Sports, esports, prediction markets: here's what's already legal, what's exploding, and what's coming.
An overtime goal. A last-second turnover. For decades, the Criminal Code forced Canadians into parlays — several games at once — just to stay legal. Bill C-218 changed that: royal assent on June 29, 2021, in force since August 27, 2021, it opened the door to betting on a single game, a single point, a single moment. Loto-Québec runs its own version. Offshore-licensed operators run theirs, across Canada except Ontario and Alberta, which have since built their own private markets (Alberta's since July 2026).
League of Legends, CS2, Dota 2 — millions of people watching pro players go head-to-head, in packed arenas and on stream. And C-218 didn't stop at hockey — the law explicitly recognizes esports competitions as "sporting events." Same legal framework as an NHL game, same principle we've already seen for casino play: the law targets the operator, never the bettor — except in Ontario and Alberta, which run their own regulated markets closed to offshore-licensed operators, exactly like casino.
Polymarket, Kalshi: prediction markets where you're no longer placing a bet, you're buying a contract on what happens next — who wins, where rates go, even the weather. Global volume went from roughly US$100 million a month in early 2024 to over US$13 billion barely two years later. Pro leagues, including the NHL, are now partnering directly with these platforms. It's massive, and it's moving fast.
Canada hasn't settled it yet, and not the same way everywhere. Ontario shut the door in 2024. British Columbia followed in August 2026, calling it straight-up illegal, unregulated gambling. Alberta, which just built one of the country's most comprehensive regulated markets, admitted the opposite: its regulator, the AGLC, has publicly stated it has no authority over offshore platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket — which remain accessible to Albertans, who actively use them. In Québec — where it's now part of the October 2026 election debate — it's a regulatory void, not a green light: one to watch closely, not to jump into blind.
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Provinces run their own sportsbooks, and single-event betting has been permitted since August 2021. Offshore-licensed operators also accept Canadian bets.
Yes. Bill C-218 explicitly includes esports competitions in its definition of a sporting event, on the same footing as hockey or football.
Ontario has blocked them since 2024 and British Columbia called them illegal gambling in August 2026. Elsewhere, including Québec, no regulatory framework exists yet for this kind of platform.
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