Is Online Gambling Legal in Newfoundland?

Key takeaways

• alc.ca is the legal option. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced on June 12, 2023 that an online gaming platform was “now available in Newfoundland and Labrador through Atlantic Lottery”. It described Atlantic Lottery as “the only regulated provider in the region”.
• Online gaming arrived in 2023. The province said Newfoundland and Labrador was the third Atlantic province to offer online games through Atlantic Lottery, after New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
• You must be 19 or older. Under alc.ca’s terms of service you have to be at least 19, live in Atlantic Canada and be physically in Atlantic Canada to register. The same age applies to lottery tickets bought in stores.
• Help is one phone call away. The province’s Gambling Help Line is 811. It is free and confidential and open 24 hours a day. On alc.ca you can also set limits, or take a break that neither you nor Atlantic Lottery can reverse.

Who runs gambling in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Gambling in Canada is a crime unless the Criminal Code allows it. Section 207(1)(a) lets the government of a province, “either alone or in conjunction with the government of another province”, conduct and manage a lottery scheme, and that includes games run on a computer. Charities, fairs and other licensees are treated differently. Section 207(4)(c) says that, for them, a lottery scheme does not include a game “operated on or through a computer, video device, slot machine or a dice game”. NL’s Government Services department reads this as a ban on charitable lotteries using those devices, except that a computer can be used to sell raffle tickets, pick a winner or pay out a prize. That is why only government, through Atlantic Lottery, can offer online casino games in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Three bodies have a role:

Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC). Atlantic Lottery has run lottery games since 1976 on behalf of the governments of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. It is owned by those four governments, not private shareholders. After costs, the money goes back to the provinces.

NL Department of Finance. The Department of Finance lists Atlantic Lottery among the bodies “within the purview of the Minister of Finance”. According to the department, ALC has a Board of Directors, and each province appoints up to three of its members, for a maximum of 12. The 2023 online-gaming announcement came from this department.

NL Department of Government Services. This department regulates charitable gaming, such as bingos, raffles, 50/50s, Chase the Ace and Monte Carlo nights run by eligible charities. Every charitable lottery in the province must be licensed. The department’s name has changed several times. The 2024 rule changes were announced by Digital Government and Service NL, a May 2025 advisory came from Government Modernization and Service Delivery, and the licensing page is now published by Government Services. If you are looking for “Service NL”, this is the office you want.

This page explains the law in general terms. It is not legal advice.

What you can legally play online

Product	Legal online in NL?	Where
Online casino-style games	Yes	alc.ca (the province announced the online gaming platform on June 12, 2023)
Lottery and PRO•LINE sports wagers	Yes	An alc.ca account. Atlantic Lottery’s player-tools page refers to lottery and Proline wagers made through the account.
Private online casinos or sportsbooks	No NL-licensed option	We found no provincial licence for any private operator
Charity raffles and 50/50s	Licensed; tickets may be sold electronically	Licensed by the Department of Government Services. Tickets can be sold electronically or paid for online under the department’s electronic-raffle rules, but a lottery event cannot be run over social media.
Charity bingo	Licensed	Department of Government Services

Atlantic Lottery’s rules for alc.ca:

• You must be at least 19, a resident of Atlantic Canada, and physically located in Atlantic Canada when you register.
• You cannot buy games while you are outside Atlantic Canada. Atlantic Lottery may hold back a prize if it thinks you did.
• “Atlantic Canada” means Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

What about offshore casino sites?

When the province launched online games through Atlantic Lottery, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance said residents “currently have access to hundreds of online gaming sites, none of which are legal or regulated”. The same release called Atlantic Lottery “the only regulated provider in the region”. Offshore sites are not licensed by Newfoundland and Labrador. If one keeps your winnings, loses your data or refuses to close your account, no provincial regulator can step in. Atlantic Lottery’s self-exclusion tools do not apply on those sites either.

Legal gambling age in Newfoundland and Labrador

Activity	Minimum age	Source
Registering and playing on alc.ca	19	alc.ca Terms of Service, s. 3.1
Buying Atlantic Lottery tickets, and being paid a prize	19	ALC Rules and Regulations, rule 6

Atlantic Lottery also runs “19+” compliance tests on its retailers and can charge non-compliance fees of $500 and $1,000, or end the retailer agreement.

