Is online gambling legal in Saskatchewan?

Yes, through one site. PlayNow.com, managed by Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan and operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, has been the province's only legal online casino and sportsbook since 3 November 2022. Private operators cannot be licensed under Criminal Code section 207.

Who regulates gambling in Saskatchewan?

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority regulates lottery schemes, horse racing and charitable gaming and registers gaming employees and suppliers. Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, a Crown corporation, conducts and manages casinos, VLTs, lotteries and online gaming.

How big is Saskatchewan's online gambling market?

PlayNow revenue was $29.9 million in the year to 31 March 2026, up 23%, with net income of $12.4 million and 59,080 registrants, according to the LGS annual report. That is 3.7% of the sector's $797.7 million revenue.

How is gambling taxed in Saskatchewan?

There is no gaming tax. The province takes Crown profit, and the LGS Act splits PlayNow net profits 50/50 with the First Nations Trust. LGS paid $160 million to the General Revenue Fund in 2025-26 and First Nation and Metis organisations received $153.5 million.

What is the minimum gambling age in Saskatchewan?

19. The Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Act, 1997 defines a minor as a person under 19, and PlayNow is open to players aged 19 and over.

Sub-national

North America

Saskatchewan (Canada): gambling regulation and licensing

Part of Canada

Online sports bettingMonopoly
Online casinoMonopoly
Online pokerMonopoly
iLotteryMonopoly
Horse race bettingRegulated
Land-based (reference)Regulated

Regulator: Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: No
Last verified: 13 Sept 2026

Summary

Saskatchewan runs a provincial monopoly with a First Nations operator at its centre. Under section 207 of the Criminal Code only the province may conduct and manage a lottery scheme, and since 1 June 2023 that function has sat with Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (LGS), a commercial Crown corporation created by chapter 34 of 2023 to oversee the whole sector: slot machines in the nine casinos, about 4,200 VLTs in more than 550 licensed venues, ticket lotteries through the Western Canada Lottery Corporation and Sask Sport, and PlayNow, the province's only legal online gaming site. PlayNow launched on 3 November 2022 on BCLC's platform and is operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority under the Gaming Framework Agreement with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the first arrangement in Canada to make a First Nations body the provincial online operator, with net profits split 50/50 between LGS and the First Nations Trust by statute. Regulation is separate: the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority regulates lottery schemes, horse racing and charitable gaming and registers gaming employees and suppliers, with lottery regulation consolidated there in 2023. The figures are LGS's own. Sector revenue reached $797.7 million in the year to 31 March 2026 and net income before payments to the General Revenue Fund a record $400.0 million, of which online gaming contributed $12.4 million on PlayNow revenue of $29.9 million, up 23%, with 59,080 registrants. Land-based casinos and VLTs still account for more than 83% of net income. There is no gaming tax and no private online licence; the province's share is Crown profit, and a commercial operator's only routes in are supply and registration.

Common pitfalls

Confusing SLGA with the operator: SLGA regulates, LGS conducts and manages, and SIGA and SaskGaming operate. Reading LGS's $797.7 million as an online figure: PlayNow is $29.9 million of it. Assuming SLGA still runs VLTs or that SaskGaming runs PlayNow; both moved to LGS in 2023.

Key facts

Regulator: Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA)
Regulator type: Sub-national body
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: No
Minimum age: 19+
Tax base: No gaming tax; the province takes its share as Crown profit. PlayNow net profits are split 50/50 between LGS and the First Nations Trust under section 5-2 of the LGS Act. VLT proceeds go 82% (less expenses) to LGS and 18% to site contractors. Up to 25% of SaskGaming casino net profits go to the First Nations Trust, and Community Development Corporations receive the equivalent of 25% of SIGA casino net profits under the 2002 Gaming Framework Agreement. LGS paid $160.0 million to the General Revenue Fund in 2025-26 and First Nation and Metis organisations received $153.5 million in gaming payments.

Legal framework

Primary statutes

Criminal Code, section 207
Year
1985
In force
Yes
Summary
Only a provincial government may conduct and manage a lottery scheme, alone or with another province, in accordance with provincial law (207(1)(a)). Charitable and fair licences under 207(1)(b) to (f) cannot cover games operated on or through a computer, video device or slot machine (207(4)(c)), which reserves online gaming to the province.
The Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Act, 1997
Year
1997
In force
Yes
Summary
Continues the Liquor and Gaming Authority and makes it responsible for the regulation and control of lottery schemes and of horse racing and racetracks (section 12). It registers gaming employees, gaming regulators, suppliers and gaming directors, licenses charitable gaming and horse racing (section 17), defines a minor as a person under 19, and provides for First Nation gaming licensing authorities to licence on-reserve charitable gaming.
The Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan Corporation Act
Year
2023
In force
Yes
Summary
Chapter 34 of 2023, effective 1 April 2023. Creates LGS as a commercial Crown corporation to oversee the gaming industry and to conduct and manage lottery schemes (section 2-7), continues SaskGaming as its subsidiary, and fixes the statutory distributions: up to 50% of online gaming net profits from the SIGA arrangement to the First Nations Trust (section 5-2), up to 25% of SaskGaming casino net profits to the trust, and payments to the Metis Development Fund and Community Initiatives Fund.

