01PlayNow, in one paragraph
PlayNow is BCLC's online gambling site. It offers casino games, poker, lottery and sports betting. BCLC owns and runs it on behalf of the province, under the oversight of the Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO). It is open only to players located in BC.
The BC government says PlayNow.com is the only legal online gambling site in the province. PlayNow's own wording is that the IGCO regulates online gambling in BC and that PlayNow holds the sole licence. The same government page says gambling in BC is legal only when the provincial government runs 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
The province's wording is direct: PlayNow.com is "the only legal online gambling site in B.C." PlayNow puts it this way: "Other sites may be reachable here, but without a B.C. licence, they're not legal."
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
From official sources:
- 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 Sources that still name GPEB as the regulator are out of date.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.
News reports, not official sources, add the following. A 2025 ministry statement reportedly said the government was working with BCLC on options for dealing with unregulated online gambling, with no changes planned. In June 2026, the finance minister reportedly estimated that about $441 million a year flows through unregulated online sites and said the PlayNow platform would be replaced in fall 2026. Coverage of a June 2026 IGCO prevalence report said people using non-regulated sites showed higher risk. This guide has not seen the IGCO report itself or an official notice of a platform replacement.
05Encore Rewards and PlayNow
Encore Rewards is BCLC's loyalty program for BC casinos and Chances locations, including Parq Casino. The sources used for this guide do not say whether it links to PlayNow, so this page 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.
Game Break is BCLC's voluntary self-exclusion program:
- Terms are 6 months, 1 year, 2 years 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.
- BCLC's April 2025 fact sheet says enrolment anywhere excludes a person from both PlayNow and all BC gambling facilities. An older, undated listing says PlayNow enrolment covers online only. Confirm 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.