB online casinos are basically a free-for-all, with no real restrictions on which operators residents can wager with, with this in accordance with most of Canada. The exception to this are Ontario gambling sites, which are licensed and regulated by the provincial operator there.
Without a doubt one of the highlights of the online casino world is live dealer, which is as it sounds, a card game being beamed live on to your computer, TV or mobile device.
Top poker sites in New Brunswick
Real money poker is available in New Brunwick, via offshore operators, based in places like the USA, UK and Malta. These online poker sites are accessible via both computer and mobile, with various types of game available.
The Atlantic Lottery Commission does not currently offer a provincially licensed, standalone “real-money online poker room.” According to local reporting, legal poker in land-based venues is extremely limited: there are just a few small poker rooms in the entire province (in venues like Casino New Brunswick, Grey Rock Casino and St. Mary’s Entertainment Centre), and home games are only legal when no rake or house fee is taken.
As for global poker sites such as GGPoker or 888Poker: many Canadian players do access them, but such offshore poker sites are not provincially licensed; legally they operate in a kind of grey zone. In Canada the law prohibits unlicensed gambling operations — so while it is broadly lawful under federal law to participate in online games, playing on unlicensed offshore sites is outside the regulated framework.
Essentially, poker is legal in New Brunswick, but only under strict conditions: regulated poker rooms in licensed casinos, or informal private “no-rake” games. There is currently no regulated online poker offering by ALC. Players who go to offshore sites do so at their own risk, outside the regulated provincial scheme.
Lottery in New Brunswick
The New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation (which is part of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation), which is governed by the Gaming Control Act, is responsible for lotto games in this province of Canada.
The Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) is jointly owned by the four Atlantic provincial governments which are New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. This arrangement allows the prizes to be bigger because the provinces have shared liquidity.
There are many different weekly and daily draws held by the ALC with tickets available at many retail outlets and off its official website.
The ALC is an important fund-raising tool for many charities, sporting clubs and government organization with profits returned to the provinces.
Lottery draws in New Brunswick have taken a hit, like much of the world, since Lotto betting sites like Lottoland have emerged. Lotto sites like Lottoland are basically bookmakers that allow you to bet on the results of draws. The downside? Lottoland is an offshore company meaning they don’t pay taxes in New Brunswick, and the lotto revenue is not going back into the community.
Racing in New Brunswick
Saint John has one of the only active horse racing racetracks in New Brunswick, with the sport struggling for support and members in years gone by.
Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John holds harness racing during the season (May-September). Exhibition Park is more than just a race track with many slot machines, bingo facilities for more than 750 guests and a racebook available for those watching the horses. The facility is open seven days a weeks.
The other race track, which also holds harness racing, is the Fredericton Raceway and Exhibition Centre, which is one of the oldest of its type in Canada. This track houses 150-odd horses, has covered seating for over 1000 and boasts several popular restaurants.
One thing we will say about the race tracks in New Brunswick is that, even though they don’t hold the highest class of racing or house the best jockey or top trainers we’ve come across, they are truly beautiful and well worth a visit.
New Brunswick Horse Racing, which is the official body of the sport in the province, has long been agitating for more support from the local government, but is yet to receive any extra backing of this kind.
While horse racing in Canada is not a huge sport, the fact it exists for betting means it plays an important role in the wagering landscape.
Gambling laws in New Brunswick
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, the responsibility to legalize or ban all forms of gambling basically comes down to individual provinces.
To be more precise, Section 207 of the aforementioned code, allows the province to conduct and manage lottery schemes with any law brought in by the sitting government. This also allows charities, local events and religious organizations to hold fundraisers and events which could be deemed gambling.
Gambling in New Brunswick is regulated at the provincial level, with the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation (NBLGC) responsible for commercial gambling activities, and enforcement carried out under the Gaming Control Act. The province oversees casinos, video lottery terminals (VLTs), charitable gaming, and lottery schemes, while ensuring gaming integrity and responsible-play policies remain front and centre.
Like the rest of Canada, the legal foundation comes from the Criminal Code of Canada, which prohibits unlicensed gambling but delegates authority to provinces to run and regulate gaming. As long as gambling is conducted through provincially approved channels, it is lawful in New Brunswick.
Online casinos are legal in NB, though only via the government-backed Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Its ALC.ca platform offers online casino games, lottery sales, bingo, and instant win titles to players aged 19 and over. Private offshore casinos may still be accessible from the province, but they do not hold local licences and therefore operate outside the regulated framework.
Sports betting is also legal. Following federal reforms in 2021 that enabled single-event wagering, NBLGC expanded its ProLine-branded sports betting options through ALC.ca.
At present, New Brunswick has not publicly proposed major reforms or a shift toward private-operator licensing. The province continues to favour a government-controlled model, supported by ongoing regulation, compliance audits, and responsible-gambling protections.
This means that, while technically not legal, playing at online casinos and betting on sports online in New Brunswick is largely done via offshore gambling sites. No bettors have ever been charged for wagering with offshore online gambling websites.
Gambling venues in New Brunswick
There are numerous gambling venues in New Brunswick of varying sizes and types. Probably the best gambling venue in New Brunswick is the Casino New Brunswick, which regularly tops the revenue list for venues in this region. The best gambling venues in New Brunswick, Canada are:
- Casino New Brunswick
Address: 21 Casino Drive, Moncton, New Brunswick
Info: Casino New Brunswick has more than 10 different table games and many slots. Is probably the biggest casino in this province of Canada. - Eagles Nest Casino New Brunswick
Address: 17 Muwin Lane, Woodstock First Nation, NB E7M 0B1,
Info: Owned by the Woodstock First Nation Economic Development Corporation, this casino has video lottery, bingo, slots, card games and plenty of other events and activities. - Grey Rock Casino
Address: 100 Chief Joanna Blvd, Madawaska Maliseet First Nation, NB E7C 0C1, Canada
Info: You will find poker, bingo, many slots and heaps of events happening at this venue. The Totem Rewards Club is also a popular initiative. - Saint John Exhibition Park Bingo
Address: 159 McAllister Dr, Saint John, NB E2J 2S6, Canada
Info: Has all-day bingo games on Tuesdays and Sundays and is located in the well-known multi-purpose venue. - Fredericton Raceway
Address: 355 Smythe St, Fredericton, NB E3B 1N1, Canada
Info: This venue holds live harness racing and is among the oldest in Canada, having clocked up close to 200 years. - St Mary’s Entertainment Centre
Address: 185 Gabriel Dr, Fredericton, NB E3A 5V9, Canada
Info: Its claim to fame is that it is the largest bingo centre in Atlantic Canada. Holds real money bingo games every night of the week and is also a large community hub.
