All the main gambling formats are legal in Prince Edward Island. You can even gamble online via the Atlantic Lottery Corp. portal. While the live casinos in PEI are small, they offer many of the latest slots from major international producers. Both online and live casinos give you a shot at winning a progressive jackpot.
During the season, you can enjoy harness racing at the Prince Edward Island racetracks. Alongside the live action, you can bet via simulcast on races in North America and Europe. Sports betting for Prince Edward Island residents follows the national “two matches” rule. You can wager on parlays or futures, or take part in daily fantasy sports-style picks contests.
This page has you covered for all the gambling formats in the province of Prince Edward Island. It covers the laws governing live and online gambling below, along with the different ways to wager.
Is gambling legal in Prince Edward Island?
You can legally enjoy casino games, slots, lottery draws, instant lottery games and online bingo, and make Pro-Line sports betting wagers online from Prince Edward Island. These options are available via ALC.ca — an online gambling portal that is shared among the Atlantic provinces.
Big jackpots and second-chance drawings are available through the Atlantic Lottery Corp. website. By gambling at this site, you can be sure that profits go toward various causes in the region.
The legal gambling age in Prince Edward Island is 19.
Types of legal gambling in Prince Edward Island
You can choose from all the main gambling formats. Here is a list of the most popular activities:
- Casinos: In comparison to casinos in provinces with bigger populations, PEI has small venues. Slots and limited table games are available in Charlottetown and Summerside. What these Prince Edward Island casinos lack in size, however, they make up for with a selection of the latest slot releases.
- Sports betting: National laws restrict sports betting to parlays with two or more selections. You can bet on the major North American leagues, soccer and esports via the Pro-Line system. Daily fantasy sports and futures betting are also available.
- Poker: The province of Prince Edward Island features poker on a limited scale. There is a single room at the Red Shores Racetrack & Casino in Charlottetown. You can also enjoy home games — as long as nobody is making a profit from holding the game.
- Horse racing bets: Harness racing is exceedingly popular in PEI. That, combined with OTBs provided plenty of chances to bet on horses in this province. You can wager via simulcast on races from around the world.
- Lottery: Prince Edward Island is a founding member of the Atlantic Lottery Corp. Via its network of retail outlets and online ticket sales, it offers a chance to join national draws and smaller draws just for the Atlantic provinces. You can also play instant games and scratch cards.
- Bingo/charity gambling: Bingo halls that raise money for charitable and religious organizations have a presence on Prince Edward Island. Charity fundraising events can be separately licensed for bingo, casino style games and raffles.
- Online gambling: The ALC portal gives you access to casino games and slots, online sports gambling, and lottery style games. This is the only officially legal way to gamble online.
Live Casinos in Prince Edward Island
Red Shores Racetrack & Casino
- Address: 58 Kensington Road, Charlottetown, PEI
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. (2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday)
With harness racing, simulcast betting, a poker room and casino, the Red Shores Racetrack hosts the biggest casino in the province. You can pick from many of the most popular slots. Examples are Aristocrat’s Buffalo Gold and the newer Tarzan games. With more than 200 slot machines to choose from, this selection includes jackpot games and traditional (reel) slots as well as the newer titles. There are also four table games, covering blackjack and roulette.
Dining and entertainment options include a three-tier restaurant with views of the racetrack. The venue boasts fine dining, a casual restaurant and bars. You can hire out venues for private parties and corporate events. Red Shores also offers trivia nights and specials for horse racing wagers.
Red Shores Summerside Raceway
- Address: 55 Greenwood Drive, Summerside, PEI
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
This racetrack casino is a satellite of the bigger venue in Charlottetown. It is located in Summerside along with a harness racing track. There are only 40 slots at this casino, making it tiny in comparison to others in Canada. With a selection of slots and electronic games, though, Red Shores Summerside does allow you to gamble while you enjoy the other facilities.
Is sports betting legal in Prince Edward Island?
In line with national laws, sports bets in PEI need to cover at least two games. You can create parlays of between two and eight games online at the ALC portal. They can involve win bets, totals or props (which are sport-specific). Major sports available to bet on include the major leagues of North America, plus soccer, golf, tennis and esports.
You can also take part in picks-style contests and futures betting.
Poker rooms in Prince Edward Island
You will only find a single poker room in PEI. This is located at the Red Shores Racetrack complex in Charlottetown. This only has five tables and is not open around the clock. You will find small stakes Texas Hold’em cash games, plus small buy-in tournaments here.
The other option for playing poker on Prince Edward Island is home games (which are legal as long as they are not raked and for social purposes). The ALC portal does not offer online poker.
Prince Edward Island lottery
Prince Edward Island residents get to enter the big national draws and smaller (though still $1 million+ prize) draws restricted to the Atlantic provinces. Tickets can be purchased at retail outlets around PEI, or online via the ALC portal. If you buy them online, you can get tickets for many weeks ahead in one go.
Big draws include:
- Lotto Max
- 6/49 Lotto
- The Daily Grand
- 6/49 Atlantic Lottery
The PEI lottery also gives you options to buy scratch cards, play bingo-style games and take part in second-chance draws for losing retail tickets.
Bingo and charity gambling in Prince Edward Island
To host charitable gambling events, individual licenses are required. These are available through the Consumer, Labour and Financial Services Division of the Department of Environment, Labour and Justice. There are prize limits, with only bingo, raffles, break open games and Monte Carlo-style games permitted. You can find bingo halls around Prince Edward Island.
Prince Edward Island online gambling
The Atlantic Lottery Corp. gambling site offers multiple forms of online gambling. The first thing you will see are the lottery draws. You can check the winning numbers or purchase tickets online. Instant lottery games, online bingo and second-chance games are also available.
Casino games are popular online. You can play blackjack games, online roulette and poker-themed casino table games, including Let It Ride. Slots include the online versions of many classic titles from IGT and Scientific Games that you will find in live casinos. You can win progressive jackpots or hit it big via bonus features.
Sports betting is also offered via the ALC portal. This uses the Pro-Line system, which allows parlays, DFS-style contests and futures bets.
Wrapping up: Gambling in the province of Prince Edward Island
While there are only two casinos in the province, Prince Edward Island residents have a variety of ways to gamble. As long as you are 19 or older, you can enjoy live slots, casino table games, poker, bingo and simulcast wagering at live venues.
Head online through the ALC website, and you can enjoy online casino options and bingo, as well as buying lottery tickets. You can also check your numbers and take part in second-chance draws for tickets bought at retail outlets.
Sports betting is restricted to multi-game wagers, though there are multiple options within this format.
Prince Edward Island Gambling FAQ
The ALC.ca portal allows you to legally bet on sports, table games, slots and bingo and play lottery draws and instant games anywhere in the province. The advantage is that profits stay in the region. The downside is that the selection of games and sports betting opportunities are limited.
The size of PEI means that individual provincial legislation is not on the table. There are scenarios in which the provinces in the Atlantic region get together to regulate outside brands.
You need to be 19 or older to gamble in this province. This is also the age for legal drinking.
No. The same tax laws on gambling apply throughout Canada. Unless you are a professional gambler, you do not need to pay taxes on any gambling wins — even the biggest lottery or slot jackpot prizes. If your main income source comes from gambling on poker, sports or horse racing bets, then this will be taxed as business income.