Online in B.C.
Online casino rules in B.C.
Elements Casino Chilliwack at 8180 Young Road is a land-based casino, where you walk in, show photo ID and play on the floor. Online play in British Columbia has its own rules, and the Young Road desk sets them out here plainly.
Told by the Young Road deskChecked October 13, 2026
Who runs gambling in B.C.
In British Columbia, gambling is legal only when the provincial government runs it. BCLC manages all commercial gambling, from casinos like the one on Young Road to online gambling. The legal age for both is 19.
Online, that leaves one site. PlayNow.com is run by BCLC and is the only legal online gambling site in British Columbia. Players must be 19 or older, the same age as at the casino door. The rule applies across British Columbia, Chilliwack and the rest of the Fraser Valley included.
Since April 13, 2026, the Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) regulates gambling in the province. Its position is plain. The IGCO says all other online gambling websites that let BC players in operate illegally in British Columbia.
Limits that reach online
Game Break is BCLC's voluntary self-exclusion program, with fixed terms of 6 months, 1 year, 2 years or 3 years. You enrol in person at any casino, community gaming centre or commercial bingo hall, with government-issued photo ID. It covers B.C. gambling facilities and PlayNow.com, not other sites.
Encore Rewards members also get BCLC's PlayPlanner, which sets personal time and money limits and tracks wins and losses. Gambling Support BC is at 1-888-795-6111, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls are confidential and cost nothing, and gamblingsupportbc.ca offers the same service online. It is open to anyone in B.C., including people affected by someone else's gambling.
How this guide is paid
This guide is not a casino and takes no bets. Paid links appear on the home page only, and each is marked Ad. There are three: a button in the menu, a block below the first screen and one near the end. All three go to one private online casino partner that pays the guide a commission. The partner can change, and no page names it.
That partner holds no licence or permission from British Columbia. On its site, PlayNow limits, Game Break self-exclusion and complaints to the IGCO do not apply. Links to the casino, BCLC, the province and help services are never paid.
Quick answers
- Which online casino is legal in B.C.?
- PlayNow.com, which is run by BCLC. It is the only legal online gambling site in British Columbia.
- How old must a player be?
- Players on PlayNow.com must be 19 or older. The legal age for gambling in British Columbia, casinos included, is also 19.
- Does Game Break cover the partner site?
- Game Break does not cover it. The agreement covers B.C. gambling facilities and PlayNow.com, and the partner holds no licence or permission from British Columbia.
- Why does the home page carry Ad links?
- The three Ad links go to one private online casino partner, which pays the guide a commission. The guide itself takes no bets and has no accounts. Links to the casino, BCLC, the province and help services are never paid.