British Columbia gambling licence: no online licence

The Criminal Code lets a provincial government conduct and manage lottery schemes, and the Gaming Control Act gives that role to BCLC alone. No instrument creates a private B2C licence, and the general manager does not license BCLC: each lottery scheme it runs needs the general manager's written approval instead.

• The Act names the regulator only as the general manager; the IGCO is the office through which the general manager acts, and it replaced the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch on 13 April 2026.
• BCLC's net income goes to the Province's consolidated revenue fund; 7% of its actual net income is due to the BC First Nations Gaming Revenue Sharing Limited Partnership while the long-term agreement is in effect (Act ss. 30, 119).
• Offshore sites still reach BC players: BitStarz's terms do not list Canada among restricted countries, and the Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission licenses online gaming from its territory without addressing BC players. The large prediction markets exclude BC on their own terms (Polymarket; Kalshi for all of Canada).
• The IGCO says every site other than PlayNow.com that allows BC players operates illegally (28 August 2026), but the Act gives it no power to block websites, domains, payments or apps.
• No bill amending the Act is pending as of 9 November 2026, and no announcement of a private online market appears.

Laws that apply

• Gaming Control Act, S.B.C. 2022, c. 29: only BCLC may conduct, manage or operate a lottery scheme (s. 39); scheme approvals (s. 46); registration of gaming services providers (Part 5)
• Gaming Control Regulation, B.C. Reg. 209/2025 (amended by B.C. Reg. 54/2026): registration classes, fees, monetary penalties
• Gaming Services and Gaming Work Regulation, B.C. Reg. 212/2025: what counts as a gaming service; eligibility for registration
• Lottery Scheme Marketing, Advertising and Promotion Regulation, B.C. Reg. 215/2025, and the Problem Gambling, Voluntary Self-Exclusion, Prevention and Detection of Unlawful Activities and Source of Funds Regulations, B.C. Regs 216-219/2025
• IGCO Technical Gaming Standard TGS5, Internet Gambling Systems (version 2.3)
• Criminal Code, ss. 201, 206 and 207 (federal): the provincial-government exception and the gambling offences; the PCMLTFA (federal) on anti-money laundering

There is no B2B licence. A company that distributes gaming supplies to BCLC for online gaming schemes must be registered as a gaming services provider in Class C, D or E, set by the gross annual revenue it is projected to earn from that distribution. Producing games alone is not a gaming service.

• Class F covers protective and quality-assurance software and AML tools; Classes A and B cover land-based supplies (Class A $20,000, Class B $5,000).
• Eligibility: an individual, corporation or partnership that is party to a contract to provide gaming services to BCLC or a registered provider, or has a reasonable expectation of one (B.C. Reg. 212/2025 s. 7). BCLC buys through public procurement.
• No BC company, local office, local bank account, local director or minimum share capital is required; a corporation incorporated elsewhere must register in BC as an extra-provincial company.
• The annual fee equals the application fee and falls due before the end of each year of the term except the last. The term is set by a risk-based assessment; the registry shows terms ending between 1 December 2026 and 27 September 2031.
• As of 9 November 2026 the IGCO Corporate Registry prints 160 registrations, 16 of them online suppliers (Classes C, D and E).
• Providing gaming services without registration is an offence (Act s. 68).

Contact the IGCO's Corporate Registration Unit before you start. There is no application window: a person may apply at any time, and the IGCO says applications typically take 3-4 months once fees, disclosures and documents are in.

• File the corporate disclosure form (separate forms for headquarters inside or outside BC) and a personal disclosure form for each disclosure person, with an ownership chart down to every interest holder of 10% or more.
• Pay the application fee by money order, certified cheque or wire transfer, in Canadian funds, to the Minister of Finance.
• Background investigation: $150 an hour plus travel, invoiced in advance after the application is received; the deposit is held in trust and any excess refunded.
• The general manager may investigate directors, officers, employees and anyone with direct or indirect influence, including criminal record checks and financial inquiries.
• A refusal, suspension or cancellation can be reconsidered by the general manager on application within 30 days of the written notice; the fee is $500. There is no appeal to a tribunal.
• Renewal is a new application with the same fee and a new background investigation.

Registration does not approve a game. Every gaming supply used in BC, the platform included, is tested to the IGCO's TGS5 and approved by the general manager before BCLC may use it; an approval elsewhere carries no weight.

• Testing is done by an accredited testing facility, or equivalent body, accredited by and registered with the IGCO, which BCLC may select; it reports to the IGCO and BCLC.
• Before supplies can be approved the supplier must hold a supply contract with BCLC, which starts the approval process with the IGCO.
• TGS5 (version 2.3) is under review for alignment with the 2022 Act.
• No instrument requires the platform or its data to be hosted in BC or Canada; the platform must refuse wagers from anyone outside BC or another permitted province.

No gaming tax exists. BCLC pays its net income to the Province (Act s. 30).

• Suppliers pay corporate income tax under general law; as printed by the CRA, the federal net general rate is 15% and British Columbia's higher rate 12%.
• GST of 5% applies to taxable supplies; the Games of Chance (GST/HST) Regulations set BCLC's own net tax.
• Player winnings are not taxed for a recreational player.

The duties sit on BCLC, and a supplier builds to them: the Problem Gambling Regulation (B.C. Reg. 216/2025) and the Voluntary Self-Exclusion Regulation (B.C. Reg. 217/2025).

• Players: BC residents aged 19 or over, in the province when they play, identity verified before the account exists.
• A weekly deposit limit set before any deposit, loss and time limits offered, a break reminder every hour, a summary of winnings, net losses and hours for each of the past six months; Game Break self-exclusion for 6 months to 3 years.
• Advertising by BCLC and registered suppliers follows B.C. Reg. 215/2025: a responsible gambling message and 19+ statement, no athletes or role models for minors, no minors, no 'free' or 'risk-free' unless it is; penalties of up to $200,000.
• BCLC is a reporting entity under the PCMLTFA for its online casino, sports and poker products (s. 5(k.1)); virtual currency may not be accepted for a buy-in (B.C. Reg. 218/2025).

For a company that distributes games, a platform or other gaming supplies to BCLC for PlayNow.com.

1. 01

   Check the market

   Act s. 39

   BCLC runs every online game. There is no operator licence to apply for.

2. 02

   Secure a BCLC contract route

   B.C. Reg. 212/2025 s. 7

   Registration needs a contract, or a reasonable expectation of one, with BCLC or a registered provider; BCLC buys through public procurement.

3. 03

   Contact the IGCO and file

   Act s. 71 · IGCO forms

   Agree the documents with the Corporate Registration Unit, then file the corporate and personal disclosure forms and pay the class fee.

4. 04

   Pass the background investigation

   Act ss. 180-182

   Investigation costs at $150 an hour plus travel; the IGCO says applications typically take 3-4 months.

5. 05

   Get each supply tested and approved

   Act s. 46 · TGS5

   An IGCO-registered testing facility tests to TGS5; BCLC takes the supply to the IGCO for approval.

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 9 Nov 2026.