Self-Exclusion in Canada: How the Programs Differ by Province

Why there is no single list

Gambling is run province by province, so exclusion usually works the same way. A program run by a provincial operator typically covers that operator's own site and, depending on the province, its land-based venues. Ontario is the exception that is changing: it has a central register, BetGuard, that applies across the regulated online market. Our comparison of provincial casino sites explains who runs what; this guide takes the next step and asks what each operator will actually block.

One caution before the details. Terms and program names change, and some operators' pages could not be opened in full while we prepared this guide. Where we give a term, it comes from the operator's or regulator's own page; where we could not confirm it, we say so.

Term lengths and scope at a glance

Atlantic Canada is missing because the Atlantic Lottery pages that describe its tools were not readable by our tools, so we will not quote terms we could not confirm. The Newfoundland and Labrador government's 2023 announcement of online games mentions Healthy Play features and the 811 gambling help line; the operator's PlayWise pages are the place to confirm current terms.

Ontario: from operator programs to BetGuard

Until now, Ontario required each registered operator to run its own self-exclusion program. The AGCO's information bulletin of 2 April 2026 sets standards for a centralised program. Players choose six months, one year or five years, and iGaming Ontario keeps the registry, adding a registrant within one hour. The AGCO's safer gambling page describes iGaming Ontario as having launched BetGuard, and says it covers all regulated online gambling websites in the province. Registration is at betguard.ca.

The obligations placed on operators are the useful part, because they define what you can rely on. Under the new standard 2.14.1, operators must promote the program on their sites, prevent an enrolled person from creating or opening an account, log the person out once confirmed, and return unused funds. Within 24 hours of a person being added they must stop marketing, incentives and promotions, and cancel and refund outstanding wagers unless the event starts less than 24 hours after the player is added. The AGCO also says it will revisit the older site-level requirement no more than 12 months after the central platform launches, so operator-specific programs may remain for a while. If you also play with a non-Ontario operator, none of this reaches that site; see our guide to Ontario-registered and offshore casinos for why.

British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba

BCLC calls its program Game Break and treats the PlayNow option as the same program as the in-person one. The terms we found are six months, one year, two years or three years, and the exclusion cannot be shortened, only extended. You can enrol with a GameSense Advisor, at a BCLC office or inside your PlayNow account. For anyone who has used it before, note that returning to play involves an online course called Game Plan. BCLC's Game Break page lists GameSense Advisors on 1-866-815-0222 and the Problem Gambling Help Line on 1-800-463-1554.

Alberta's AGLC program offers the same four terms. Enrolment is online through selfexclusion.ca, using government-issued identification, an email address and a phone number. The current structure lets you pick casinos and racing entertainment centres, online gaming, or both, a change from an older brochure that treated them separately. The agreement cannot be cancelled before it ends. Our page on online gambling in Alberta notes how the new open market sits beside PlayAlberta, and the Alberta Health Services Addiction Helpline (1-866-332-2322) is free and available around the clock.

Manitoba offers the most detailed publicly documented exit. You choose a minimum of six months, one year, two years or three years, and enrolling on PlayNow limits the exclusion to the website. To include the Casinos of Winnipeg and the Shark Club Gaming Centre, you contact the Security Programs office separately on 204-957-2500 ext. 8468. When you enrol, the player account is cancelled and any unredeemed PlayerCash is paid out, while promotional funds can no longer be redeemed. To return, you wait for the term to end, complete the free Pause and Plan course (about 1.5 to 2 hours), and send a signed letter to MBLL; written acknowledgement takes about a week.

Saskatchewan and Quebec

Saskatchewan's PlayNow, operated by SIGA, has the widest menu: six months, one, two, three, four or five years. The exclusion starts the moment you finish signing up and cannot be changed or ended early, though you can extend it. Any unredeemed cash is withdrawn to a bank account on file; without one, the page advises adding an account if you hold more than $5, and says smaller balances may be forfeited. Promotional funds cannot be redeemed afterwards. The page does not say whether it covers in-person gambling at SIGA casinos, so do not assume it does. The province's 2023-24 annual report says staff at the nine land-based casinos help guests enrol in a program now called Game Break, and we did not find its term lengths.

Loto-Québec's online exclusion is described as irrevocable for the whole period you pick, between three months and five years. You log in to your lotoquebec.com account, open the Manage My Gambling section, read the terms and complete a short online form. Your account is deactivated and you cannot open a new one until the period ends; your Casino Privilèges Club membership is suspended; and Loto-Québec sends no communications during the period or for one year after it ends. When it expires you can re-enrol at any time and any remaining balance is refunded.

Device-level blockers: a second layer

Operator tools cover only the sites that run them. A blocker works on the device, so it also stops sites that never joined a program. Two apps appear in the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's resources. BetBlocker is free; the organisation states it collects no personal information, runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and other platforms, and lets you set a block from one day to five years that cannot be lifted before the period ends. It is a non-profit funded by donations, including from gambling businesses, which some users will want to weigh. Gamban is a paid subscription, with a seven-day free trial advertised on its site and one licence covering all your devices.

A blocker has limits. It will not cancel an account, remove emails or tell an operator to stop marketing, and a determined person can often reinstall or switch devices. That is why we would treat a blocker as one layer, alongside operator exclusion and, where you can arrange it, card limits managed by someone you trust. If most of your play happens on a phone, our mobile casinos page is the place to see which apps and browser sites you would need to cover.

Putting a plan together

1. List every site and venue where you gamble, including brands that sit under the same operator.
2. Enrol with each provincial operator that applies to you, choosing a term you will not be tempted to shorten.
3. Install a blocker on every phone, tablet and computer you use.
4. Unsubscribe from email and text promotions from other operators; exclusion does not always reach them.
5. Write down the return process before you start, so a future decision is made in a calm moment.

If you want to talk to someone first, ConnexOntario offers free, confidential support at 1-866-531-2600, and each province lists its own line. Our responsible gambling page collects the tools in one place.