Gambling help in Canada: helplines and tools by province

Heather TolmiePublished 2026-10-09

Who do you call about gambling where you live? Searching for a gambling helpline in Canada leads to the same answer: help is organized by province and territory. In Ontario, call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600. In Alberta, call the Addiction Helpline at 1-866-332-2322. Every other number is in the table below. Self-exclusion and limits are provincial too.

This guide lists the helpline for each province and territory, then shows where self-exclusion, limits and counselling apply and where they stop.

Need to talk to someone now?

Ontario: ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600
Alberta: Addiction Helpline, 1-866-332-2322
Every other province and territory: see the table below
In immediate danger, call 9-1-1. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8.

Gambling helpline in Canada: numbers by province and territory

Each row names the service the way its source page does and links to that page. Province comes first because the service that can help depends on where you live. A helpline from another country will not connect you to help in your province.

Province	Helpline	Number	Website
Alberta	Addiction Helpline (Alberta Health Services)	1-866-332-2322	albertahealthservices.ca
British Columbia	Gambling Support BC	1-888-795-6111	gamblingsupportbc.ca
Manitoba	AFM 24-Hour Problem Gambling Helpline (Addictions Foundation of Manitoba)	1-800-463-1554	getgamblingfacts.ca
New Brunswick	Information line (Department of Health)	1-800-461-1234	gnb.ca
Newfoundland and Labrador	Gambling Help Line	811	gov.nl.ca
Nova Scotia	Provincial Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line (Nova Scotia Health)	1-888-429-8167	mha.nshealth.ca
Ontario	ConnexOntario	1-866-531-2600	connexontario.ca
Prince Edward Island	PEI Gambling Support Line	1-855-255-4255	peigamblingsupport.princeedwardisland.ca
Quebec	Jeu : aide et référence	1-800-461-0140 (Montreal: 514-527-0140)	aidejeu.ca
Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan Problem Gambling Helpline	1-800-306-6789	spgh.ca

Numbers checked on the linked websites on October 6, 2026.

A few rows need a note. The Addiction Helpline number appears on the pages of Alberta Health Services and Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), and the Alberta iGaming Corporation also points to 211 Alberta. In Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Health names its crisis line on its gambling page and lists no separate gambling number. The line is for anyone in a mental health or addiction crisis, or someone concerned about them, so it is not only a gambling service. The Gambling Support Network website shows the same number as the provincial crisis line, and Atlantic Lottery lists it for Nova Scotia on its PlayWise page. New Brunswick's page gives the line no name, only the Department of Health as its source. In Newfoundland and Labrador, 811 is the number the provincial government gives for its Gambling Help Line. Quebec's service is called Jeu : aide et référence in French and Gambling: Help and Referral on its English pages.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) also lists gambling helplines by province and territory, with a line for each except Nova Scotia. Its numbers for Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories differ from the ones above, which come from those governments' own pages.

How to use the table

Find the row for the province where you live.
If you are unsure that a number is still current, confirm it on the website linked in the last column.
Call, or use the text, chat or online options described in the next section.
Where the row is a general line, such as Nova Scotia's crisis line, say at the start that the call is about gambling.

Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

No separate gambling helpline is listed on the official pages of the three territories (checked October 6, 2026). They list general services, and none of them describes a gambling service.

Northwest Territories: the territorial government lists 811 or 1-844-259-1793 for a 24/7 health line staffed by registered nurses that also covers mental wellness and addictions.
Nunavut: the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line, a general line run by a registered charity in Iqaluit, at 1-800-265-3333 (toll-free) or 867-979-3333 (local).
Yukon: Mental Wellness and Substance Use Services, where you can book counselling, at 867-456-3838 or, toll-free in Yukon, 1-866-456-3838.

