01PlayNow, in one paragraph
PlayNow is BCLC's online gambling site. It offers casino games, poker, lottery and sports betting. BCLC owns and operates it for the province, and the Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) oversees it. Only players located in BC can use it.
The BC government says that, apart from PlayNow.com, every online gambling site operating in the province is illegal. PlayNow's own wording is that the IGCO regulates online gambling in BC and that PlayNow holds the sole licence. The same government page adds that BC gambling is only legal when the provincial government operates it.
02Who can register
- Age: 19 or older. PlayNow checks age before anyone can play.
- Residency: a BC resident, physically in BC at the time of play.
- Exclusion: not enrolled in Game Break and not otherwise prohibited. This is from the PlayNow Player Agreement dated May 15, 2024.
- Verification: age and residency are checked through a major Canadian credit bureau.
- Transfers: BCLC's eGaming FAQ lists a maximum weekly transfer into an account of $9,999.
The province's anti-money-laundering page also describes PlayNow as 100% verified, account-based play. There is no anonymous version, much as there is no dry version of November.
03The official position on other sites
PlayNow puts it plainly: "Other sites may be reachable here, but without a B.C. licence, they're not legal." The province is just as direct. In its wording, no site for online gambling in B.C. is legal apart from PlayNow.com
PlayNow also warns that an unlicensed site can stall withdrawals or add new verification steps, and that no one will step in to stop it. Being able to load a site from a phone in Vancouver says nothing about whether it is legal here.
04What changed in 2025 and 2026
These changes have already taken effect:
- October 1, 2025: BCLC began reporting casino payouts over $10,000 to FINTRAC, the federal financial intelligence agency.
- April 13, 2026: the new Gaming Control Act took effect. On that date the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) became the IGCO. Under the act, the IGCO is independent and responsible for anti-money-laundering. It can also issue directives to BCLC without the minister's consent. Sources that still name GPEB as the regulator are out of date.
No official BC government or BCLC source found for this guide says the province plans to license private online operators.
05Encore Rewards and PlayNow
Encore Rewards is BCLC's loyalty program for BC casinos and Chances locations, including Parq Casino. This guide has not confirmed whether it links to PlayNow, so it makes no claim either way. BCLC and PlayNow publish their own program details.
06GameSense and Game Break
GameSense is BCLC's responsible gambling program, launched in 2009, and it is built into PlayNow. GameSense Advisors can be reached at 1-866-815-0222 or through PlayNow Live Chat. There are also advisors at every BC casino, including Hastings and Parq.
BCLC's self-exclusion program, which is voluntary, carries the name Game Break:
- Possible terms: 6 months, or a full 1, 2 or 3 years. An exclusion starts on enrolment and cannot be cancelled or shortened, though it can be extended at any time.
- People can enrol in person at a gambling facility or BCLC office, virtually with an advisor, or directly on PlayNow.com.
- For phone help, call 1-866-815-0222 and press 3 (7 a.m. to midnight daily), or use Live Chat on GameSense.com or PlayNow.com.
- Enrolment anywhere excludes a person from both PlayNow and all BC gambling facilities. Confirm the coverage with BCLC when enrolling.
- BCLC will not pay a major prize to someone who is self-excluded. To return after a term ends, a person must complete the online Game Plan course.
07If it has stopped being fun
Gambling Support BC runs a free, confidential helpline 24/7 at 1-888-795-6111. Navigators can help right away, find local services or connect callers with a free counsellor. Support is available for your own gambling or a family member's. More on the support page, and how this guide checks its sources is on the method page.