18+ / 19+ Legal age is 18 in Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba, and 19 in other provinces and territories. Responsible gambling
Canadian Gaming GuideIndependent reviews

Canadian Gaming Guide

Responsible gambling

Gambling should be a paid entertainment, not a way to make rent or to repair a loss. If it has stopped feeling that way, you are not alone, and you do not have to sort it out by yourself.

This page lists real Canadian resources. There is no single nationwide problem-gambling phone number that replaces provincial services, so we start with a national directory and then give provincial lines from official directories. We do not treat Ontario as the default, even though some well-known services are based there.

A Canada-wide starting point

The Responsible Gambling Council’s help page for Canadians collects provincial helplines and counselling options in one place. The RGC is a Canadian organization. Use it as a directory, then call the line for your province or territory.

Gambling Therapy is a free, international online service — practical advice and support in several languages — recommended on that same RGC page. It is a useful option if you prefer to write rather than call, or if you are away from home.

If you are in crisis or thinking of suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, available anywhere in Canada.

Provincial and territorial helplines

  • Alberta — Alberta Health Services Addiction Helpline, 24/7: 1-866-332-2322. Officially described as including problem-gambling support. GameSense Alberta also lists this line.
  • British Columbia — Problem Gambling Help Line: 1-888-795-6111 (listed by the Responsible Gambling Council).
  • Saskatchewan — Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-306-6789 (RGC).
  • Manitoba — Addictions Help Line – Problem Gambling: 1-800-463-1554 (RGC).
  • Quebec — Gambling: Help and Referral (aidejeu.ca), 24/7: 1-800-461-0140; Montréal area 514-527-0140. Verified on the service’s official site.
  • Atlantic Canada — New Brunswick 1-800-461-1234; Nova Scotia 1-888-429-8167; Prince Edward Island 1-855-255-4255; Newfoundland and Labrador 1-888-899-4357 (RGC list).
  • Territories — Northwest Territories 1-800-661-0844; Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut 1-800-265-3333; Yukon 1-866-456-3838 (RGC list).
  • Ontario — ConnexOntario, 24/7: 1-866-531-2600 (connexontario.ca). For self-exclusion from Ontario’s regulated online sites, see BetGuard. We include these because people in Ontario deserve a clear path to help; we still do not recommend the casinos reviewed on this site to Ontario residents.

The RGC list also includes a number for the Alberta Problem Gambling Resources Network (1-866-461-1259). The Alberta Health Services line is published on official AHS and GameSense Alberta pages, so it is listed first. If one number does not work, try the other or use the RGC directory.

Tools on casino sites

Where official sources describe them, review pages mention deposit limits, time limits, cool-off and self-exclusion. Use those tools, but do not rely on an offshore operator as your only safety net. Provincial help is independent of any casino account.

If you want to take a break or close an account, our self-exclusion guide explains the usual tools and what they do not cover.

Age and this website

You must be 18 or older in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, and 19 or older in other provinces and territories, to gamble at a casino. Lottery ages can differ; see our gambling age by province guide. This site is not for anyone under that age. Parents who are worried about a young person’s gambling can use the same helplines.

Ontario notice: we cannot recommend the operators discussed on this site to residents of Ontario.