Secondary instruments

Gaming Framework Agreement between the Province and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (2002), as amended
Year
2002
In force
Yes
Summary
Sets the terms for First Nations casino gaming through SIGA and is reviewed every five years. The 2021 amendment made SIGA the province's online gaming operator; the June 2023 amending agreement added 200 SIGA slot machines, $250,000 a year for the First Nations Addictions and Rehabilitation Foundation and wider Indigenous Gaming Regulators powers; a further amending agreement was approved by Order in Council 355/2026, signed 26 August 2026.

Key amendments

1 Jun 2023LGS assumed full conduct-and-management powers; VLT management moved from SLGA to LGS, online gaming from SaskGaming to LGS, and lottery regulation moved to SLGA so that regulation and operation sit in separate bodies.

Licensing

Licence required: No
Application window: Closed
Local establishment required: Not yet verified
Local server required: Not yet verified
Active licences: 1 (as of 31 Mar 2026)
Notable licensees: PlayNow Saskatchewan (SIGA, on the BCLC platform)
Barriers to entry: There is no operator licence for private online gambling. Criminal Code 207 confines online gaming to the province, LGS conducts and manages it, and SIGA is the sole online operator under the Gaming Framework Agreement. The commercial routes are supply and registration: platform and content supply to PlayNow (which runs on BCLC's system), gaming supplies or services to the casinos and VLT program under SLGA registration, or a VLT site contract for a liquor-licensed venue. Saskatchewan has not adopted an Ontario-style open market.

Licence types

Certificate of registration (gaming employee, gaming regulator, supplier, gaming director)
Scope
SLGA registration under The Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Act, 1997 for persons and suppliers of gaming supplies or services to LGS, SaskGaming or SIGA operations; on-reserve registrations are granted by First Nation gaming licensing authorities.
VLT site contract
Scope
Application-driven; a site must hold an SLGA liquor licence. Sites receive an 18% commission on VLT net revenue.
Charitable gaming licence (Criminal Code 207(1)(b))
Scope
Bingo, raffles and break-open tickets for charitable or religious organisations, issued by SLGA or, on reserve, by a First Nation gaming licensing authority.

Taxation

Headline GGR tax: Not yet verified
Effective date: Not yet verified
Tax base: No gaming tax; the province takes its share as Crown profit. PlayNow net profits are split 50/50 between LGS and the First Nations Trust under section 5-2 of the LGS Act. VLT proceeds go 82% (less expenses) to LGS and 18% to site contractors. Up to 25% of SaskGaming casino net profits go to the First Nations Trust, and Community Development Corporations receive the equivalent of 25% of SIGA casino net profits under the 2002 Gaming Framework Agreement. LGS paid $160.0 million to the General Revenue Fund in 2025-26 and First Nation and Metis organisations received $153.5 million in gaming payments.

Compliance

Minimum age: 19+
National self-exclusion: Game Break (formerly the voluntary self-exclusion program), shared between SaskGaming, SIGA and PlayNow (voluntary)
AML regime: Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, with LGS quarterly reviews of SIGA and SaskGaming FINTRAC submissions and an operator AML working group.
AML supervisor: FINTRAC (federal); LGS oversight of operator compliance
Deposit limits: PlayNow offers player-set limits, play breaks and pop-up reminders of time and money spent under the GameSense program; no statutory limit is recorded.
KYC requirements: PlayNow uses log-in protection including personal verification questions; casinos and PlayNow report to FINTRAC under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act.
Stake limits: Not yet verified
Mandatory player messaging: GameSense pop-up reminders of time and money spent and problem gambling referral information on PlayNow; GameSense Advisors available 24/7 by live chat.
Reporting obligations: LGS reports sector results annually to the Legislature; PlayNow is RG Check accredited through BCLC and casinos are reaccredited on a cycle (SaskGaming 2025, four SIGA casinos early 2026).

Advertising

Advertising permitted: Yes

Restrictions

PlayNow adheres to Saskatchewan's Internet Gaming Advertising and Marketing Standards (iGAMS), which prohibit predatory advertising tactics aimed at vulnerable populations such as minors.
Casino marketing must not mislead players, misrepresent products or target potentially vulnerable players.

Market data

Figures on this record are drawn from official regulator data.

