Responsible gambling policy
Provincial helplines, self-exclusion, operator standards, and CanadaGamblers editorial rules.
CanadaGamblers is an editorial site that reviews and ranks gambling operators serving Canadian players. We are not an operator. We do not take wagers.
Play responsibly. If gambling stops being fun, reach out to a Canadian helpline. They are free, confidential, and available 24/7 in every province and territory.
Who should not gamble
Anyone below the minimum legal gambling age in their province: 19+ in Canada.
Anyone currently in financial distress.
Anyone enrolled in a provincial self-exclusion program.
Anyone using gambling to manage emotional regulation, relationship stress, or substance recovery.
Signs of problem gambling
Gambling becomes a problem when it stops being entertainment and starts costing you money, time, or relationships you cannot afford to lose. If several of these sound familiar, it is worth taking the self-assessment below or calling a helpline.
Spending more time or money on gambling than you meant to.
Chasing losses — betting more to win back what you have already lost.
Borrowing money, selling possessions, or taking on debt to keep gambling.
Hiding or lying to family, friends, or others about how much you gamble.
Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down or stop.
Gambling to escape stress, anxiety, low mood, or other problems.
Neglecting work, school, family, or personal responsibilities to gamble.
Repeated failed attempts to control, cut back, or stop.
Risking or damaging a relationship, job, or opportunity because of gambling.
Needing to bet larger amounts to feel the same level of excitement.
Take a private self-assessment
9 standardized questions from the Problem Gambling Severity Index (Ferris & Wynne 2001) plus 1 about next steps. Roughly 2 minutes. Nothing is stored.
We deliberately do not display or store a numeric score — the assessment exists to support reflection, not to label players. Counselling, deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion are always available regardless of result.
Self-exclusion programs
Every Canadian regulator and Crown corporation that licences online gambling operates a self-exclusion program, and operators are required to honour it.
01Ontario
02British Columbia
03Alberta
04Quebec
05Manitoba
06Saskatchewan
07Atlantic provinces
08Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut
Help by province or territory
All thirteen helplines are free and confidential. Tap a number to call.
Worried about someone else?
You do not have to wait for someone to ask for help. Living with another person’s gambling carries real financial and emotional strain — and support is available for you, too, not just the person who gambles.
Independent support beyond Canada
These free, international services run independently of any operator or regulator. They are available everywhere in Canada and complement the provincial helplines above.
Operator controls we look for
Ease of finding these tools is a positive signal in our ranking methodology.
How this affects our coverage
Bonus copy does not minimize wagering requirements or hide expected loss. Reviews of high-volatility or chase operators carry warning callouts.
Bonus content is not rendered at all. Operator CTAs read "Visit site", and bonus surfaces render compliance copy instead of inducement values.
The site does not run interstitial bonus pop-ups, autoplay video, or other patterns that pressure conversion.
Age and minors
We do not target marketing at minors. The age gate uses 19+ by default and 18+ only when the active province is Alberta, Manitoba, or Quebec. This page currently resolves to 19+ in Canada.
Excluded operators
- Operators without recognised regulatory licensing accepting Canadian players.
- Operators with unresolved regulator action for player-protection violations.
- Operators with repeat patterns of withholding payouts on responsible-gambling flagged accounts.