Problem Gambling Help Lines by Province

If you’re worried about your own gambling or someone else’s, you can call a help line in every province and territory: ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) in Ontario, 211 in Alberta, Gambling Support BC (1-888-795-6111) in British Columbia, and the numbers below for everywhere else.

This page lists one primary line for each of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories. Every number comes from a government, health-authority or provincial lottery page, or from the help-line operator’s own official site, and each was checked on September 30, 2026. Most lines describe themselves as free and confidential; the table notes what each source says. The page also covers help for families, where to get debt advice, and how to block yourself from gambling sites. We don’t recommend any gambling site. The only operator pages linked here are the provinces’ own self-exclusion pages.

In an emergency, call 911. If you’re thinking about suicide, call 9-8-8 (Suicide Crisis Helpline, 24/7).

Help lines by province and territory

*Nunavut’s government page blocked automated access on September 30, so this row is taken from the Internet Archive’s capture of that page dated August 30, 2026, and the date shown is that capture’s date.

Notes on the table

• Alberta has two official 24/7 options, so both are listed. Recovery Alberta’s site describes 211 as the route for Albertans “experiencing mental health or addiction concerns (including gambling)”.
• New Brunswick: the Government of New Brunswick lists 1-866-355-5550 as its free, 24/7 addiction and mental health helpline. Atlantic Lottery’s support page lists a different number for New Brunswick, 1-800-461-1234. We use the government number in the table.
• Nova Scotia doesn’t have a line only for gambling. Nova Scotia Health’s gambling page directs people to its 24/7 crisis line, which also takes calls from “someone concerned about” a person in crisis. For non-crisis counselling, you can self-refer through Mental Health and Addictions Provincial Intake at 1-855-922-1122. It’s open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Prince Edward Island: besides the 24/7 support line, you can reach Health PEI Addiction Services toll-free at 1-888-299-8399. Its gambling programs include individual, group and family counselling.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: the province’s helplines page lists the Gambling Help Line as 811, “free, confidential … province-wide, 24 hours a day.”
• Yukon: Lotteries Yukon and its GameSense site point people to the Canadian Mental Health Association of Yukon (CMHAY). Neither page says whether the Reach Out Support Line is free or confidential. The Government of Yukon’s Mental Wellness and Substance Use Services can be reached toll-free in the territory at 1-866-456-3838 to find the counsellor in your community.
• Northwest Territories: the old NWT Help Line address now leads to the 811 page. 811 nurses are available 24/7, and you “can also call 811 if you have questions or concerns about someone you care about.”
• Nunavut: we found no line specifically for gambling on the Government of Nunavut’s page. It lists the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line and Healing by Talking, a free telephone counselling service from the Department of Health (1-888-648-0070).
• Nationally: the Hope for Wellness Help Line (1-855-242-3310) offers confidential counselling and crisis support to Indigenous people across Canada, 24/7. Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) is free and open 24/7 for young people.

If it’s someone else’s gambling

Gambling problems often go unseen. The Government of Saskatchewan notes that, unlike alcohol or drug problems, problem gambling may show no physical signs, and it “can often go undetected until a legal, financial, or emotional crisis occurs.”

You can call for yourself even if the other person won’t. The lines in the table say so directly:

• B.C.: Gambling Support BC offers free help to any resident “having difficulties because of gambling, this includes your own gambling or a loved one’s gambling.”
• Prince Edward Island: “You can call the support line for yourself, a family member, friends, co-worker or affected other.”
• Saskatchewan: the helpline serves “people and/or their families, who are experiencing problems related to gambling.”
• Newfoundland and Labrador: “If you or a family member has a gambling concern, please call.”
• Quebec: Jeu : aide et référence runs a separate service, Together, for loved ones aged 18 and over of people living with an addiction, including gambling. Sessions are by phone or videoconference, and you can ask about it through the same 24/7 number, 1-800-461-0140, or the chat on aidejeu.ca. The centre says it is “actively seeking funding to maintain this service”, so check that it is still running.

Protect the household’s money. Saskatchewan’s guidance for families suggests:

• opening separate bank accounts
• assessing your partner’s access to money
• knowing your long-term assets and investments
• working out average monthly income and expenses
• listing valuables the person who gambles can get to
• knowing which debts you are liable for

Peer support. New Brunswick’s guidance for families recommends self-help groups such as Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon. Atlantic Lottery’s support page describes Gam-Anon as a 12-step group “for those affected by the gambling problem of a loved one,” with no dues or fees. New Brunswick also suggests going to counselling together if the person decides to change.

If gambling has left you in debt

If gambling has left you owing money, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) says a credit counsellor is a reasonable first step:

• Talking to one won’t hurt your credit. “Simply talking to them won’t affect your credit score.”
• Both non-profits and for-profit companies offer credit counselling, so check before you sign up. FCAC advises choosing an agency in good standing with a provincial or national association. It names Credit Counselling Canada and the Canadian Association for Financial Empowerment.
• In Quebec, budget and credit counselling is often provided by the Associations coopératives d’économie familiale (ACEF). Their member list is available through the Coalition des associations de consommateurs du Québec.
• The first meeting should be free. “No reputable credit counselling agency will charge you for the first meeting.”
• Watch for red flags. FCAC warns about agencies that claim they can solve your debt problems quickly “for a fraction of your debt”, fix your credit score fast, or that present themselves as a government program.
• Debt management plans: a counsellor can propose one to your creditors, combining your debts into one monthly payment. FCAC notes that you’ll usually still repay 100% of what you owe, and that creditors can still use collection agencies.

Some provincial gambling services also connect people to debt help. For example, Health PEI lists referrals to credit counselling among its gambling supports.

How to block yourself from gambling (self-exclusion)

Self-exclusion is a voluntary ban you put on yourself. Each province runs its own program, and a program only covers the sites and venues it names. It doesn’t reach sites your province doesn’t regulate (see our explainer on offshore gambling sites).

If you’re not sure which program applies to you, the help line for your province can explain your options.

What changed recently

• July 13, Alberta: Alberta’s regulated online market opened (AGLC’s page says “As of July 13” without a year; its linked documents are dated 2026). AGLC says that from this date all operators must be registered with AGLC and have a commercial agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation. AGLC’s centralized Self-Exclusion Program is a “required integration step for operators”, which means exclusions now also cover registered online platforms, not just casinos.

Practical next steps

1. Call the line for your province or territory from the table. You can call about your own gambling or someone else’s, and you don’t need a referral.
2. Put up a barrier. Sign up for your province’s self-exclusion program and use the deposit and time limits on any account you keep.
3. Deal with the money early. Book a free first meeting with an accredited credit counsellor (see the FCAC advice above), and if you share finances with someone who gambles, separate them.
4. Find peers. Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon (for families) are free. 211 Alberta and the provincial lines can point you to local meetings.
5. In a crisis, call 911, or call 9-8-8.

This page is information, not medical, legal or financial advice. We don’t recommend any gambling site; the only operator pages linked are provincial self-exclusion pages. Help-line details change: if a number doesn’t work, contact your provincial or territorial health department. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.