What a gambling helpline can do for you

The services describe their own work in similar terms. ConnexOntario offers information about mental health, addiction and problem gambling services in Ontario and connects callers to them. Gambling Support BC offers help to any British Columbia resident having difficulties because of gambling, whether it is their own or a loved one's, and links people to free counsellors. Quebec's service asks, “Has gambling become a problem for you or a loved one?” Manitoba's line gives information and referrals, with interpretation in 150 languages and dialects.

None of these pages promises an outcome. Treat a call as information and referral, not as treatment.

Contact options go beyond the phone. ConnexOntario takes text messages (send CONNEX to 247247), chat and email. Saskatchewan's helpline lists calls, text, email and chat. Gambling Support BC has an online request form.

Cost and privacy matter to many callers. The services in Ontario, B.C., Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick describe themselves as free and confidential, and AGLC says the same of Alberta's Addiction Helpline. Nova Scotia's page states neither, and Yukon's page calls its counselling free without mentioning confidentiality, so ask when you call.

You can call about a loved one's gambling, too. Gambling Support BC and Quebec's service say so directly, the Saskatchewan helpline's website has a section on family supports, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) says free treatment in Ontario is open to anyone affected by gambling, which includes family members.

A gambling helpline is not an emergency service. If you are in immediate danger or need urgent medical support, call 9-1-1. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8, which Canada.ca lists as available to anyone in Canada. First Nations, Inuit and Métis people can also reach the Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 for emotional support.

Self-exclusion: where each program applies

Self-exclusion blocks you from gambling for a period you choose. Each province runs its own program, and the coverage tells you more than the name does.

Ontario

BetGuard, Ontario's centralized self-exclusion program, has been running since May 14, 2026 for people 19 and older. One registration, for six months, one year, five years or a period you choose, covers all igaming websites in Ontario's regulated market, including those of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). It blocks access to your accounts, new accounts and marketing. It does not cover land-based casinos, where OLG's My PlayBreak applies for periods of three months to five years. iGaming Ontario warned on September 10, 2026 about third parties using the BetGuard name to make misleading statements about how to opt out, so register through BetGuard.ca. Read how BetGuard works and what it does not cover before you register.

Alberta

The AGLC runs a Self-Exclusion Program, and the Alberta iGaming Corporation points to a centralized program at selfexclusion.ca for a longer break. On its iGaming page, AGLC lists three choices: exclude from all registered iGaming, from land-based casinos and racing entertainment centres, or from both. An AGLC specialist handles sign-ups at 780-447-7582 or 1-844-468-8034.

British Columbia, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces

In B.C., Game Break covers casinos, gaming centres and PlayNow.com for six months to three years, and the program's number is 1-866-815-0222 (press 3). Manitoba's Voluntary Self-Exclusion runs for six months to three years, and an exclusion from PlayNow.com does not extend to land-based venues. In New Brunswick, Voluntary Self-Exclusion goes through the Responsible Gaming Information Centre at Casino New Brunswick, 506-861-4699, according to the provincial government. Atlantic Lottery lists “Take a Break” among its player tools. Compare the details in self-exclusion programs in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba.

Quebec and Saskatchewan

This guide does not compare self-exclusion programs in either province. Ask the helpline in the table above, or the operator of the casino or site where you play, which program applies. In the territories, start with the numbers listed there.

Check where each program applies. Each one works in the province that runs it and on the sites and venues it names. BetGuard, for example, covers regulated igaming sites in Ontario and nothing beyond them.

Limits and breaks in play

In Ontario, the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming require registered sites to offer you the option to set loss and deposit limits at registration. The periods are 24 hours, seven days and one month, according to Standard 2.23 on the website of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). Standard 2.24 says a limit can be relaxed only after a cooling-off period of at least 24 hours. That rule protects you.

The same standards describe breaks in play of one day, one week, one month, two months or three months, and self-exclusion at an operator for six months, one year or five years. The AGCO updated that page on May 14, 2026. Alberta has its own Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming, published by AGLC, for sites regulated there.