Self-exclusion and limits on alc.ca

Atlantic Lottery’s PlayWise tools are built into alc.ca accounts:

• Weekly deposit limit: caps how much money you add each week. Promo cash and “Scan to deposit” don’t count toward it.
• Session time limit: sets how long you can play on alc.ca in a day.
• Daily wager limit: caps everything you spend in 24 hours, including money you won and subscriptions.
• Short-term break: 1 to 90 days.
• Long-term break: 6, 12, 24 or 36 months.

During a break you can’t sign in, future subscriptions are cancelled and marketing emails stop, though you have to turn off app notifications yourself. Atlantic Lottery says a break cannot be reversed by you or by Atlantic Lottery. The Take a Break button appears on every wager screen and in the My Account menu. Lottery and PRO•LINE wagers you have already made still play out, and any prizes go into your account.

Where to get help in Newfoundland and Labrador

• Gambling Help Line: 811. This is a free, confidential, province-wide service open 24 hours a day. You can call about your own gambling or a family member’s.
• HealthLine 811. Nurses answer 24/7 and can connect you to local mental health and addictions services.
• Mental Health and Addictions Systems Navigators: 752-3916 or 1-877-999-7589, or email MHAnavigation@nlhealthservices.ca. They can help you work out next steps and find the right service.
• Provincial Lifewise Warmline: 1-855-753-2560 or 753-2560, daily from 10 am to midnight. This is a non-crisis peer support line.
• First Nations & Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line: 1-855-242-3310, 24 hours a day.
• Addictions Services in the province provides assessment, education and treatment for people concerned about gambling, and for their families, according to Atlantic Lottery’s support page.
• Atlantic Lottery also points to Gamblers Anonymous, Gam-Anon (for people affected by a loved one’s gambling) and GamTalk, which offers an online chat.

In an emergency, call 911.

Are gambling winnings taxed?

For most people, no. The Canada Revenue Agency’s page speaks of lottery winnings: it lists “lottery winnings of any amount” as income that is not reported or taxed, unless the prize counts as income from employment, a business or property, or a prize for achievement. In practice, that exception means someone who gambles as a business, rather than for recreation, can be taxed on what they win. Interest you earn by investing your winnings is taxable. If you are unsure which applies to you, check with the CRA or a tax professional.

What changed recently

• June 12, 2023: online games launched in Newfoundland and Labrador through Atlantic Lottery. The province said it was the third Atlantic province to do this, after New Brunswick in 2020 and Nova Scotia in 2022.
• July 2, 2024: new charitable Lottery Licensing Regulations took effect. Eligible charities can now get a two-year licence for a series of events. Groups that hold one lottery a year only have to apply every five years. The maximum payout for new bingo licences rose to $2,500 for a single event and $5,000 for a combined event, up from $1,500 and $3,000.
• May 27, 2025: the province reminded the public that every charitable lottery needs a licence and that lottery events run over social media are not permitted.
• As of September 30, 2026: we found no Newfoundland and Labrador announcement of an Ontario-style market that licenses private online casinos. This is the result of our search, not a statement from the province.

Frequently asked questions

Is online gambling legal in Newfoundland?

Yes, through Atlantic Lottery only. Adults 19 and over can play on alc.ca, where the province launched online gaming on June 12, 2023. We found no provincial licence for any private online operator.

What is the gambling age in Newfoundland?

You must be 19 or older. Atlantic Lottery’s rules ban selling tickets to anyone under 19 and paying them prizes, and alc.ca only lets people 19 and over register.

Who regulates gambling in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Atlantic Lottery is owned by the four Atlantic governments and falls under NL’s Minister of Finance. Charitable gaming such as bingo, raffles and 50/50s is licensed by the Department of Government Services, the office people often still call Service NL.

Can I use alc.ca if I’m travelling outside the province?

Only while you’re somewhere in Atlantic Canada. alc.ca’s terms say you can’t buy games while you’re physically outside Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador. Atlantic Lottery can hold back prizes if it believes you broke that rule.

How do I self-exclude from online gambling in Newfoundland?

On alc.ca, use Take a Break to lock your account for 1 to 90 days, or for 6, 12, 24 or 36 months. The break can’t be reversed. For support, call the Gambling Help Line at 811.

Is it illegal to play on offshore casino sites from Newfoundland?

In law, it can be. Section 207(3)(b) of the Criminal Code makes taking part in a lottery scheme that is not authorized under section 207 an offence punishable on summary conviction, and offshore sites are not authorized in Newfoundland and Labrador. The province has said none of those sites is “legal or regulated”. Separately, because they are unlicensed, no NL regulator can help you with a dispute or an unpaid withdrawal.

Last reviewed: 30 September 2026.