Responsible Gambling Help and Self-Exclusion in Canada
Help in Canada runs through provincial services and a few central self-exclusion programs. ConnexOntario answers by phone, text and chat all day, every day. BetGuard covers Ontario's regulated online sites, while an Alberta exclusion can take in registered online platforms, venues or both, as the person chooses. Age rules also differ by province, so check the rule where you live.
For how licences and provincial rules fit together, see the casino page and the betting page, and the method page for how this site checks them.
BetGuard
Self-exclusion in Ontario
Ontario's tool reaches every site in the regulated market.
- What it does
- BetGuard is a central self-exclusion tool where you set how long you want to opt out of regulated igaming in Ontario, and regulated sites then match your details and block you.
- Terms and age
- It is run by iGaming Ontario, offers terms from six months to five years, and is open to people 19 and older.
- Coverage
- iGaming Ontario says it takes in every igaming site in the province's regulated market, the province's own lottery sites included.
- Contact centre
- Its contact centre is 1-833-776-7171 (Canada and US) or 416-479-0008 in the Toronto area.
- How to enrol
- The BetGuard site explains how to enrol.
AGLC
Self-exclusion in Alberta
One program, with online platforms, venues or both to choose.
AGLC runs a central self-exclusion program. You can choose registered iGaming platforms, land-based casinos and racing entertainment centres, or both, and the exclusion lasts six months, one year, two years or three years.
Registered iGaming operators must keep out anyone whose exclusion includes online platforms. The program is described on AGLC's iGaming page.
Reach
What these programs do not cover
Each scheme has a set reach; a Curaçao licence shows no membership.
The two schemes
BetGuard applies to Ontario's regulated igaming sites, and an Alberta exclusion reaches every registered online platform, every casino and racing venue, or both, depending on the choice made.
A Curaçao licence
Holding a licence from Curaçao does not show that a site belongs to either scheme. Curaçao's own responsible gaming policy does make some tools mandatory for licensees, among them deposit limits, player self-assessments, cooling-off and a self-exclusion that can be completed online and covers all of that operator's domains; that exclusion stays with the one operator, and the policy states a licence condition, not what any given site does.
Age
Age rules by province
The minimum age is a provincial rule, and it varies.
Ontario sets 19 for online casino play. Alberta's standards define a minor as anyone under 18, and Manitoba and Quebec channels state 18. Other provinces set their own age. Each province's own channel states the age that applies there.
Helplines
Provincial helplines
Your province's line and number, listed A-Z.
By province and territory
Each of these lines describes itself as open around the clock.
- Alberta
- The 24-Hour Addiction Helpline, 1-866-332-2322, for callers in Alberta.
- British Columbia
- Gambling Support BC, 1-888-795-6111.
- Manitoba
- The Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-463-1554, from within Manitoba.
- New Brunswick
- The provincial problem gambling line, 1-800-461-1234.
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- The Gambling Help Line, reached by calling 811.
- Northwest Territories
- Call 811 and press 1 for the Mental Health and Wellness Support Line, or call 1-844-259-1793.
- Nova Scotia
- The Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line, 1-888-429-8167.
- Ontario
- ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600, described below.
- Prince Edward Island
- The PEI Gambling Support Line, 1-855-255-4255.
- Quebec
- Gambling: Help and Referral, 1-800-461-0140, or 514-527-0140 in Montreal.
- Saskatchewan
- The Problem Gambling Help Line, 1-800-306-6789.
Support
Help and support in Canada
If gambling has stopped feeling like a game, talk to someone today.
ConnexOntario
ConnexOntario gives information and referral for mental health, addictions and problem gambling by phone, text and live chat. Call 1-866-531-2600 or text CONNEX to 247247; it runs 24/7, 365 days a year.
Where to get help in Canada
If gambling stops feeling like a choice, free and confidential support is there whenever you need it.