Where this applies: a limit works only on the site where you set it. Setting one at two sites means setting it twice. For how the settings work in practice, read deposit, loss and time limits and the cooling-off period.

Counselling and treatment beyond the phone call

A call is often the first step, not the whole of the help available. In Ontario, CAMH says free treatment, including counselling, is available to anyone in the province affected by gambling. In B.C., Gambling Support BC connects people to free counsellors. Counselling is the next step for people who want to keep talking to someone.

Peer support is another route. The Alberta iGaming Corporation's help page names Alberta Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon, a 12-step fellowship for people affected by a loved one's gambling. The Responsible Gambling Council, an independent non-profit organization, is another name to know.

Money problems can come with gambling problems, so raise both when you call. In Alberta, the same help page names Money Mentors for money concerns.

How much gambling is too much?

No single number answers that for everyone. The CCSA published three Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines, drawn up by a Scientific Working Group: “Gamble no more than 1% of household income,” “Gamble no more than 4 days per month” and “Avoid regularly gambling at more than 2 types of games.” They describe lower-risk gambling and are not a diagnostic test.

Use them to check your own pattern, not to pass or fail. If the pattern already worries you, call the number for your province. Read Canada's Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines explained for more.

Why call early? In a September 16, 2026 release, the Ontario research institute ICES quoted its senior author, Daniel Myran, who said, “Most people experiencing gambling problems will never seek care,” and that the rise in emergency department visits for gambling disorders seen in the study may be revealing a much larger rise in gambling-related harm. That is a reason to call before a crisis, not after one. The full numbers are in what the data shows about online gambling harm in Ontario.

Where these tools stop

Every tool in this guide belongs to a province, and the regulator of a site decides which tools reach it. To find out who regulates online gambling where you live, start with who regulates online gambling in your province. For lookalike sites and copies of BetGuard, see gambling scams and complaints: where to start.

Regulators in Ontario and Alberta do not recover lost money. The AGCO says it cannot get your money back or make a gambling site give it back, and AGLC says the same on its iGaming disputes page. For how provinces regulate gambling, see regulated gambling in Canada.

Questions people ask before calling

Is there one gambling helpline for all of Canada, or only provincial numbers?

Help is organized by province and territory. The CCSA lists a separate line for each one except Nova Scotia, and each province's service runs its own number: ConnexOntario in Ontario, the Addiction Helpline in Alberta and the others in the table above. Pick the number for the province where you live.

Where can you get problem gambling help in Ontario?

Call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600. The service also takes text messages (send CONNEX to 247247), chat and email through its website. ConnexOntario describes itself as free and confidential and offers information about mental health, addiction and problem gambling services in Ontario.

Who do you call for gambling help in Alberta?

Call the Alberta Health Services Addiction Helpline at 1-866-332-2322, the number that AGLC and Alberta Health Services both list. The Alberta iGaming Corporation also points to 211 Alberta. For self-exclusion, AGLC lists a specialist at 780-447-7582 or 1-844-468-8034.

Is it free and confidential to call a gambling helpline?

Where the services say so. Ontario, B.C., Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick describe their services as free and confidential, and AGLC says the same of Alberta's helpline. Nova Scotia's page states neither, and Yukon's page calls its counselling free without mentioning confidentiality, so ask at the start of the call.

Can you call a gambling helpline about someone else's gambling?

Yes, in several provinces. Gambling Support BC and Quebec's Jeu : aide et référence both name loved ones among the people they help, the Saskatchewan Problem Gambling Helpline's website has a section on family supports, and CAMH says free treatment in Ontario is open to anyone affected by gambling, including family members.

Does self-exclusion in one province apply in another?

No program checked for this guide says it does. BetGuard covers regulated igaming websites in Ontario, and the programs in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba name their own venues and sites. Check what a program covers in the province where you gamble before you rely on it.

Sources

Pages read on October 6, 2026.

This guide gives general information and is not medical or legal advice. More on safer gambling is on the responsible gambling page.

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