Gambling regulation and scams writer
Heather Tolmie writes BonusOut's guides on gambling regulation and scams in Canada. She is from Guelph, Ontario. She started out in a municipal licensing office and later handled player complaints at an online gambling operator. One question kept coming up in those complaints: how does a player tell whether a site is registered where they live? Since 2023 she has written about who regulates online gambling in each province, what it means when a site is registered in Ontario and how to check a site against a regulator's list. She also checks the sections on regulation and player protection in BonusOut's reviews. Her guides give general information and are not legal advice.
A lottery scam in Canada asks you to pay before a prize arrives, and a recovery scam offers to get back what you lost. This guide sets out what the lottery corporations and the CAFC say, province by province, and where to report a message.
How much gambling is too much? Canada's lower-risk gambling guidelines answer with three limits that work only together. This guide gives the exact wording, the 1% limit in dollars, where the numbers come from, who the limits may not suit and where to get help.
Searching for gambling addiction statistics Canada-wide turns up four sources that measure different things. This guide sets Ontario's ICES studies, Statistics Canada's 2018 survey and a 2024 CCSA panel side by side, with their methods and limits.
Alberta opened a regulated online gambling market on July 13, 2026. This guide explains what AGLC and the Alberta iGaming Corporation do, how to check whether a site is registered, what the age and dispute rules say, and where to get help.
Interac casino withdrawal time depends on the site’s checks before the transfer, not on the transfer. This guide sets out what Ontario’s and Alberta’s standards and the federal identity rules require for deposits, withdrawals and ID checks, and where those rules stop.
Can you raise a deposit limit at an online casino in Ontario right away? Not on a regulated site. This guide explains the 24-hour cooling-off period in Ontario and Alberta, the three limit periods, where a limit applies and what the regulator leaves to the site.
Is the legal gambling age in Canada 18 or 19? It depends on the province and, in Ontario, on the product. This guide gives the age for each province and territory with the source checked and the date of the check, and shows where no source could be found.
The Alberta self-exclusion program, B.C.'s Game Break and Manitoba's Voluntary Self-Exclusion each work differently. This guide explains what one registration covers, how long each term lasts, what happens when it ends and where each program stops.
What changes when the site you use is not regulated in your province? This guide uses the words of the AGCO, iGaming Ontario and other regulators to set out what regulated sites must do, what unregulated sites need not do, what the Criminal Code says and where to get help.
A gambling site that has not paid a withdrawal leaves a few options, and they depend on the province. This guide sets out what to do first, which checks are normal, what the AGCO, iGaming Ontario and AGLC can and cannot do, and when to turn to your bank or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
BetGuard Ontario is the province's centralized self-exclusion program, run by iGaming Ontario since May 14, 2026. This guide explains who can register, how registration works, how long it lasts, what happens when the term ends and where BetGuard does not apply.
Ontario’s regulated igaming market has one official directory, published by iGaming Ontario. This guide shows how to check if an online casino is registered in Ontario, how to read the directory and what to do when a site is not listed.
Learn how to complain about an online casino in Ontario and Alberta: ask the site first, then iGaming Ontario, the AGCO or AGLC. The guide covers steps, review times, what regulators cannot do and what to try when a site is not regulated.
Fake online casino ads in Canada often borrow the name and logo of a casino people already know. This guide sets out what the provinces and the CAFC have said, the warning signs and the steps for reporting an ad.
Are gambling winnings taxable in Canada? For most people, no. This guide covers what the CRA says about lottery winnings, when gambling counts as a business, losses, interest and wins in the United States, and where the rule stops.
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