Reviewing the Gambling Laws in British Columbia
Hello and welcome to this article exploring gambling laws in British Columbia. If you’re a British Columbia resident or just a visitor to this lovely province and you want to engage in some good ol’ gambling, read this article to find out everything about the governing laws there.
What are Gambling Laws in British Columbia Like
British Columbia is a popular province with tourists, especially those coming from the US, and thus it’s necessary to discuss its gambling laws in detail, so you know what to expect on your visit. British Columbia gambling laws are quite liberal, you can pretty much engage in all forms of gambling there.
In this article, we will tell you exactly how gambling laws in British Columbia work, how Canadian gambling law was formed, and which types of gaming you can indulge in while there.
History of Canadian Gambling Law
The history of Canadian gambling started centuries ago with people from the First Nations. They used to gamble in games with dice and sticks, some of which are still played today. When Europeans came to present-day Canada, they brought with them their favourite gambling games as well such as roulette and various card games.
Although both indigenous people and European settlers enjoyed their gambling activities, there was a general push against gambling, mainly brought by religious groups who saw it as a societal problem. The first piece of Canadian gambling law was thus the ban on gambling in the Criminal Code of 1892.
As it is common with such prohibitive measures, they did not work. People still found ways to gamble, albeit illegally. This perhaps led to the government rethinking its policies and Canadian gambling law excluded pari-mutuel betting (betting on races) from the ban in 1910.
Charitable and religious organisations were also allowed to conduct gaming such as lottery, bingo, and raffles. These games became incredibly popular with Canadian players to the point where a whole commission was set up in the 1950s to review their legality and whether they were good for society.
The commission came to the conclusion that banning doesn’t work and started looking into ways to relax the strict Canadian gambling laws because people would gamble whether it’s legal or not. The government decided that the best approach towards gambling legislation would be to allow the provinces to regulate it themselves.
In 1970, Canadian gambling law changed with an amendment to the Criminal Code, thus giving all the legislative power to the individual provinces. In addition, Canada legalised sports betting in 1985 all across the country.
British Columbia Gambling Laws
Now let’s discuss BC gambling laws in more detail. The main piece of gambling legislation in British Columbia is the Gaming Control Act of 2002. The act has been amended many times since 2002 and it is current as of 14 December 2022. The act outlines the legal form of gambling, how they are to be conducted and by whom.
To begin with, you have to be an adult to gamble. An adult in British Columbia is someone who, according to the act, is at least 19 years old. Therefore, this is the legal gambling age in British Columbia. This applies to every single form of gambling, not just casino gambling (some provinces allow 18-year-olds to partake in gambling).
Let’s get to the fun part – the legal forms of gambling according to gambling laws in British Columbia. Currently, any adult in British Columbia can buy a lottery ticket, play bingo and raffles, bet on horse races and more broadly on sports, and also visit a casino, whether that casino is land-based or online.
The way that gambling is conducted according to British Columbia gambling laws is that the government is the one regulating and also offering gambling games. British Columbia uses the lottery model, similar to other provinces, whereas the Lottery Corporation is the operator. The corporation is made of 11 directors appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
British Columbia Online Gambling Laws
We thought it might be a good idea to dedicate a section to online gambling laws in British Columbia and gambling license in BC because first, online gambling is slowly replacing casinos and sportsbooks, and second, because it’s important to know which top Canadian online casino sites are legal and have a gambling license in BC and which not.
You can legally bet on sports and play casino games such as roulette and poker online. For extra options, you can access the best slots sites in CA, but keep in mind that there is only one website run by the province.
British Columbia offers online gaming via the PlayNow platform. It is among the top licensed Interac casino sites in Canada working with responsible gaming organisations dealing with gambling addiction issues. It is also among the gambling sites that accept MasterCard.
This, however, might change soon. Ontario, for example, recently allowed commercial casinos and sportsbooks to operate there, which has been a widely successful bid, so other provinces might soon do that as well. Check this article about gambling laws in British Columbia to see if anything changes in the future.
British Columbia Gambling Regulators
The regulator of gambling activities in British Columbia is the BC Lottery Corporation. The corporation both manages and offers gambling, as already mentioned, similar to other such organisations in various Canadian provinces. The BC Lottery Corporation ensures the safety of players, and the integrity of the games, and that BC gambling laws are abided by.
Using the profits made from gambling, the BC Lottery Corporation sponsors many industries in British Columbia. For one, money goes to education and healthcare, along with support for local communities, so the lottery business model benefits all parties involved.
Popular Questions
Thank you for reading our article on gambling laws in British Columbia. We hope you found it interesting and useful. Below you can see the most popular questions regarding British Columbia gambling laws. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
1️⃣ Why does Canadian gambling law differ in different provinces?
Much like the United States, Canadian gambling law is different in each province. This is because of changes to the Criminal Code in 1970, which allowed each province to legalise and regulate its own gambling industry. Gambling laws in British Columbia are governed by the Gaming Control Act of 2002.
2️⃣ What's the legal gambling age in British Columbia?
The legal gambling age in British Columbia is 19 years according to the British Columbia gambling laws. Each province is allowed to set its legal gambling age. You have to be at least 19 years old to partake in any gambling activity in British Columbia.
3️⃣ Are online casinos legal in British Columbia?
Yes, you can play at online casinos as online gambling in British Columbia is legal. According to gambling laws, online gambling is a legal activity, but there is only one legitimate online operator – PlayNow, which is managed and regulated by the province itself. This, however, might change and British Columbia might legalise commercial online operators soon.
4️⃣ Which forms of gambling are legal in British Columbia?
Throughout the Canadian history of gambling, different forms of gambling activities have been banned or legalised. Currently, legal gaming activities in British Columbia include the lottery, bingo, raffles, pari-mutuel betting, sports betting, land-based casinos and online casinos. You can pretty much do everything in British Columbia.
5️⃣ Who regulates gambling in British Columbia?
The regulatory agency of British Columbia is the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. It not only regulates gambling and manages the money from it, but it also offers it similar to the gambling business models of other provinces. The corporation subsidises vital industries in British Columbia.