The Short Answer
Online gambling is not illegal for individual Canadian players at the federal level. The Criminal Code of Canada restricts operating unlicensed gambling sites within Canada, but it does not criminalize the act of playing at an offshore or foreign-licensed site as an individual.
Provincial vs Federal Rules
Canada's constitution gives provinces control over gambling. As a result, each province has the authority to create its own regulated online gambling market. Ontario was the first to launch a fully regulated competitive iGaming market in April 2022.
What About Offshore Sites?
Many Canadians outside Ontario play at sites licensed in Malta, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man or Curaçao. No Canadian player has faced criminal charges for using one of these sites, and the practical risk sits elsewhere: offshore operators are outside provincial consumer protection, so disputes, blocked withdrawals and self-exclusion enforcement come down to the operator's own policies and the licensing authority's appetite for intervention.
Bill C-218 and Single-Event Sports Betting
Until 2021, Canada's Criminal Code allowed only parlay-style sports betting through provincial lotteries — bettors had to pick at least two outcomes on a single ticket. Bill C-218 amended the Code in August 2021 to permit single-event wagering, which opened the door to OLG's PROLINE+ launch, ATG's PlayNow sports markets, and Ontario's private sportsbook market a year later.