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.
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.
You can choose from all the main gambling formats. Here is a list of the most popular activities:
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.
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.
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.
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 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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.