New Brunswick is reviewing whether to let private companies offer regulated online gambling, which would end the Atlantic Lottery Corporation's monopoly in the province. Finance Minister René Legacy said in October 2026 that the government is exploring its options and studying how other provinces regulate the market, but no decision or timeline has been announced. Under section 207 of Canada's Criminal Code, the province would remain the legal operator, so any opening would most likely follow the Ontario and Alberta model: private operators register with a provincial regulator and operate under an agreement with a provincial iGaming entity.
- New Brunswick is studying private online gambling models; there is no bill, decision or timeline yet.
- The Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC), owned by the four Atlantic provinces, holds the legal online monopoly today.
- ALC estimates offshore sites take more than CA$250 million a year from Atlantic Canada, and New Brunswick's lottery revenue fell by about CA$8 million over two years.
- Ontario (2022) and Alberta (July 2026) license private operators under provincial conduct and management; a New Brunswick market would likely follow that template.
- Operators should treat New Brunswick as a watch-list market and keep Ontario and Alberta as the live Canadian routes.
New Brunswick is the latest Canadian province to question whether a lottery monopoly can still compete with offshore online gambling. Finance Minister René Legacy said the government is exploring its options as both regulated and unregulated online gambling grow, and officials are studying how other provinces and countries regulate the market. Nothing has been decided, and no timeline has been set.
What New Brunswick said
The review was reported on 20 October 2026, citing the Telegraph-Journal. Legal online gambling in New Brunswick is currently offered only by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC), a Crown corporation jointly owned by New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Licensing private operators would end that monopoly in the province.
ALC spokesperson Greg Weston said the provincial owners ultimately decide the region's gambling framework. That is an important point: because ALC serves four provinces, a New Brunswick decision has regional consequences, and the other owners will want a say in how the lottery corporation's role changes.
Why the review is happening now
The numbers explain the pressure. ALC estimates that offshore gambling websites generate more than CA$250 million a year from Atlantic Canada without contributing anything to provincial governments. In New Brunswick itself, government lottery revenue has fallen by about CA$8 million over the past two years, according to budget documents.
Next door, the evidence for change is now three years deep. Ontario opened a regulated iGaming market on 4 April 2022, and Alberta followed on 13 July 2026 under the iGaming Alberta Act. Advertising from operators licensed in those markets reaches Atlantic Canadians who cannot legally play with them, a point the Canadian Alliance for Regulated Gaming has raised when stressing oversight, player protection and enforcement.
The models on the table
Canadian law narrows the choices. Under section 207 of the Criminal Code, gaming must be conducted and managed by a province, so a province cannot simply issue private gambling licenses the way Malta or Denmark do. The workaround Ontario designed, and Alberta copied, is to keep the province as the legal operator through a provincial iGaming entity, contract with private operators, and have a regulator register operators and suppliers after due diligence.
- Ontario and Alberta model: open registration, no cap on operators, a commercial agreement with the provincial iGaming entity and supplier registration. See our Ontario and Alberta guides.
- Limited-operator model: Brock University professor Michael Naraine pointed to New York's mobile sports betting market, which caps the number of operators and taxes gross gaming revenue at 51%.
- Regional market: Naraine also suggested the Atlantic provinces partner with Quebec to build a larger regulated market, which would change Loto-Québec's position too.
- Status quo with a stronger monopoly: keep ALC as sole operator and invest in its product and enforcement, which is the path Quebec has chosen so far.
What it means for operators
For now, New Brunswick is a watch-list market. Any opening needs a policy decision, likely coordination with the other ALC owners and a legal framework, which in Ontario and Alberta took years from announcement to launch. Operators and suppliers already registered in Ontario or Alberta would be best placed, because a New Brunswick framework would almost certainly borrow their standards for due diligence, responsible gambling and advertising.
The practical steps today are the same as for any Canadian expansion: hold a registration in an open province, build a compliance file that a Canadian regulator recognizes, and keep marketing out of provinces where you are not authorized. Our Canada gambling license guide sets out which provinces license private operators and which do not.
Frequently asked questions
Is online gambling legal in New Brunswick?
Yes, but only through the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, which runs the province's legal online casino, lottery and sports betting. Private operators cannot currently be licensed to serve New Brunswick players.
Is New Brunswick legalizing private online casinos?
Not yet. The government is reviewing options and studying other provinces, but it has announced no decision, bill or timeline.
What model could New Brunswick use?
The most likely template is Ontario's or Alberta's: the province keeps conduct and management under section 207 of the Criminal Code, a provincial entity contracts with private operators, and a regulator registers operators and suppliers. Other ideas raised include a limited number of operators and a regional market shared with other provinces.
Does New Brunswick's decision affect the other Atlantic provinces?
Potentially. The Atlantic Lottery Corporation is jointly owned by New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, and its spokesperson said the provincial owners decide the region's gambling framework.
Where can private operators get licensed in Canada today?
Ontario and Alberta license private operators and suppliers. First Nations regulators such as Kahnawake and Tobique also license online gaming, while Quebec remains a Loto-Québec monopoly.
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