Play it safe
Casino age rules and safer play in Canada
Revised — hotel facts re-read
Two things to settle before a casino getaway: whether everyone travelling is old enough for the places you plan to go, and who to call if the gambling side stops being fun. Both are here — helplines first, the age rules further down.
| Province | Min. age | Casinos run by | Helpline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 19+ | Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) | ConnexOntario on 1-866-531-2600, day and night (texting CONNEX to 247247 works too) |
| Québec | 18+ | Loto-Québec | the Gambling: Help and Referral line on 1-800-461-0140, answered day or night, free and private |
| British Columbia | 19+ | BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) | Gambling Support BC on 1-888-795-6111, free whatever the hour |
| Alberta | 18+ | AGLC | 1-866-332-2322 — the Addiction Helpline run by Alberta Health Services, open all hours |
| Manitoba | 18+ | Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries | 1-800-463-1554 — Manitoba's gambling helpline, open around the clock |
| New Brunswick | 19+ | New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation | 1-800-461-1234 — New Brunswick's Gambling Information Line (free, confidential, with TTY) |
Before the weekend
- Agree a spending limit for the trip before you leave home, and leave the cards upstairs in the safe.
- Agree a time limit as well — there are no clocks on a gaming floor.
- Write off what you lose as the price of the evening; chasing it only makes it bigger.
- Break it up: the pool, the spa and the show are the getaway too.
Self-exclusion exists in every province — it bars you from the casinos for a term you choose; details for each province are in the table above and in the hotel region pages.
Casino age, province by province
Canada has no single casino age; each province sets its own. Turn 18 and Québec, Manitoba and Alberta will let you play; Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia ask you to wait another year. The gaming floor always follows it; some resorts also apply it in bars and showrooms, one across the whole property. Check these points before booking.
What ID to carry
Whatever the province, pack photo ID issued by a government. In British Columbia it's requested from every guest — a rule since June 2023 — and run against the list of people barred from entry. Québec casinos may ID anyone who seems under 25. Some places ask for two documents: at Ontario's Great Blue Heron, entry requires an original, valid government photo ID plus one more photo ID.
Resorts with extra age rules
- Hard Rock Ottawa: no one under 19 anywhere, hotel and restaurants included.
- Great Canadian Toronto and Casino New Brunswick: the person reserving must be 19 or over; youngsters may share the room, not the 19+ spaces.
- River Rock: you can't check in under 19.
- River Cree: from 29 July 2024, children escorted by a grown-up may go wherever there is no gaming.
- Fallsview: kids are welcome on the property, but the gaming floor bars strollers and babies in arms.
Self-exclusion
If you want to stop yourself going, every province lets you sign a voluntary self-exclusion that bans you from its casinos for a period of your choosing — and some can't be cancelled before they run out. Thinking about it? The helplines in the table at the top of this page cost nothing and stay private — ring yours first.