Quebec gambling licence: no online licence

The Criminal Code lets a provincial government conduct and manage lottery schemes, and Quebec gives that role to Loto-Québec by statute. No Quebec instrument creates a licence for a private online operator, and the RACJ cannot issue one: the lotteries act it administers does not apply to Loto-Québec's online games.

• Loto-Québec holds no licence for its online games and appears on no register; it is a State corporation whose shares are held by the Minister of Finance.
• The RACJ supervises the state casinos and video lotteries (land-based) and licenses charities' lotteries; it does not handle reports about Loto-Québec's online games.
• Offshore sites and sites licensed by the Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission, inside Quebec on the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke, still reach Quebec players. The Commission's regulations say they apply to gaming involving players within and outside the Territory; the Finance ministry calls Loto-Québec's site the only legal site in Quebec.
• No site is blocked. The 2016 blocking provisions of the Consumer Protection Act (arts. 260.33-260.37) never came into force, and art. 260.35 was held invalid by the Superior Court in 2018 and the Court of Appeal in 2021 (2021 QCCA 730).
• No bill on online gambling is pending. The 43rd legislature was dissolved on 27 August 2026, and the new Assembly first sits on 1 December 2026.

Laws that apply

• Act respecting the Société des loteries du Québec (CQLR, c. S-13.1): Loto-Québec conducts and manages the lottery systems (art. 16); the lotteries act does not apply to them except the state casinos and video lottery (art. 37)
• Regulation respecting games on telematics (S-13.1, r. 5) and Regulation respecting sports-betting contests and number games (S-13.1, r. 2), made by Loto-Québec's board and approved by the government
• Act respecting lotteries and amusement devices (CQLR, c. L-6), with the Regulation respecting lottery systems (L-6, r. 11.1: fees) and the Rules respecting lottery systems (L-6, r. 12.1: charity draws and the electronic-systems supplier licence)
• Act respecting the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (CQLR, c. R-6.1): the RACJ and appeals to the Tribunal administratif du Québec
• Act respecting contracting by public bodies (CQLR, c. C-65.1): Loto-Québec's contracts, and the authorisation of the Autorité des marchés publics
• Criminal Code, ss. 201, 206 and 207 (federal): the provincial-government exception and the gambling offences

No role in supplying Loto-Québec's online games needs a licence, registration or approval from a gambling regulator. Game studios, aggregators, platforms, hosting, live studios, payment, identity and geolocation vendors and data feeds contract with Loto-Québec directly, under the public-contract rules for government enterprises.

• Loto-Québec is a government enterprise listed in Schedule 3 of the Financial Administration Act and must adopt and publish a policy on the conditions of its contracts.
• Chapter V.1 of the Act respecting contracting by public bodies (integrity of enterprises) applies to its contracts: above the amount the government sets, the supplier needs the authorisation of the Autorité des marchés publics (C-65.1 art. 21.17).
• No instrument sets a technical standard, a certification or a server location for Loto-Québec's online games; a supplier builds to Loto-Québec's specification.
• Privacy law applies to a host outside Quebec: an assessment of privacy factors and a written agreement before personal information leaves Quebec (A-2.1 art. 70.1; P-39.1 art. 17).
• At the land-based state casinos only, the RACJ checks contractors, their directors and employees (L-6 arts. 52.10-52.11).
• Advertising Loto-Québec's games or using its marks needs its prior written authorisation; a breach is fined $25 to $5,000 for each day it continues (S-13.1 art. 26).

The one RACJ licence that touches online play. A company that supplies a charity with an electronic system used for a draw (a sales platform, winner selection or prize award) needs it; it does not cover supply to Loto-Québec and does not authorise the holder to conduct a draw.

