The Criminal Code Line That Held for Fifty Years
For most of Canada’s regulated-gambling history, the Criminal Code let provinces run lottery schemes, including sports pools, but banned betting on a single sporting event. Section 207 permitted province-run “pool” betting, interpreted for decades as parlay wagering only — three or more games bundled, winning only if every leg came in. That’s why Sport Select and Proline existed for decades as parlay-only tickets, while a straight bet on one game stayed federally off-limits.
Bill C-218: What Actually Changed
Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, was a private member’s bill from MP Kevin Waugh. It passed with rare all-party support, received royal assent in June 2021, and took effect August 27, 2021. The amendment struck the Criminal Code language limiting provincial sports betting to parlay bets, handing each province authority to regulate single-event wagering as it saw fit — it created no national sportsbook, licensing rules, or named operator.
From Federal Green Light to Ten Different Provincial Answers
That hand-off is why Canada has several sports betting markets, not one. Ontario moved first, opening a competitive, privately licensed iGaming market on April 4, 2022, regulated by iGaming Ontario (iGO) under the AGCO, where dozens of sportsbooks compete alongside OLG’s government-run Proline+. Alberta opened to private, licensed operators on July 13, 2026, under the newly created Alberta iGaming Corporation, modelled on Ontario’s.
Every other province took a more conservative route: single-event betting became legal, but each kept it on its own government lottery platform rather than licensing outside operators. British Columbia added single-game wagers to PlayNow ↗, which also serves Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Quebec runs Mise-o-jeu through Espacejeux ↗. The four Atlantic provinces share a product via the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. An offshore site there is simply unregulated locally — not the same as illegal for the bettor.
What Stayed the Same in the Territories
Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut followed neither path: wagering there remains retail-only Sport Select terminals via the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, with no online single-event platform — not a legal restriction, just that no government body there has built what Ontario, Alberta, BC, Quebec, or Atlantic Canada did after the amendment.
Single-Event Betting Since Bill C-218, at a Glance
| Province / Region | Single-Event Status | Where It’s Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Open, competitive licensed market (since Apr 4, 2022) | iGaming Ontario-registered operators, plus OLG Proline+ |
| Alberta | Open, competitive licensed market (since Jul 13, 2026) | Alberta iGaming Corporation-registered operators |
| British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan | Legal, single government platform only | PlayNow (BC Lottery Corporation) |
| Quebec | Legal, single government platform only | Mise-o-jeu via Espacejeux (Loto-Québec) |
| Atlantic provinces (NS, NB, PEI, NL) | Legal, single government platform only | Atlantic Lottery Corporation |
| Yukon, NWT, Nunavut | Legal, retail only | Sport Select terminals (Western Canada Lottery Corporation) |
Where Single-Event Betting Actually Landed
The same law applies everywhere in Canada — what each province did with it is what varies. Click a category to see which provinces sit in it.
Why This Still Matters for Bettors Today
Understanding Bill C-218 explains regional quirks elsewhere on this site: why Ontario and Alberta bettors compare odds across many sportsbooks while a Nova Scotia bettor has one government app — see our Ontario and Alberta rankings — and why parlay betting still dominates where there’s no open market. Our Ontario rankings include only iGaming Ontario-registered operators; see our gambling legality index for the full picture, and how betting odds work for any unfamiliar terms. Single-event betting is entertainment spending, not an investment — our responsible gambling resource page lists free, confidential support in every province.