Canada · Guides
Guides: online casinos, sports betting and prediction markets in Canada
What to know before you play, bet or trade in Canada: which sites are legal in your province, how we rank them, what prediction markets allow, how winnings are taxed and where to get help.
Prediction markets
Guide · 6 min
Are prediction markets legal in Canada? Yes, within narrow limits. Event contracts are derivatives in Canada, and as of October 22, 2026, only two CIRO-regulated dealers may offer them: Interactive Brokers Canada and Wealthsimple. They're limited to economic, environmental and financial indicator contracts with at least 30 days to maturity and no leverage. Sports, entertainment, election and political contracts aren't allowed, and no prediction market itself is registered in Canada, so platforms like Polymarket can't legally serve Canadians. Read Guide · 4 min
Is Polymarket legal in Canada? No. Polymarket isn't registered with any Canadian securities regulator, so it can't legally offer event contracts to Canadians. It must keep Ontario residents out under an April 2025 settlement with the Ontario Securities Commission, and by early July 2026 it had also blocked Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. Elsewhere the site loads, but it's still unregistered; the legal alternatives are Interactive Brokers and Wealthsimple Predict. Read Guide · 3 min
Is Kalshi available in Canada? Not on Kalshi itself: Kalshi's member agreement lists Canada as a restricted jurisdiction where members may not trade event contracts. But Canadians can trade a subset of Kalshi's contracts, the economic, financial and climate ones, through Wealthsimple Predict, which sends every order to Kalshi, and through Interactive Brokers, which lists some Kalshi markets. Sports, elections and contracts listed for less than 30 days aren't available. Read Guide · 4 min
How prediction markets work in Canada A prediction market sells yes/no event contracts that cost between US$0.01 and US$0.99 and pay US$1 if the event happens, so the price reads as a probability. In Canada you can only trade them through two CIRO dealers, Interactive Brokers and Wealthsimple, and only on economic, financial and climate outcomes, with contracts listed at least 30 days before they mature. Read Guide · 3 min
Prediction market fees in Canada Trading prediction markets in Canada costs a fee per contract plus the conversion from Canadian to US dollars. Wealthsimple Predict charges US$0.02 per contract on every buy and sell and 1.5% on conversions under $10,000; Interactive Brokers charges US$0.01 per contract on ForecastEx, US$0.02 on Kalshi markets, and 0.2 basis points per conversion with a US$2 minimum. Which is cheaper depends on how much you convert at a time. Read Guide · 4 min
Are prediction markets safe in Canada? The two dealers allowed to offer event contracts in Canada, Interactive Brokers and Wealthsimple, are regulated by CIRO, covered by the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and answer to the OBSI ombudsman. Unregistered platforms such as Polymarket offer none of that. Check any platform in the CSA's registration search and CIRO's dealer directory, avoid sites offering Canadians sports or election contracts, and remember that even a safe platform can't stop you losing your stake. Read Methodology · 4 min
How we rank prediction markets in Canada We only rank platforms that Canadians can legally use: investment dealers regulated by CIRO that the securities regulators have allowed to offer event contracts. As of October 22, 2026, that's two, Interactive Brokers Canada and Wealthsimple. Each is scored from 0 to 10 on six weighted criteria, and the ranking follows the overall scores. Read
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Prediction market legit check (Canada) Type a platform’s name or web address to see whether it may legally offer event contracts to Canadians, what changes by province, and how to check it yourself in the regulators’ own databases. Open
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Prediction market fee calculator (Canada) Enter a contract’s price and how many you’re buying to see the all-in cost in Canadian dollars at Wealthsimple Predict and Interactive Brokers, currency conversion included, and the chance you need to be right to break even. Open
Online casinos
Guide · 3 min
Are online casinos legal in Canada? The rules in every province Yes, but only where a province runs or licenses them. Ontario (since April 2022) and Alberta (since July 2026) license private online casinos, and every province also runs, or shares, its own site: OLG.ca, PlayAlberta, PlayNow in British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Loto-Québec, and Atlantic Lottery. You must be 19 (18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec) and physically in the province; offshore casinos aren't licensed anywhere in Canada. Read Methodology · 4 min
How we rank online casinos in Canada We only rank online casinos that a Canadian province regulates: private sites registered with the AGCO in Ontario or the AGLC in Alberta, and the provinces' own sites. Each is scored from 0 to 10 on six weighted criteria, licensing and safety, games, payments and payouts, apps, responsible gambling tools and support, and the ranking follows the overall scores. Bonuses don't count, because Ontario's advertising rules keep them on the casinos' own sites. Read
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Online casino licence check (Canada) Type a casino’s name or web address and pick your province to see whether it’s regulated there, the exact address the regulator approves, and what’s legal instead. Open
Sports betting
Guide · 3 min
Is sports betting legal in Canada? The rules in every province Yes. Betting on a single game has been legal in Canada since August 27, 2021, but only on sites a province runs or licenses. Ontario and Alberta license private sportsbooks such as bet365 and FanDuel; elsewhere, the provincial site is the only legal option, such as PlayNow in British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan or Mise-o-jeu in Quebec. You must be 19 (18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec) and physically in the province. Read Methodology · 4 min
How we rank sports betting sites in Canada We only rank sportsbooks a Canadian province regulates, which for private books means registration in Ontario or Alberta. Each is scored from 0 to 10 on six weighted criteria, licensing and safety, markets and features, odds and limits, payouts, apps, and support and responsible gambling, and the ranking follows the overall scores. We judge odds on what each book publishes, because several books' terms prohibit automated odds collection, and we don't score bonuses. Read
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Sportsbook licence check (Canada) Type a sportsbook’s name or web address and pick your province to see whether it’s regulated there, the exact address the regulator approves, and what’s legal instead. Open
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Sportsbook margin calculator Enter a sportsbook’s odds on every outcome of a market to see how much it keeps, the fair odds with its margin removed, and, with a second book’s odds, which one pays more on each outcome. Open
Taxes, safety & more
Guide · 2 min
Are gambling winnings taxed in Canada? No, not for most people. The Canada Revenue Agency treats winnings from casual gambling, such as casino games, sports bets and lotteries, as windfalls that aren't taxed and don't need to be reported. Winnings become taxable business income only if gambling is a business for you, which courts rarely find; in 2025 the Federal Court of Appeal did, for a professional poker player. Interest earned on your winnings is taxable, and prediction-market gains are treated differently. Read Guide · 5 min
How prediction market gains are taxed in Canada The Canada Revenue Agency hasn't published guidance on prediction markets. Unlike casual gambling winnings, which aren't taxed, gains on event contracts traded through a dealer are generally treated as capital gains, half of which is taxable in 2026, or as fully taxable business income if you trade often or professionally. Report them in Canadian dollars at the Bank of Canada rate on each transaction date, and keep your own records. Read Guide · 4 min
Where to get help for gambling problems in Canada In a crisis, call or text 988, Canada's suicide crisis helpline, any time. For gambling problems, most provinces run a free, confidential helpline open 24/7, such as BC's Gambling Support Line (1-888-795-6111), ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) and Quebec's Jeu : aide et référence (1-800-461-0140); the territories and Nova Scotia route gambling through their health and crisis lines. Every province also runs a self-exclusion program, but none covers prediction-market apps. Read
