New Brunswick has introduced legislation that would give the provincial government authority to regulate live casino games offered online, closing a gap in the current Gaming Control Act.
The bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly on Oct. 27 and received first reading that day. It was sponsored by Finance and Treasury Board Minister René Legacy, with detailed regulations for live casino gaming to be developed later.
The government said the change was requested by Atlantic Lottery, which wants to offer live casino games. Under the proposal, the province would gain regulation-making powers for live casino events conducted online, allowing it to establish and maintain safeguards.
The government defines a live casino as an interactive web or mobile platform offering online table games in real time, led by human dealers and involving other players. Existing legislation does not give New Brunswick the authority to make regulations for such casinos.
Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin said gaming law needed to keep pace with new forms of play so that rules remained clear, effective and responsible. He said the growing popularity of live casinos meant regulation could provide a safer alternative to unregulated offerings in the province.
Legacy said the broader modernization of the Gaming Control Act was intended to ensure new gaming options were developed responsibly in a safe, regulated setting.
The bill follows New Brunswick’s wider examination of whether to open online gambling to private operators, as we reported last week. That review had not produced licensing rules or an implementation timetable.
Atlantic Lottery, jointly owned by the four Atlantic provincial governments, has argued that unlicensed operators are diverting money from the region without contributing to provincial revenue or meeting the lottery’s healthy-play and consumer-protection standards. The corporation estimated that about CA$250 million leaves Atlantic Canada each year through illegal operators.
Atlantic Lottery returned CA$492.1 million in net profit to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador in the 2025-26 financial year. New Brunswick received CA$148.9 million, down 3.7% from CA$154.6 million a year earlier.
