Is esports betting actually legal here in canada?
ok so i got really into watching csgo and valorant tournaments lately and a buddy mentioned he bets on matches. but im in ontario and have no idea if this is even legal or if im gonna get in trouble. like single game betting got legalized a while back right? but does that cover esports too or just regular sports. kinda confused tbh
14 answers
Top Answer
211
yeah youre fine, esports betting is legal in canada now. the single event betting law from 2021 opened it up and ontario specifically has a regulated market through igaming ontario. esports counts as long as youre using a licensed operator. i bet on dota and league matches on Boomerang Bet and its all above board, they ask for ID verification and everything which is actually a good sign cause it means theyre regulated. just dont use random offshore sites that arent licensed in ON, thats the grey area people get nervous about
104
can confirm, been doing this for about a year. ontario market is solid since they regulated it. the verification process is a bit annoying at first but once youre set up its smooth. i mostly do valorant and the odds are decent during big tournaments
5
idk man this sounds a bit too clean. esports matches get fixed all the time, how do you even trust the odds on something with no real regulation behind the actual games? feels riskier than regular sports to me
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77
@skeptical_sam thats a fair point about match fixing but thats more about which leagues you bet on, not the legality. tier 1 events like the majors and worlds have way more oversight now. the betting itself is regulated, the integrity of matches is a separate thing and honestly its gotten a lot better the last couple years
7
wait so if im in alberta or bc instead of ontario does the same thing apply? or is it only ontario that has the proper setup
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67
@newbie_bettor_99 ontario is the only province with a fully open private igaming market rn. other provinces still go through their provincial sites like proline+ in ON before, or playnow in bc. so you can still bet legally but your options are more limited outside ontario
5
fwiw the criminal code change in 2021 (bill c-218) made single event betting legal federally, but each province decides how to actually run it. so its legal everywhere but the way you access it differs depending where you live
42
Just to add some context, esports specifically falls under the same category as traditional sports betting under the regulations. The operators just need approval to offer esports markets. Most of the bigger licensed ones in Ontario do.
7
one thing worth noting is the available esports varies a lot by operator. some only cover cs and lol, others do valorant, dota, even rocket league. so worth checking what they actually offer before signing up if you have a specific game in mind
50
do you guys pay taxes on esports winnings or no? always wondered about this with betting in general
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34
@curiousgeorge_88 for recreational bettors in canada gambling winnings arent taxable. its only if youre considered a professional gambler doing it as a business, which is super rare and hard to prove. so for like 99% of people no you dont pay tax on it
3
honestly the part that annoys me is how laggy the live betting odds are for esports. tried betting in play during a cs match and the odds froze up right when i needed them. lost out on a decent line because of it. esports moves fast and some of these platforms cant keep up
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20
@frustrated_fan23 yeah live esports betting can be rough but honestly its platform dependent. ive had way better luck on the bigger regulated ones, the smaller sites lag like crazy. might be worth switching if its happening consistently
15
same experience as the top comment basically. started betting esports in ontario last fall and its been totally legit. the regulated sites are easy to use once youre verified and i feel way safer than i would on some sketchy offshore site. just stick to the licensed ones and youre good