• No minimum share capital, local office or local bank account is set; the application needs proof of solvency and names a representative.
• The application lists each director, officer and shareholder holding 10% or more of the voting shares.
• The RACJ may refuse for convictions within 3 years (summary offences linked to the activity, or offences under L-6) or 5 years (indictable offences linked to the activity), or for insolvency proceedings within 5 years.
• A change to the random number generator or to a critical component needs a new certificate.
• The cost charged to a charity for the system must be fixed and predetermined, not a percentage of profits (L-6, r. 12.1 art. 59).
• As of 9 November 2026 the RACJ's register lists five licences, held by five suppliers.

There is no application window. The application and its documents must reach the RACJ at least 30 days before the planned start; the RACJ prefers email, to [email protected].

• No decision deadline is set by the rules.
• The RACJ may ask for any further documents and information; any change must be reported at once.
• A decision that ends the matter may be contested before the Tribunal administratif du Québec within 30 days of notification (R-6.1 art. 40.1).
• A refused application may not be re-examined within a year unless new circumstances have arisen since the refusal (L-6 art. 50.0.0.1).
• The rules print no renewal procedure; each licence on the register runs one year from issue, so ask the RACJ whether a new application is needed.

No gaming tax exists. Loto-Québec pays dividends that the Minister of Finance fixes, with no statutory rate or formula (S-13.1 art. 23).

• Loto-Québec's gaming supplies bear QST (9.975%) and GST (5%), included in the ticket's face value and paid as a net tax on amounts bet less prizes (T-0.1, r. 2).
• A supplier established in Quebec pays corporate income tax at the Quebec base rate of 11.5% and the federal net rate of 15%.
• A payer must withhold 15% of fees paid to a non-resident for services rendered in Canada, unless a waiver is obtained (federal).
• Player winnings are not taxed for a recreational player.

No statute sets responsible gambling duties for the online games; they come from Loto-Québec's own terms, which a supplier builds to. Federal anti-money-laundering law applies in full.

• Players: Quebec residents aged 18 or over, physically in Quebec, identity validated before real-money play.
• Loto-Québec's weekly deposit limit runs from $25 to $9,999; self-exclusion lasts 3 months to 5 years; a play break 1 to 89 days.
• A provincial government running an online lottery scheme is a reporting entity under the PCMLTFA (s. 5(k.1)) and is treated as a casino for FINTRAC.
• Loto-Québec follows its own advertising code (OPE-35); no external authority regulates its advertising.

For a game studio, aggregator, platform or other vendor that wants its product in front of Quebec players. The only way in is a contract with Loto-Québec.

1. 01

   Check the market

   S-13.1 arts. 16, 37

   Loto-Québec runs every online game. There is no operator licence, and the RACJ has no power over Loto-Québec's online games.

2. 02

   Find Loto-Québec's contracting route

   C-65.1 art. 7 · A-6.001 schedule 3

   Loto-Québec publishes the conditions of its contracts; suppliers are selected under the public-contract rules.

3. 03

   Get the Autorité des marchés publics' authorisation if the contract needs it

   C-65.1 art. 21.17

   Above the amount the government sets, the supplier needs that authorisation; ask the Autorité whether the contract falls under it.

4. 04

   Meet Loto-Québec's technical and privacy terms

   A-2.1 art. 70.1 · P-39.1 art. 17

   No law sets the standard or server location; you build to Loto-Québec's specification, and a host outside Quebec needs the privacy assessment and written agreement.

For a company whose system runs a charity's electronic draw (raffles, 50/50 draws).

1. 01

   Register in Quebec

   L-6, r. 12.1 arts. 15-16

   A Quebec enterprise number, or an adult Canadian citizen or permanent resident, with a named representative.

2. 02

   Certify each system

   L-6, r. 12.1 arts. 53-54

   A qualified independent laboratory certifies the system and its random number generator to GLI-27, GLI-31 or the ISO/IEC 27000 suite.

3. 03

   File with the RACJ

   L-6, r. 12.1 art. 16

   At least 30 days before you start, with the directors, officers and 10% shareholders, proof of solvency, 2 years' experience and the certificates.

4. 04

   Pay and hold the licence

   L-6, r. 11.1 arts. 6, 8

   A $34.75 study fee and $250 on issue; the licence runs at most one year.

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