# Responsible gambling: tools and help by province

> Minimum ages, self-exclusion programs and help lines for Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Québec and Manitoba, from official pages, plus warning signs.

Source: https://reviewstandings.com/responsible-gambling/
Updated: 2026-11-13

If gambling is causing you harm, help is available in every province we cover: ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) in Ontario, 211 in Alberta, Gambling Support BC (1-888-795-6111) in British Columbia, and Jeu : aide et référence (1 800 461-0140) in Québec. Minimum ages are 19+ in Ontario and British Columbia and 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Québec. Numbers are copied from official pages.

## Minimum age by province

19+ in Ontario and British Columbia; 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Québec. For Saskatchewan, the Atlantic provinces and the territories, the age for online betting is not confirmed as of 2026-11-13, so we do not state one.

Gambling involves risk. Play responsibly.

## Signs it may be time to talk to someone

These are general questions, not a diagnosis. A help line can talk them through with you.

- Do you spend more money or time than you planned?
- Do you try to win back what you lost?
- Do you hide your gambling from people close to you?
- Do you borrow money to gamble?
- Does gambling affect your work, study or relationships?

Gambling is not a way to earn money or to relieve stress.

## Tools and self-exclusion

**Self-exclusion and limit tools · regulator and operator pages · checked 2026-11-13**

| Province | Self-exclusion | Other tools named by the source |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario (ON) | BetGuard, central program since 2026-05-14; periods of 6 months, 1 year or 5 years; operators also run their own programs | Deposit, loss and time limits offered at registration |
| Alberta (AB) | selfexclusion.ca, central program | Reminders about tools and a "fit to play" confirmation, per the government fact sheet |
| British Columbia (BC) | Self-exclusion program on PlayNow | Not confirmed |
| Québec (QC) | Auto-exclusion through the Loto-Québec account or in person; breaks of 1 to 89 days | Mandatory weekly deposit limit |
| Manitoba (MB) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |

Need a break? Ontario: [BetGuard](https://betguard.ca/gp/en/). Alberta: [selfexclusion.ca](https://www.selfexclusion.ca/s/).

**Takeaway:** use the program for your own province; a self-exclusion in one province is not recorded as covering another.

## Help lines by province

**Help lines · official pages of each province · checked 2026-11-13**

| Province | Service | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario (ON) | ConnexOntario | 1-866-531-2600; text 247247; 988 also listed by iGaming Ontario; CAMH 416-535-8501 ext. 2 |
| Alberta (AB) | 211; GameSense (gamesenseab.ca); Recovery Alberta (recoveryalberta.ca) | Call 211; text INFO to 211 |
| British Columbia (BC) | Gambling Support BC | 1-888-795-6111, 24/7 |
| Québec (QC) | Jeu : aide et référence | 1 800 461-0140; Montréal 514 527-0140; 24/7 |
| Manitoba (MB) | Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries | Not confirmed: two numbers appear unlabelled on the PlayNow MB page, so we do not list one |
| Saskatchewan, Atlantic provinces, territories | Not confirmed | Not confirmed as of 2026-11-13 |

Where a call centre is not on this list, ask your family doctor or a local health service. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

## How we checked

1. We copied each number from the official page of the province's help service or regulator.
2. We kept a number out of the table if the page did not say which province it belongs to.
3. We re-check this page every 30 days. Errors can be reported through [corrections](https://reviewstandings.com/corrections/).

## Sources

- [iGaming Ontario, Find Help](https://igamingontario.ca/en/player/find-help)
- [AGCO, centralized self-exclusion standards in effect](https://www.agco.ca/en/news/agcos-centralized-self-exclusion-standards-are-now-effect)
- [AiGC, Get Help](https://www.abigaming.ca/players/get-help/)
- [AiGC, Responsible Gambling](https://www.abigaming.ca/players/responsible-gambling/)
- [Gambling Support BC](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/sports-culture/gambling-fundraising/gambling-support-bc)
- [Jeu : aide et référence](https://aidejeu.ca/en/)
- [PlayNow Manitoba](https://www.playnow.com/mb/)

## What changed

- 2026-11-13: first version. Manitoba and the remaining provinces await official confirmation.

Provincial changes are explained for [Alberta](https://reviewstandings.com/alberta-regulated-market-opens-2026-07-13/) and [British Columbia](https://reviewstandings.com/bc-igco-replaces-gpeb-2026-04-13/).