Online GGR: C$29,874,000 as of 31 Mar 2026
Reporting year: 2026
Year-on-year growth: 23.4%
Online share of gambling: 3.7%
Licensed operators: 1

Timeline

1 Jan 2002
Province and FSIN sign the Gaming Framework Agreement governing SIGA casinos (2002; reviewed every five years, day not stated in the sources cited).
27 Oct 2022
Government announces Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan as a new Crown corporation consolidating casinos, VLTs, lotteries and online gaming, with regulation consolidated in SLGA.
3 Nov 2022
PlayNow.com launches as the province's first legal online gaming platform, operated by SIGA on BCLC's system.
1 Jun 2023
LGS takes full conduct-and-management powers under The Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan Corporation Act (retroactive to 1 April 2023).
15 Jun 2023
2023 Amending Agreement to the Gaming Framework Agreement: 200 more SIGA slot machines and wider Indigenous Gaming Regulators powers.
23 Jun 2026
LGS reports record 2025-26 net income of $400.0 million before GRF payments; PlayNow revenue $29.9 million.
26 Aug 2026
Order in Council 355/2026 approves a further amending agreement to the Gaming Framework Agreement with the FSIN.

Outlook

The model is settled and profitable, and the Order in Council of 26 August 2026 approving a further amending agreement to the Gaming Framework Agreement signals continuity with the FSIN rather than any move toward an open market. The number to watch is PlayNow's share: at 3.7% of revenue and 2.6% of net income after three full years, LGS itself describes the online segment as facing stiff competition from unregulated operators. Pressure for Ontario-style competitive licensing will build if that share stalls, but every statutory distribution now assumes the SIGA monopoly, which makes reform slow.

Frequently asked questions

Is online gambling legal in Saskatchewan?: Yes, through one site. PlayNow.com, managed by Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan and operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, has been the province's only legal online casino and sportsbook since 3 November 2022. Private operators cannot be licensed under Criminal Code section 207.
Who regulates gambling in Saskatchewan?: The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority regulates lottery schemes, horse racing and charitable gaming and registers gaming employees and suppliers. Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, a Crown corporation, conducts and manages casinos, VLTs, lotteries and online gaming.
How big is Saskatchewan's online gambling market?: PlayNow revenue was $29.9 million in the year to 31 March 2026, up 23%, with net income of $12.4 million and 59,080 registrants, according to the LGS annual report. That is 3.7% of the sector's $797.7 million revenue.
How is gambling taxed in Saskatchewan?: There is no gaming tax. The province takes Crown profit, and the LGS Act splits PlayNow net profits 50/50 with the First Nations Trust. LGS paid $160 million to the General Revenue Fund in 2025-26 and First Nation and Metis organisations received $153.5 million.
What is the minimum gambling age in Saskatchewan?: 19. The Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Act, 1997 defines a minor as a person under 19, and PlayNow is open to players aged 19 and over.

iGT coverage of Saskatchewan (Canada)

Canadian senator pushes for national ban on all sports betting advertising

Regulatory

6 Sept 2026

Saskatchewan Extends SIGA's Online Gaming Exclusivity to September 2029

The province and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations have amended their Gaming Framework Agreement to keep the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority's PlayNow.com as the only legal online operator for another three years, add 49 slot machines to SIGA's allocation and approve a First Nations gaming centre pilot at Flying Dust First Nation.

Sources

The Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Act, 1997, SS 1997 c A-18.011 (consolidated to 2025 c 27)
King's Printer for Saskatchewan (publications.saskatchewan.ca)
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026
The Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan Corporation Act, SS 2023 c 34 (effective 1 April 2023)
King's Printer for Saskatchewan (publications.saskatchewan.ca)
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 1 Aug 2023
Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, 2025-26 Annual Report (year to 31 March 2026)
Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (via saskatchewan.ca)
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 23 Jun 2026
Another Strong Year for Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (news release, 23 June 2026)
Government of Saskatchewan
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 23 Jun 2026
SaskGaming Celebrates the Launch of the PlayNow.com Online Gaming Platform (news release, 3 November 2022)
Government of Saskatchewan
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 3 Nov 2022
Government Announces New Crown Corporation, Changes to the Structure of Lotteries and Gaming (news release, 27 October 2022)
Government of Saskatchewan
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 27 Oct 2022
Changes to the Gaming Framework Agreement Between FSIN and Saskatchewan (news release, 15 June 2023)
Government of Saskatchewan
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 15 Jun 2023
Additional $46 Million in Gaming Payments for First Nation and Metis Organizations in 2025-26 (news release, 17 March 2026)
Government of Saskatchewan
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 17 Mar 2026
Saskatchewan Gaming Trusts and Grants (Ministry of Government Relations)
Government of Saskatchewan
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026
Order in Council 355/2026, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Amending Agreement, Gaming Framework Agreement (signed 26 August 2026)
King's Printer for Saskatchewan (publications.saskatchewan.ca)
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 1 Sept 2026
Criminal Code (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46), section 207, Permitted lotteries
Department of Justice Canada (Justice Laws Website)
Tier 1Accessed 13 Sept 2026Published 11 Sept 2026