province · Canada
Online gambling and sports betting in New Brunswick
New Brunswick offers provincially run online casino and sports betting through ALC.ca under the Gaming Control Act, with no open market for private operators; offshore sites lack provincial approval.
- Online sports betting
- Legal
- Online casino
- Legal
- Retail sports betting
- Legal
- Online live since
- 2004/01
Checked 2026-09-21. Not legal advice.
- Online betting and casino legal 9
- Online sports betting only 3
- No legal online gambling 1
Boundaries: Statistics Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada), via geoBoundaries
Casino, sports betting, poker and more
New Brunswick uses a provincial monopoly model: ALC offers regulated online casino and sports betting, but no regulated peer-to-peer online poker. Poker is therefore the least clearly integrated product; casino and sports are allowed through ALC, while poker is not offered on the official platform.
| Product | Status | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Online sports betting | Legal | — |
| Online casino | Legal | — |
| Online poker | Unregulated | Real-money online poker is not offered on the regulated ALC platform; offshore play is not specifically prohibited for players. |
| Sweepstakes and social casinos | Unregulated | Set nationally. Canada treats sweepstakes/social casinos as promotional contests, not licensed gambling, generally allowing them if they comply with the federal Competition Act 1985 and Criminal Code 1985 contest provisions. Quebec functionally bans access to such sites due to stricter contest rules; this is described as a “Quebec exception,” not a specific sweepstakes‑casino statute. No federal or provincial law expressly banning dual‑currency sweepstakes casinos (e.g., Chumba, McLuck) was identified, nor any cease‑and‑desist campaigns specific to them as of 2026. These platforms operate without provincial gambling licences, in an unregulated grey area under contest law rather than gaming regulation. |
| Prediction markets | Restricted | Set nationally. Sports/entertainment event contracts: restricted – CSA/CIRO Joint Staff Notice 91‑307 (2026) says they’re not securities/derivatives and bars CIRO dealers from offering them, leaving only gambling-law routes. Economic/financial/climate event contracts via Wealthsimple/IBKR (Kalshi-linked): licensed – allowed as securities/derivatives through CIRO-authorized dealers under March 2026 CIRO bulletin and CSA‑CIRO guidance 91‑307 (2026). Direct Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, Robinhood event contracts to retail Canadians: restricted – not authorized as securities/derivatives and not provincially licensed for gambling; operate only via geo-blocks or offshore without Canadian approval (no specific cease‑and‑desist). Overlap with gambling law remains unresolved; BC’s Independent Gambling Control Office (2026) confirms sports/entertainment event contracts are gambling under Criminal Code and provincial gaming statutes. |
| Mystery boxes | Not confirmed | Set nationally. Criminal Code gaming law exists, but I found no Canada-wide regulator or court decision specifically classifying paid mystery boxes/loot boxes as gambling; BC litigation 2026 left criminal gaming theory out. |
Key facts
- Province-run monopoly via ALC.ca
- Online casino and sports offered by ALC
- Single-event sports betting legal since 2021
- Regulation under Gaming Control Act
- Gaming Control Branch oversees compliance
- Offshore sites not provincially licensed
Regulator and law
New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation; Gaming Control Branch (Department of Justice and Public Safety)
Gaming Control Act, SNB 2008 (exact citation unconfirmed)
Advertising unlicensed gambling in New Brunswick
Not confirmed. unconfirmed.
Province runs a monopoly; only ALC.ca is described as legal and regulated. No clear, citable provision specifically banning promotion of offshore sites was found.
National rules also apply — see online gambling regulation in Canada.
Checking a licence
The regulator publishes a list of licensed or authorised operators.
Recent developments
- Single-game sports betting allowed from Aug 2021
- ALC.ca expanded to iCasino and other verticals, remains sole legal site
- Regulatory commentary confirms ALC.ca as only legal online gambling platform
- FINTRAC penalty highlighted NBLGC AML obligations
What we could not confirm
- Exact section references of Gaming Control Act provisions
- Specific statutory ban on advertising offshore gambling
- Public URL where NBLGC/ALC list authorised products
- Whether offshore real-money poker is affirmatively legal for players versus merely unenforced.
- Whether specific sweepstakes/social casino sites are treated as gambling in NB.
- Whether prediction markets are available or restricted by Canadian securities/derivatives rules in NB.
- Whether loot boxes have any province-specific consumer or gambling enforcement in NB.
Sources
- gamblingmaps.org/map/regulations/canada/new-brunswick
- bettingnews.com/canada/new-brunswick/
- www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/finance/lotteries_and_gaming_corporation/gaming_in_nb.html
- covers.com/betting/canada/new-brunswick
- legal500.com/guides/chapter/canada-gambling-law/?export-pdf
- gamblingnerd.com/ca/new-brunswick/
- laws.gnb.ca/en/tdm/cs/G-1.5/
- casino.ca/regions/new-brunswick/
- highrollpoker.com/guides/new-brunswick-canada-online-poker
- gamblizard.ca/blog/the-legality-of-gambling-in-canada/
- poker.org/canada/a-guide-to-canadas-poker-laws-part-2-online-poker-and-tourist-taxes-aiKUy5K5zA6R/
- luckyislandfortune.com/gambling-laws-by-province
- top10pokersites.com/top-10-canadian-poker-sites/new-brunswick
- pokerhubcanada.ca/canadian-online-poker-laws-and-regulations-guide/
Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.