Online in BC

Online casino play in British Columbia

Across British Columbia, legal online gambling happens on one site alone: PlayNow.com, operated by BCLC. This guide's home page also carries paid links to a private online casino, and this page explains what that means.

By the Ink deskChecked October 7, 2026

The rules in BC

Gambling in B.C. is for people 19 or older. This limit applies to casinos, lottery tickets, online gambling and charitable events alike. Anyone younger than 19 is barred from entering gambling venues.

In B.C., BCLC runs PlayNow.com, the one online gambling site that is legal. The Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) stated on August 28, 2026: only PlayNow.com may operate in BC as a regulated commercial online gambling website. The same statement described every other online gambling website open to BC players as operating illegally in the province. Since April 13, 2026, the IGCO has regulated all BC gambling, having taken over from the former provincial regulator.

Under the Gaming Control Act, online gaming means play through the lottery corporation's online platform. In June 2026 the IGCO said it will seek amendments to the Act to reduce the presence and impacts of unregulated online gambling operators in BC.

Elsewhere in Canada

In mid-July 2026, Alberta launched a private online gambling market under regulation. That made it the second province with such a market, after Ontario.

BC has seen no announcement of a market of that kind. For a BC resident, PlayNow.com remains the only legal online gambling site. Game Break covers play on PlayNow.com, not on private online casinos.

Questions by the clock

Is playing at an online casino legal in BC?

In B.C., BCLC runs PlayNow.com, the one online gambling site that is legal. Anyone who plays there must be 19 or older.

Does Game Break cover the site behind the paid links?

Game Break does not cover it. A Game Break agreement applies at BC gaming facilities, to walking in as well as to playing, and it also extends to play on PlayNow.com. Private online casinos fall outside it, and the paid links on the home page point to one of them.

Does this guide take bets?

This guide takes no bets. The guide works independently, is no casino and holds no accounts. The home page carries its sole paid links, and each one is marked Ad.