Québec Gambling Laws

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Québec is home to some of the biggest, most luxurious casinos in Canada.

The Casino Montreal and Casino du Lac-Leamy offer thousands of slots, table games and poker. The province is also home to small gambling halls offering slots and electronic table games.

Since 2010, Loto-Québec has offered a legal, online gambling portal called Espacejeux. The site offers online casino and lottery games and online poker. Legal sports betting is available via Loto-Québec’s Mise-o-jeu site. Loto-Québec also serves as the regulator for gambling in the province.

This guide has you covered for all the legal types of gambling in Québec. We summarize the gambling options below, followed by a detailed overview of the casinos, poker rooms, horse racing and sports betting options.

Is online gambling legal in Québec?

Yes. You can legally play at the Espacejeux. The Loto-Québec site offers a full range of casino games, poker, sports betting and lottery games.

Types of legal gambling in Québec

  • Casinos and gambling halls: There are a mix of commercial casinos and gambling halls in Québec. Gambling halls offer slot machines plus electronic table games. Video lottery terminals are available under license in bars offering slot-style “line games,” video poker and keno.
  • Poker rooms: Huge poker rooms can be found in the retail casinos operated by Loto-Québec. There are also poker rooms operated by the Mohawks of Kahnawake First Nation. Poker home games are permitted in Québec, as long as the host is not making a profit via rake or tournament entry fees.
  • Horse racing: Live harness racing is available at the Hippodrome 3R racetrack. This venue also has simulcast betting facilities.
  • Sports betting: Under the Canadian Criminal Code, sports betting is limited to wagers involving two or more games. This is available via Loto-Québec’s Mise-o-jeu platform. You can bet on major Canadian and international sports. Single-game wagers are legal and can include win bets, totals and props.
  • Lottery: Québec started a lottery early, with the first draw taking place in 1970. Today there are draws every night, with scratch cards and other games providing additional chances to win jackpot prizes.
  • Bingo/charitable gambling: You will find bingo halls throughout the province. These are licensed under charitable gambling laws — along with raffles and other fundraising games. Bingo halls can be run independently, though they must share profits with nonprofit organizations.
  • Online gambling: Loto-Québec offers the online gambling portal Mise-o-jeu for sports betting and Espacejeux for casino games, online lottery tickets and player vs. player poker.

Casinos in Québec

Retail casinos in Québec are operated by the Societe des casinos du Québec — a subsidiary of the crown corporation Loto-Québec. To say these are large casinos would be an understatement. Québec not only has some of the biggest casinos in Canada, these venues compete with the best casino resorts anywhere in the world.

Here are the major Québec live casinos in size order:

Casino Montreal

  • Address: 1 Avenue du Casino, Montreal, Québec
  • Hours: Open 24/7

One of the largest casinos in Canada, Casino Montreal covers three buildings, up to six floors and has more than 48,000 square meters for gambling. You will find 2,800 slots, more than 100 table games, “The Zone” electronic table gambling with special effects, electronic poker and multiple restaurants/bars at this venue. This casino uses buildings originally designed for the 1967 Montreal Expo.

Casino du Lac-Leamy

  • Address: 1 Boulevard du Casino, Gatineau, Québec
  • Hours: Open 24/7

This casino is located opposite Ottawa, attracting visitors from Ontario as well as locals. It is a large casino with 1,400+ slots and electronic games and 60 gambling tables. There is a Hilton hotel attached to this casino, along with multiple bars, restaurants and entertainment options. The casino has a separate 16-table poker room.

Casino de Charlevoix

  • Address: 183 rue Richelieu, La Malbaie, Québec
  • Hours: Monday through Thursday: 10 a.m. to midnight; Friday 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to midnight.

Based in the popular tourist area of Pointe-au-Pic, this casino opened in 1994. It is a mid-sized venue. You will find more than 650 slots, video poker terminals and electronic gambling options. There are 18 table games available and a separate poker room with five tables. This casino has two bars and a restaurant that offer casual dining menus.

Casino de Mont-Tremblant

  • Address: 300 chemin des Pleiades, Mont Tremblant, Québec
  • Hours: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight; Friday 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to midnight

The stone architecture of the Mont Tremblant makes for a picturesque setting for this casino. Games are spread over three floors. They include 350slots, 16 table games and a three-table poker room. There is a single bar, which offers music and entertainment, plus a restaurant.

