Responsible Gaming
Free, confidential help is available everywhere in Canada. If gambling is causing harm to you or someone close to you, this page lists who to call and what your options are.
If you need to speak to someone now
ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 — free, confidential, available 24 hours a day, every day, and able to take calls from anywhere in Canada. You do not need a diagnosis, a plan or a particular reason to call. Provincial services are listed in full below.
Our commitment
Canada Hideaways writes about casino hotels as travel destinations. That gives us an obligation not to pretend gambling is a harmless amenity like a swimming pool. Every game on a licensed Canadian casino floor is designed to return less than it takes in, and for a minority of people, playing them causes serious financial, personal and health damage.
So we hold ourselves to a few rules. We publish no strategy content, systems or staking plans, because none of them alter a house advantage. We publish no bonus offers, promotional codes, urgency or framing of gambling as a way to make money. We do not operate a casino, accept wagers, process payments, or promote internet gaming of any kind. We state the gaming age for the relevant province on every property we review, and we carry a responsible gaming note on every review page.
This page exists because it is the most useful thing a publication in this space can offer.
Know your limits
The measures below are the ones that consistently help. They are unglamorous, which is rather the point.
- Decide the amount before you go. Set it at home, in the same category as theatre tickets or a restaurant bill — money you have chosen to spend, not money you expect to get back.
- Set a time limit too. Sessions expand quietly. Decide when you will leave the floor and treat it as fixed.
- Leave the rest inaccessible. Take the amount you have decided on and nothing more; leave cards and additional funds in the room safe.
- Never borrow to play, and never use money set aside for rent, food, bills or debts.
- Do not chase a loss. The urge to win it back is the single most reliable route to a much larger loss. The mathematics do not become more favourable because you are behind.
- Take breaks off the floor. Eat properly, go outside, use the pool. The larger resorts make this easy and it genuinely resets your judgement.
- Do not play to escape distress. Gambling while upset, lonely, bored or intoxicated is when limits fail.
- Keep it social. Playing with someone who knows what you decided to spend is a useful check.
Gambling is a form of entertainment that costs money. It is not a source of income, and any framing that suggests otherwise is wrong as a matter of mathematics rather than opinion.
Support resources across Canada
Every service listed here is free and confidential. Most operate 24 hours. You can call about your own gambling or about someone else's.
| Province | Service | Telephone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada-wide | ConnexOntario (accepts calls from across Canada) | 1-866-531-2600 | Free, confidential, 24 hours, interpretation available |
| Ontario | ConnexOntario | 1-866-531-2600 | Free, confidential, 24 hours |
| British Columbia | BC Problem Gambling Help Line | 1-888-795-6111 | Free, confidential, 24 hours |
| Alberta | Alberta Health Services Addiction Helpline | 1-866-332-2322 | Free, confidential, 24 hours |
| Quebec | Jeu : aide et référence | 1-800-461-0140 | Free, confidential, 24 hours, bilingual |
| Manitoba | Manitoba Addictions Helpline | 1-855-662-6605 | Free, confidential |
| Saskatchewan | Problem Gambling Helpline | 1-800-306-6789 | Free, confidential, 24 hours |
| Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia Gambling Support Network | 1-888-347-8888 | Free, confidential, 24 hours |
| New Brunswick | CHIMO Helpline | 1-800-667-5005 | Free, confidential, 24 hours |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Provincial Mental Health and Addictions | 1-877-999-7589 | Free, confidential |
| Prince Edward Island | PEI Provincial Addictions Services | 1-888-299-8399 | Free, confidential |
National organisations
- Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) — research, prevention programmes and public information. responsiblegambling.org
- Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) — evidence and guidance on addiction, including gambling. ccsa.ca
- GameSense (BCLC) — information programme with advisors physically present inside British Columbia gaming venues. gamesense.com
- Gamblers Anonymous — peer support meetings across Canada, in person and online. gamblersanonymous.org
- Wellness Together Canada — free mental health and substance use support, including counselling. wellnesstogether.ca
Telephone numbers and web addresses are provided for convenience and were current at the time of publication. Canada Hideaways is not affiliated with any organisation listed and receives nothing for listing them.
Self-exclusion programmes
Every province with commercial casinos operates a voluntary self-exclusion programme. You ask, in writing, to be barred from licensed gaming venues for a fixed period, and the operator is then obliged to refuse you entry. It is confidential, free, and initiated entirely by you.
| Province | Programme | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Self-Exclusion, administered through the venue operator under AGCO oversight | Enrol in person at any casino's guest services desk or through the operator's responsible gaming office. Terms from six months upward. |
| British Columbia | Voluntary Self-Exclusion (BCLC), integrated with GameSense | Enrol with a GameSense advisor inside any BCLC venue. Applies across all BC gaming facilities. |
| Alberta | Self-Exclusion Program (AGLC) | Enrol at a licensed casino or through AGLC. Covers licensed Alberta gaming venues. |
| Quebec | Self-Exclusion (Loto-Québec) | Enrol at any Loto-Québec casino. Applies to all provincial casinos and gaming halls. |
| Manitoba | Voluntary Self-Exclusion (Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries) | Enrol at either Winnipeg casino. Applies to provincial gaming venues. |
| Saskatchewan | Self-Exclusion (Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation / SIGA) | Enrol at a casino guest services desk; applies to participating provincial venues. |
| Nova Scotia | Self-Exclusion (Casino Nova Scotia) | Enrol at the venue. Applies to provincial casino facilities. |
Two practical notes. Self-exclusion works better alongside support — a helpline call, counselling or a peer group — than on its own. And a family member concerned about someone else cannot enrol them; what they can do is call a helpline for guidance, which is exactly what those services are for.
Signs of problem gambling
Problem gambling is not defined by the amount spent — it is defined by the effect. The signs below are the ones clinicians and support services consistently describe. Any of them is worth taking seriously; several together warrant a call.
In yourself
- Spending more than you planned, repeatedly, despite intending not to
- Returning to win back losses, or gambling to relieve stress or low mood
- Borrowing, selling things or using money meant for bills in order to play
- Lying about how much time or money is going into it
- Thinking about gambling when you are not doing it, and finding it hard to stop
- Missing work, study or commitments; withdrawing from people
- Feeling guilt, anxiety or shame afterwards — and playing again anyway
In someone else
- Money that cannot be accounted for; unexplained loans or debts
- Secrecy or defensiveness about time, spending or whereabouts
- Mood swings tied to gambling outcomes
- Bills unpaid while gambling continues
- Withdrawal from family, friends and activities they used to value
- Promises to stop that are made sincerely and not kept
If any of this is familiar
Call 1-866-531-2600 or the provincial service for where you live. It is free, it is confidential, and you do not need to have hit a crisis to be worth talking to. If you are worried about someone else, the same services will advise you — you do not need their permission to ask for guidance.
Age restrictions
Gambling in Canada is restricted to adults, with the threshold set provincially: 18+ in Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba, and 19+ in Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. Photo identification is checked at entry at every licensed venue. The full table, with regulators, is on our planning page.
This website is intended for adults. Its content is informational and is not directed at anyone below the legal gambling age in their province.
Disclaimer
Canada Hideaways is an independent informational publication, not a gambling platform. We do not operate, own or manage any casino or gambling facility. We do not accept bets or wagers, process deposits or withdrawals, or offer, host or promote any form of online gambling, internet casino, mobile gaming application or betting platform.
Nothing on this page is medical, clinical, legal or financial advice. If gambling is affecting your health, finances or relationships, contact one of the services listed above or speak to a doctor. In an emergency, call 911.