Canada: gambling payment rules by province
Canada regulates online gambling province by province. Ontario's AGCO standards bar operators from extending credit and from accepting cryptocurrency deposits, and require withdrawals to go to an account the player holds, but they do not ban credit cards. Federal anti-money laundering reporting applies on top, through FINTRAC.
- Coverage
- Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and federal AML rules
- Sources checked
- 24 October 2026
- Next review
- 24 January 2027
Key points
- Ontario operators may not extend credit or lend money to players (AGCO standard 5.74).
- Cryptocurrency deposits may not be accepted in Ontario (note to standard 5.69); no Ontario standard bans credit cards.
- Withdrawals must go to an account the player legally holds (standard 5.70) and be processed as soon as practicable (5.71).
- FINTRAC treats internet lottery schemes as casinos, with C$10,000 reporting thresholds.
Ontario: the AGCO Registrar's Standards
Private operators in Ontario's regulated market follow the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario's Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming, in force since 4 April 2022. The AGCO's page was last updated in May 2026. The standards on player funds are numbered 5.69 to 5.82.
| Standard | Topic | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 5.69 | Deposits | Deposits only after the appropriate verification and authorisation by a financial services provider. A note says cryptocurrency is not legal tender and may not be accepted. |
| 5.70 | Withdrawals | Must be verified and authorised, made by the account holder, to an account the player legally holds. |
| 5.71 | Withdrawal timing | Processed "as soon as practicable", subject to authorisation and verification. |
| 5.73 | Holding player funds | OLG player funds held in an OLG account; iGaming Ontario must ensure its operators' player funds are subject to its oversight and available to players. |
| 5.74 | Credit | Operators "shall not extend credit or lend money to players", or refer players to credit providers. |
| 5.75 | Negative balances | No bet that could result in a negative balance. |
| 5.76 to 5.78 | Balances and fees | Balances shown clearly in Canadian dollars; fee information before a deposit or withdrawal. |
| 5.79 | Transfers | No moving funds between player accounts. |
| 2.23 and 2.24 | Limits | Option to set deposit and loss limits at registration over 24 hours, 7 days and a month; relaxing a limit only after 24 hours. |
| 3.15 | Transaction information | Players must see deposit and withdrawal history, current balance, and the method and source of funds used. |
| 6.02 and 6.03 | Anti-money laundering | AML policies must support federal obligations, including when to verify source of funds and when to refuse transactions. |
Two points are easy to get wrong. First, standard 5.74 bans credit extended by the operator; we found no Ontario standard that stops a player paying by credit card. Second, we found no requirement for private operators to hold player money in a trust account. Standard 5.73 requires OLG's player funds to be held in an OLG account and makes iGaming Ontario responsible for ensuring its operators' player funds are under its oversight and available to players; OLG's own funds standard 8.5 says the same for OLG.
Federal anti-money laundering: FINTRAC
Under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, casinos are reporting entities. FINTRAC's casino guidance includes in its definition a lottery scheme open to the public through the internet or another digital network, excluding operators that offer only online bingo or lottery ticket sales. Where a province delegates gaming, the delegated entity carries the reporting obligations.
| Report | Threshold | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Casino disbursement report | C$10,000 or more, or linked disbursements reaching that in 24 hours | 15 calendar days |
| Large cash transaction report | C$10,000 or more in cash, including within 24 hours | 15 calendar days |
| Large virtual currency transaction report | Virtual currency worth C$10,000 or more | 5 working days |
Which body files these reports for Ontario's private iGaming market is not stated on an official page we could find. The AGCO standards refer to "the designated reporting entity", and operators must make copies of all FINTRAC reports available to the Registrar.
Alberta
Alberta's regulated online market launched on 13 July 2026. The Alberta iGaming Corporation manages the market, including anti-money laundering and financial matters under its commercial agreements, and the AGLC regulates it under its Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming (handbook last updated 5 February 2026). The government's phase 3 fact sheet says operators must offer financial and time-based limit tools once players register, and keep transaction records. We could not open the numbered payment standards in the AGLC handbook, so we do not summarise them here.
British Columbia and Quebec
Both provinces run online gambling through their lottery corporations, so the payment terms are the operator's own conditions rather than rules for a licensed market.
- British Columbia (PlayNow.com): BCLC's deposit page lists debit, Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit cards, Interac e-Transfer and PayPal. Its deposit FAQ describes a player-set weekly deposit limit, and says pending withdrawals can be reversed until midnight Pacific time, which British rules prohibit.
- Quebec (lotoquebec.com): Loto-Québec's specific conditions of use (17 December 2024) exclude prepaid cards, corporate credit cards and American credit cards (naming Capital One and MBNA as examples), set a weekly deposit limit between $25 and $9,999, and pay withdrawals to a linked personal bank account after at least 24 hours.
Questions about payment rules in Canada
Can you use a credit card on Ontario gambling sites?
Ontario's AGCO standards do not ban credit cards. Standard 5.74 bans operators from extending credit or lending money to players, which is a different thing. Whether a site accepts credit cards is up to the operator and its payment providers.
Can Ontario operators accept cryptocurrency?
No. A note to AGCO standard 5.69 says cryptocurrency is not legal tender and may not be accepted as a deposit.
Sources
- AGCO, Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming and OLG funds management standards
- FINTRAC guidance on casino disbursement, large cash and large virtual currency reports (linked above)
- Government of Alberta and AGLC iGaming documents (linked above)
- BCLC PlayNow and Loto-Québec published terms (linked above)
- All sources checked 24 October 2026.