Gambling help in Canada: ages, support lines and limits

Minimum gambling age in each province and territory

Every province and territory sets its own minimum gambling age. Across most of the country you must be 19+; the exceptions are 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.

Gambling help in Canada: who to contact

Help in your province

Each province operates or pays for its own gambling support. The links below lead to official pages, where you will find up-to-date phone numbers and opening hours.

• If you live in British Columbia, contact Gambling Support BC.
• If you live in Alberta, contact Alberta Health Services Addiction Helpline.
• If you live in Saskatchewan, contact Saskatchewan Problem Gambling Helpline.
• If you live in Manitoba, contact Manitoba gambling support (Informed Gambling).
• If you live in Quebec, contact Jeu : aide et référence.
• If you live in New Brunswick, contact New Brunswick Addiction Services.
• If you live in Nova Scotia, contact Nova Scotia Mental Health and Addictions: gambling.
• If you live in Prince Edward Island, contact Health PEI gambling support.
• If you live in Newfoundland and Labrador, contact Newfoundland and Labrador help lines.
• If you live in Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, reach out to your territorial health services, or use one of the Canada-wide services below.

Canada-wide support

• Responsible Gambling Council: an independent Canadian organisation that publishes safer-gambling information.
• Gamblers Anonymous: peer-led meetings for anyone who wants to stop gambling.

Warning signs worth taking seriously

• Putting in more money or time than you meant to.
• Trying to recover losses by playing longer or staking more.
• Borrowing, or dipping into bill money, so you can gamble.
• Keeping your gambling from family or friends, or not being honest about it.
• Feeling edgy, anxious or short-tempered when you try to cut back.
• Using gambling to get away from stress, a low mood or other problems.
• Having gambling on your mind most of the day.
• Skipping work, classes or time with others because of gambling.

Limit tools at online casinos

Check the account menu or the safer-gambling page on the site. Most casinos provide some or all of the following:

Deposit limits restrict how much you can add per day, week or month. If you use only one tool, make it this one, and set it before you first deposit.

Loss limits restrict how much you can lose within a set period; once you reach the cap, play stops.

Reality checks (session reminders) appear at regular intervals to show how long you have played and what you have spent.

Time-outs freeze your account for a short break, anywhere from a day to a few weeks.

Self-exclusion closes off your account for a longer stretch. While it runs, the casino should neither let you play nor send you promotions.

A reduced limit normally applies at once, whereas an increase usually comes with a cooling-off period. That delay is intentional.

How self-exclusion works in Canada

Self-exclusion operates on two levels. Provincial programmes apply to gambling regulated within that province: Ontario's regulated online market, for example, runs under AGCO standards administered with iGaming Ontario, while provincial lottery corporations operate their own programmes for their sites and venues. Operator self-exclusion is something you set up in your account at one casino, and it may also cover that casino's sister sites.

To stop completely, use both: your province's programme plus the self-exclusion tool at every site where you have an account. A support service can help you arrange it. To see how Ontario's model compares with the rest of the country, read our guide to Ontario versus the other provinces.

Canada's Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction developed Canada's national Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines. They suggest straightforward limits on the money and time you spend, how often you gamble, and which forms of gambling carry higher risk. You gain from them even without following them exactly: reading them is a handy way to see whether your habits have crept up.

The underlying ideas are simple. Use only money set aside for entertainment. Decide your limits before a session begins, never partway through. Stay away from gambling when you are upset, have been drinking or want to recover losses. And step away from gambling completely from time to time.

Supporting a family member or friend

Bringing up someone else's gambling is difficult. Choose a quiet moment, describe what you have seen rather than accusing them, and give them room to talk. Do not lend money or clear gambling debts, however well meant; doing so often lets the problem continue. Most of the services above help relatives and friends too, and speaking to one beforehand can help you work out what to say. Take care of yourself as well: someone else's gambling puts real strain on the people around them, and you deserve support of your own.

Keeping gambling away from young people

Only adults may use gambling sites. If children share your devices, keep casino logins to yourself, stop browsers from storing passwords and sign out at the end of each session. Parental-control software and the controls built into your phone can block gambling sites. Never let anyone underage use your account or your payment cards.

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