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AffPapa iGaming Awards 2026 — VOTING IS OPEN
Interview with Jemma McColgan – Managing Editor at Casino.org
Quebec’s online casino scene is unique. On the one hand, the province was one of the earliest in Canada to adopt regulated online gambling. On the other hand, it is home to one of the least liberalized markets today. AffPapa spoke to an online casino expert to break down the paradox of Quebec’s iGaming market.
According to Jemma McColgan from Casino.org, getting the best out of Quebec’s online casino scene doesn’t have to be hard work. Jemma has more than a decade’s worth of experience in the online casino niche. As Managing Editor, she has developed a passion for the industry and a keen eye for reviewing betting and gaming sites. With players’ interests at heart, she is determined to help readers make informed decisions and get the most out of their online gaming experience.
Yeva: Hi Jemma. Could you start us off by telling us about Quebec’s gambling landscape at the moment?
Hi Yeva, of course! The gambling scene in Quebec is really thriving, although perhaps not the most forward-thinking in Canada. At the heart of it all is Loto-Québec, the Crown corporation that regulates all legal gambling in the province. It operates casinos, lotteries, sports betting, and online gambling.
There are numerous popular land-based casinos, including Casino de Montréal and Casino de Charlevoix, that attract tourists from all over the country and further afield. You’ll find thousands of VLTs in bars and pubs across La Belle Province, which provide a major source of revenue. The most widely used form of gambling in Quebec is the lottery, and players can easily buy their tickets from depanneurs, gas stations, and kiosks.
Quebec’s bricks-and-mortar gambling market is both robust and a strong economic contributor. The same can’t really be said of the province’s regulated online gambling system. The only provincially authorized platform is Espacejeux, but in reality, this offering has failed to capture the majority share of the market. Instead, most Québécois prefer to use offshore casinos, which offer bigger bonuses and better gaming portfolios.
Yeva: Are offshore online casinos safe and legal to use?
Absolutely. While offshore sites are not officially licensed in Quebec, players are not prohibited from using them. Unless Espacejeux starts to compete seriously, or the market is formally opened up to private operators, a large share of online gambling will continue to take place offshore, and the province will lose valuable revenue.
Not all online casino platforms are equal, though, and players should take care when choosing a site. The most important detail to remember is that all online casinos must carry an operating license. You can find evidence of this by scrolling to the bottom of the casino’s homepage. No license is a huge red flag, indicating the site is not safe to play at. Some licensing authorities are more robust than others, so their licenses are a big tick for me. Good options are MGA, UKGC, and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.
It’s also worth checking that games offered by your chosen casino are fair by checking that they use RNGs. A certificate from an authority like eCOGRA is a positive sign that the site’s portfolio is regularly audited. Make sure the site is secure by confirming there’s a padlock icon next to the domain name, and that the web address begins with https://.
Yeva: Are offshore casinos just as popular in other provinces as in Quebec?
Without a doubt, yes. Most of the provinces and territories are similar to Quebec in that they don’t have competitive, regulated iGaming markets. At the moment, only Ontario has opened up its market to offer licenses to private operators, to great success. Alberta has followed suit and is in the final stages of preparation before its market launch in July.
In a private iGaming market, operators must compete with one another to attract new players by offering attractive products and experiences. Offshore casinos offer the best bonuses that help players to extend their bankroll, and have invested in technology to produce the most innovative and entertaining games.
I think offshore casinos, or the grey market as it is also known, are often misunderstood. These aren’t rogue operators that are dangerous to play at. They are online casinos that don’t have a local license because the jurisdiction is not set up to allow them to obtain one. In Ontario, residents are enjoying many of the same online casino platforms as players in Quebec. The licenses distributed by AGCO mean that Ontarians are protected on a local level, while the provincial government benefits from the revenue generated.
Yeva: How can players in Quebec ensure they get the best possible experience at online casinos?
Navigating the huge number of offshore casinos is not an easy task for any player, especially in a niche that changes so quickly. The advice that I would give to any online casino fan is to arm yourself with information. Find out what other players and experts think before you go spending any of your hard-earned cash. You should expect nothing less than a great bonus to get the ball rolling, a selection of quality games you’re actually excited about playing, and customer service that cares.
At Casino.org, we want to help stack the odds in players’ favor by providing the best information. Our reviews, guides, and news pieces are all written by a team of dedicated experts who know what players want and what matters. We take our reviews seriously, using a 25-step process that analyzes everything from gaming portfolios, site security, fairness, withdrawal speeds, and more.
When you find an online casino that you like the look of, it’s worth taking the time to explore its gaming catalogue and bonus offers. Read through the wagering requirements so that you aren’t caught out. And most importantly of all, have fun!
Yeva: What are your thoughts on where Quebec’s online casino market will go next?
I can only speculate, but I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Quebec follow in the footsteps of Ontario and Alberta. The benefits to players and the province as a whole are clear to see. If Quebec were to offer private operators licenses, the local government could help to recapture some of that valuable revenue that is currently flowing out of the province.
Players, too, would benefit from a safer experience thanks to enhanced protections and more accountability from operators. At the same time, I don’t think this shift will happen soon. Pressure is mounting from groups like the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, though, so time will tell.
Company: Casino.org
Interviewee: Jemma McColgan
Date: 09.04.2026
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