Québec gambling halls

Smaller “gambling halls” have slots and electronic games. They are operated by a different subsidiary of Loto-Québec, the Societe des establishments de jeux du Québec. There are no table games at these casinos. Instead, blackjack, roulette and casino poker variants can be played on electronic gambling consoles.

  • Salon de Jeux Québec: This gambling hall is located in Québec City. There are 310 machines covering slots, VLTs, keno and electronic table games. You will find a bar at this venue, offering live entertainment each Friday.
  • Salon de Jeux Trois-Rivieres: Located in the city of Trois Rivieres, this gambling hall has 300 devices. Most of them are slots, with VLTs and limited electronic versions of table games. This venue is close to the Hippodrome harness racing track. It has a single bar, which provides live music each Friday.

Québec poker rooms

There are seven poker rooms in Québec. Five of them are at the big casinos operated by the provincial government. You will also find poker rooms on First Nation lands — notably the Kahnawake nation close to Montreal).

Here are the poker rooms:

  • Playground Poker Club: Located in Kahnawake, close to Montreal, this giant poker room has 60 tables. It also has electronic gambling devices providing casino games and slots.
  • Poker Palace: This venue is also located on Kahnawake territory. There are 32 tables providing poker cash games and tournament action around the clock.
  • Casino Montreal: With 18 tables and round-the-clock action, this is the biggest room at a government-run casino. It is located within the iconic buildings of the Montreal Casino.
  • El Jumelgi Poker Room: There are 17 tables at this poker room, which is located in Montreal.
  • Casino du Lac-Leamy: There are 16 tables at this Gatineau-based casino’s poker room.
  • Casino de Charlevoux: This small poker room located in La Malbaie features five tables.
  • Casino de Mont Tremblant: This casino has a small poker room, with just three tables.

Québec lottery

Loto-Québec is the government body that oversees gambling in this province. It was formed when lotteries were first made legal in 1969 — with the first draw taking place in 1970. Today, there is a thriving lottery, which includes national draws, province-wide draws, scratch cards, instant games and keno options.

Here are the current draws with giant jackpots:

  • Lotto Max: This is a Canada-wide draw that takes place twice each week. The jackpot starts at $10 million, going up to $80 million. Tickets cost $5, with the draw taking place every Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lotto 6/49: Named after the number of selections from 49 possible numbers, this national draw also has an impressive jackpot. Each $3 ticket is eligible for two multimillion dollar prize draws: the Classic jackpot, which is fixed at $5 million, and either the Gold Ball Jackpot (which starts at $10 million and can go as high as $68 million) or a $1 million prize.
  • Lotto Poker Plus: The smaller progressive for this game is certainly worth winning. Draws costs $2 (with an extra $1 for the “plus” section) and take place every evening. The grand prize is $100,000.

The Québec lottery includes hybrid games that combine elements of scratch cards and televised draws. A recent example is “la poule aux oeufa d’or.” You buy a $2 ticket, then watch the live shot for prizes of up to $150,000.

There are scratch cards and novelty games available via retail outlets. You can also buy tickets and enjoy online cards and novelty games via the Espacejeux website.

Sports betting in Québec

Betting on sports is through the Mise-o-jeu platform, which is administered by Loto-Québec. It allows betting on single-game wagers.

Win bets are possible, as are spread bets, totals and player props bets. You can also take part in picks-type contests, which are paid based on how your selections compare to others who took part.

The list of sports you can bet on is restricted. Wagers are allowed on soccer, hockey, football, baseball, basketball, tennis, MMA/boxing, golf and auto racing.

Horse racing in Québec

Hippodrome 3R based in Trois-Rivieres is the lone horse racing track in Québec. It offers harness racing during the May to November season.

There are also limited off-track betting locations, where you can bet remotely on races from Canada, the US and around the world.

Bingo halls and charitable gambling in Québec

Charitable gambling requires a license from Loto-Québec. The types of gambling that are licensed to registered charities include bingo games, raffles, kinzo and breakout cards.

Bingo halls have been established around Québec to raise funds for charities and religious organizations. They run a mix of games, some of which are linked between the halls, providing opportunities for larger jackpots.

Wrapping up: Gambling in Québec

Québec is home to some of the world’s most luxurious casinos.

It also enjoys horse racing, sports betting and poker games. The opportunities to gamble include Loto-Québec online portals. Espacejeux offers casino games, slots, poker and lottery games. Mise-o-jeu is Loto-Québec’s home for online sports betting.

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