Responsible gambling in Canada: help by province

Short answer: gambling help in Canada is organized by province, and the main lines are free and confidential. In Ontario call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 (24/7); in Alberta, the Addiction Helpline at 1-866-332-2322 (24 hours); in British Columbia, Gambling Support BC at 1-888-795-6111 (24/7). Ontario and Alberta also let you self-exclude from every regulated online site at once. If someone is in crisis, call 988.

Help lines by province

Numbers and hours come from each provincial service or government page listed in Sources. Atlantic Lottery lists the Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador helplines as available 24/7. For the territories, contact your territorial health service — we haven't yet confirmed a gambling-specific number from a primary source.

Ontario: ConnexOntario, PlaySmart and BetGuard

• ConnexOntario gives free, confidential information and referrals for mental health, addiction and problem gambling services, by phone, text or chat, 24/7.
• CAMH offers free gambling-specific services for individuals and family members: 416-535-8501, option 2 (listed by iGaming Ontario).
• Credit Canada offers free, confidential credit counselling: 1-800-267-2272.
• PlaySmart, OLG's information site, has tools to set time and money budgets and take a break.
• BetGuard, launched May 14, 2026 and run by iGaming Ontario, lets anyone 19 or older opt out of every regulated Ontario igaming site, including OLG's, for 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom term. It blocks existing accounts, new accounts and marketing.

Every regulated Ontario site must also offer its own self-exclusion with terms including six months, one year and five years.

Alberta: Addiction Helpline, 211 and centralized self-exclusion

• The Alberta Health Services Addiction & Mental Health helpline is toll-free and confidential: 1-866-332-2322, 24 hours.
• 211 Alberta gives free, confidential referrals, including to gambling support, 24/7.
• Centralized self-exclusion covers all regulated online platforms, casinos and racing entertainment centres. AiGC says it's free and voluntary; sign up through AGLC's portal at selfexclusion.ca. Self-excluded people can't collect winnings on regulated sites while excluded.
• GameSense is AGLC's responsible gambling program on Play Alberta.

British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick

• B.C.: Gambling Support BC offers free counselling and referrals at 1-888-795-6111. A GameSense Advisor is available in every B.C. casino, and casinos, bingo halls and PlayNow.com must offer a free, voluntary self-exclusion program.
• Saskatchewan: the Problem Gambling Helpline is 24-hour at 1-800-306-6789.
• Manitoba: the Gambling Helpline is 24/7 at 1-800-463-1554. Voluntary Self-Exclusion can cover Winnipeg casinos and PlayNow.com; for PlayNow.com alone, log in to your account to start it.
• Quebec: Jeu : aide et référence answers 24/7 at 1 800 461-0140.
• New Brunswick: call 1-800-461-1234 for free, confidential information.

Tools that work on any site

Signs it's time to talk to someone

You don't need to hit bottom to call. If you're spending more than you planned, hiding play from people close to you, or depositing again to win back losses, a help line can talk it through confidentially. Family members can call too — CAMH's gambling services are open to them, and Gam-Anon (listed by AiGC) supports people affected by a loved one's gambling.

For how the regulated markets protect players, see Ontario online casinos and Alberta online casinos. Scam warning signs for bank payments are on Interac e-Transfer casinos.