New Brunswick reviews its iGaming monopoly as grey-market play grows

New Brunswick is examining whether to let private operators into its online gambling market, a move that would end Atlantic Lottery's monopoly in the province. Finance Minister René Legacy confirmed the review to the Telegraph-Journal, and Casino.org reported the detail on 22 October.

The province has described the work as an exploration of options. It has not published a timeline, a consultation paper or a draft framework, which keeps the story at the level of intent for now.

A Monopoly Under Review

Online gambling in New Brunswick is delivered by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, a government-owned body that runs lottery, sports betting and online casino products for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Legacy said Premier Susan Holt's government is weighing a change to the regulatory model, driven by concern that play is migrating to unlicensed sites. Atlantic Lottery splits its profits among the four Atlantic provinces, so any change touches all of them.

Why The Province Is Looking Again

The pressure is structural rather than sudden. New Brunswick residents who try to reach Ontario-licensed platforms are geo-blocked, and are frequently redirected to international grey-market domains run by the same parent brands.

National broadcast advertising from Ontario and Alberta licensees reaches New Brunswick audiences even though those operators cannot legally serve the province. The gap between what residents see and what they may use is the gap the review is about.

Ontario And Alberta As The Template

Ontario's figures are the argument the industry makes. The province reported CA$396.3 million in non-adjusted gross gaming revenue for August, with nearly 50 licensed operators active in the market.

Alberta opened on 13 July this year and already counts more than 50 operator sites live inside its regulated space. An industry source quoted by Casino.org said early indications suggest Alberta may outperform Ontario per capita.

What Channelisation Research Shows

Atlantic Lottery's own numbers describe a market that is mostly outside the regulated system. President and CEO Dallas McCready said the corporation's share of regional online betting and gaming rose to 34 per cent in the 2024-25 fiscal year, from 22 per cent a year earlier, against a long-term goal of 50 per cent.

Research by TRM Public Affairs put the addressable Atlantic Canada market at CA$921 million, of which 25 per cent has been channelised and 75 per cent sits in the unregulated space. TRM estimated CA$691 million of gaming revenue and CA$167.6 million of government revenue are lost as a result.

Quebec And British Columbia Add Pressure

Quebec's newly elected Parti Québécois minority government campaigned on opening online gaming to private operators under a regulated provincial framework, and the opposition Liberals support a similar commercial model.

The Coalition Avenir Québec, which kept the province's strict online gaming monopoly through its mandate, saw that mandate end in the October provincial elections. The industry source cited by Casino.org also pointed to the possibility of a new government in British Columbia taking a fresh look at regulated iGaming.

The Questions Still Open

• Whether New Brunswick legislates at all, and on what timetable.
• Whether licences would be issued provincially or routed through Atlantic Lottery.
• How the four Atlantic provinces would absorb the effect on shared lottery revenue.
• What player-protection duties a new regime would carry, including self-exclusion and advertising limits.

None of those answers exists yet. The province has confirmed an exploration of options, not a policy, and the minister has not committed to a date for deciding between them.

What It Means For Players

For now, New Brunswick players who want a regulated product are limited to what Atlantic Lottery offers, and grey-market sites that redirect them sit outside any provincial framework. The licence behind a brand is the only reliable signal.

International operators with Canadian-facing brands are covered in our bet365 Casino review, and the general rules on licensing, payments and limits are collected in our FAQ. For the regulatory logic behind channelisation, see the ESG and iGaming guide.

Responsible Gambling

Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over, and provincial rules in Canada generally set 19 as the minimum. Play only with money you can lose, and decide the limit before the session starts rather than during it.

Use deposit limits, session timers and self-exclusion where the operator provides them, and take a break if chasing losses starts to feel familiar. Support services are free, confidential and available whether or not you hold a regulated account.