Getting help

Problem gambling help lines in Canada: numbers, hours and self-exclusion

Casino newsUpdated October 28, 2026

Every province has a free gambling help line, and most answer around the clock: ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600, B.C.'s Gambling Support Line at 1-888-795-6111, Quebec's Jeu : aide et référence at 1 800 461-0140, Manitoba at 1-800-463-1554 and Saskatchewan at 1-800-306-6789. Below is the full list by province, followed by how to self-exclude from casinos in each one.

Helpline numbers by province and territory

The table lists the line each province points gamblers and their families to, with the hours as the official page states them. Where a page gives no hours, we say so rather than guess. Most of the official pages we opened describe the service as free.

What each line actually offers

The lines are not all the same service. Saskatchewan's help line offers information, short-term counselling, crisis intervention and referrals to local services. British Columbia's Gambling Support Line provides free counselling and referral. Prince Edward Island's line is answered by a trained Island-based counsellor, and the service is free and confidential. Quebec's Jeu : aide et référence is free and confidential and covers the whole province, with a separate number for the Montreal area.

Nova Scotia splits its services. The Gambling Support Network offers free, confidential online and phone support for Nova Scotians and their families affected by gambling harms. For a referral into provincial addiction treatment, the Mental Health and Addictions intake line, 1-855-922-1122, is staffed Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, until 8 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with voicemail on weekends. In a crisis, the provincial crisis line at 1-888-429-8167 answers at any hour.

Newfoundland and Labrador routes gambling calls through 811, the provincial health line. The provincial government describes the Gambling Help Line as free, confidential and available province-wide, 24 hours a day. The Responsible Gambling Council's national list still shows a toll-free Newfoundland Problem Gambling Help Line at 1-888-899-4357; we list 811 because that is the number the province itself gives.

For Alberta and New Brunswick we could not open a provincial health page with the line's details, so the numbers above come from the Responsible Gambling Council's national list of toll-free gambling help lines, and we leave the hours blank rather than assume them.

Self-exclusion programs at land casinos

Self-exclusion is a formal, voluntary agreement to stay away from gaming venues for a set period. Every province runs its own program, usually through the casino's responsible-gambling centre. The table shows how to start one; where a term length is listed, it comes from the program's own description.

The territories have no land-based self-exclusion program, so the help lines in the first table are the main route there.

How the Ontario and Quebec programs differ online

Ontario's My PlayBreak is detailed enough to be worth a closer look. The program is confidential: only you, the program administrators and anyone you tell will know. Once registered, you are expected to stay away from Ontario casinos, charitable bingo and gaming centres and/or OLG.ca for the term you chose. You are removed from OLG marketing lists, your photo goes into OLG's facial recognition database, and if you are detected at a gaming site you will be escorted off the premises. Under the current version of the program, OLG offers renewal options before the term ends; if you do not renew, you are simply no longer registered.

Ontario also has a separate tool for regulated online gambling. BetGuard, run by iGaming Ontario, lets anyone 19 or older opt out of all regulated online gambling sites in the province in a few minutes, without a player account, for 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom term. Its care line is 1-833-776-7171.

Loto-Québec keeps three options apart: a temporary break from its online games of 1 to 89 days, self-exclusion from its online gambling site for 3 months to 5 years, and self-exclusion from its casinos and gaming halls, also for 3 months to 5 years. Its own page frames the choice as online self-exclusion only, or self-exclusion both online and from gambling locations, so check which one you are signing. Venues such as Casino de Montréal handle the casino version at the customer service desk.

Calling a line or enrolling: what to expect

1. Pick the line for where you live. The provincial line knows the local treatment services and can refer you directly; the national list is a fallback if your province's page is unclear.
2. You do not need to be in crisis. Several lines, including Saskatchewan's and British Columbia's, offer information and referral as well as counselling, and Nova Scotia's network explicitly serves families too.
3. For self-exclusion, go in person if you can. Most programs start at a casino's responsible-gambling centre, where staff explain the terms; in Ontario, your photo also goes into OLG's facial recognition database. At a large Ontario venue such as Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, that is the PlaySmart Centre or security.
4. Ask what is covered. A casino exclusion may not cover the province's online site, and vice versa. Ask the advisor to list every venue and channel in your agreement.

Our responsible gambling guide covers deposit limits, time limits and the warning signs worth watching for before it gets to this point.

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