How Quebec regulates online gambling
Quebec at a glance
- Legal operator
- Loto-Québec (lotoquebec.com)
- Minimum age
- 18
- Provincial games
- Loto-Québec
- Main language
- French (English versions exist)
- Help line
- 1-800-461-0140
Gambling in Canada is a provincial matter, so the rules in Quebec are not the rules in Ontario or Alberta. In Quebec one body runs the whole thing: Loto-Québec, the Crown corporation behind the lotteries, the casinos in Montreal, Lac-Leamy, Charlevoix and Mont-Tremblant, and the online site lotoquebec.com.
The legal basis is section 207 of the Criminal Code. It lets the government of a province "conduct and manage" lottery schemes, and games played on a computer or slot machine fall under that clause only when the province runs them. Ontario used the same power to open a licensed private market in 2022, and Alberta followed on 13 July 2026. Quebec has not done that. Loto-Québec calls itself "the only legal authority in gaming in Québec", and it has offered online play since December 2010, first under the Espacejeux name.
International brands that welcome Quebecers are licensed abroad. Conquestador's licence comes from the Malta Gaming Authority, one of the best-known gambling regulators in Europe.
Is Conquestador legal in Quebec?
Conquestador operates under Malta Gaming Authority licence MGA/B2C/818/2020, held by Mobile Incorporated Limited in Msida, and on 23 Sep 2026 the MGA register showed that licence as "Licensed". The regulator checks the operator's company, its games suppliers and its complaint procedure, which is the protection you rely on as a player in Quebec.
Quebec once tried to have international gambling sites blocked. In 2016 the National Assembly passed Bill 74, which amended the Consumer Protection Act so that Loto-Québec could draw up a list of sites and internet providers would have to block them. The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association challenged it. The Superior Court of Québec struck the blocking rule down in July 2018, and on 5 May 2021 the Quebec Court of Appeal agreed (2021 QCCA 730): telecommunications, including what an internet provider carries, is federal ground, and a province cannot order blocking.
The practical result for you: Conquestador opens normally from Quebec, and the public debate has been about operators and internet providers rather than players. Loto-Québec runs lotoquebec.com; for a larger lobby with thousands of slots and live tables, Conquestador is a popular choice, and you can open the Conquestador site to see whether it takes your Quebec sign-up.
Online casinos in Quebec: Loto-Québec and Conquestador compared
Loto-Québec's site has an online casino with slot machines, table games and a live casino, plus poker, bingo, lotteries and Mise-o-jeu+ sports betting. Here is how the two line up.
- LicenceMalta Gaming Authority, MGA/B2C/818/2020Loto-Québec: Quebec's Crown corporation
- Who can registerCanadians outside Ontario; check the sign-up page for QuebecLoto-Québec: Quebec residents, 18+, physically in Quebec when logging in
- Slots in Quebec3,500+ games from Pragmatic Play, Play'n GO, Hacksaw Gaming, Nolimit City and moreLoto-Québec: its own slot machines section
- Live casinoEvolution tablesLoto-Québec: live casino section
- Welcome offerC$500 + 200 free spins, 35x, from C$20Loto-Québec: its own promotions page
- LanguageFrench Canadian site at /fr-ca, French live chatLoto-Québec: French first, English version
The legal age for gambling in Quebec is 18
Loto-Québec's online terms accept Quebec residents aged 18 or older. At Conquestador the age check happens at the first withdrawal, when you upload photo ID along with proof of address and your payment method. Use your real date of birth from day one, or that first cashout waits.
Playing Conquestador in French
French is well covered for Conquestador in Quebec. From the brand's own pages:
- A French Canadian version of the site at conquestador.com/fr-ca, next to the English /en-ca.
- 24/7 live chat in French, as well as English, German, Finnish and Japanese.
- Amounts shown in Canadian dollars, so the C$10 minimum deposit and the C$20 minimum withdrawal need no conversion.
Payments that work for Quebec players
The cashier is the same across Canada. These are the methods most Quebec players reach for, with the figures from our homepage banking table:
| Method | Per deposit | Cash out | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interac e-Transfer | C$10–C$5,000 | Yes | Instant and free both ways |
| Visa / Mastercard | C$10–C$3,000 | Yes, 24–72 h | Often billed as a cash advance |
| Trustly | C$10–C$10,000 | Yes | Pays straight from online banking |
| Apple Pay | C$10–C$2,000 | No | Deposits only |
| Bitcoin | C$50–C$20,000 | Yes | About 30 minutes, network fees |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
iDebit, Jeton, Neteller, Skrill, MuchBetter and Payz are there too, and paysafecard, Neosurf and Flexepin take deposits only. The minimum withdrawal is C$20 (C$100 on MuchBetter), requests sit in pending for 0–24 hours, and there are no cashouts at weekends. Play a deposit through once before withdrawing it: Casino Guru lists a 15% admin fee on unplayed money. The full list is on our payments page.
Tip: Canadian card issuers see a casino payment under merchant code 7995 and many treat it as a cash advance, with a fee and interest from day one. Interac e-Transfer avoids that and pays out the same way it pays in.
Taxes on winnings for recreational players
Good news for anyone playing slots in Quebec for fun: the Canada Revenue Agency does not tax recreational gambling wins. Its guidance lists lottery winnings of any amount as non-taxable, and its income tax folio on the subject says gambling, "even regular, frequent and systematic gambling", is not normally treated as a business.
- Casual play: a C$2,000 win on a slot is yours, with nothing to report as income.
- Interest and returns: once you put the winnings in a savings account or investments, the interest they earn is taxable as usual.
- Gambling as a business: the CRA can tax someone who plays with the skill and profit aim of a business, which is rare and judged case by case.
If gambling is more than a pastime, ask a tax adviser before you file.
Responsible gambling help in Quebec
Quebec has its own help line, and Conquestador puts the basic controls inside every account.
1-800-461-0140, or 514-527-0140 in Montreal. Free, confidential and open 24/7, with chat on aidejeu.ca.
Set a deposit cap in your Conquestador account before your first deposit, so the budget is fixed in advance.
Take a short break or close the account for a longer period; live chat can set it up in French.
The Responsible Gambling Council lists help in every province.
What to do if it didn't work
Trouble with Conquestador in Quebec? Match your symptom below.
- The sign-up form will not accept Quebec
- The province list decides who can register. Check it on the form itself, then ask live chat; if Quebec is not listed today, it may be later. Do not enter another province's address, because KYC compares it with your documents.
- A "not available in your region" message
- Casinos read the IP address to decide which market you are in. If you are travelling in Ontario, where Conquestador stopped taking players on 13 April 2026, wait until you are back in Quebec. Switch off any VPN, since a foreign IP can trigger the same screen.
- The site will not load at all
- Try mobile data and a second browser; Quebec does not block the site. Our status page walks through it.
- The card deposit was declined
- Many Canadian banks refuse merchant code 7995. Switch to Interac e-Transfer or Trustly instead of retrying the card.
- InstaDebit is not in the cashier
- InstaDebit closed on 27 February 2026. Use Interac e-Transfer or iDebit instead.
- The withdrawal has not moved since Friday
- There are no weekend cashouts. Requests move on Monday; e-wallets then take 0–1 hour and cards 24–72 hours.
Myths and misconceptions
MythQuebec blocks international casino sites.
FactThe blocking rule in Bill 74 was struck down in 2018, and the Court of Appeal confirmed that in 2021.
MythInternational casinos only work in English.
FactConquestador has a French Canadian site at /fr-ca, and its live chat answers in French.
MythYou pay tax on a big slot win in Quebec.
FactRecreational wins are not income for the CRA. Only interest earned on them afterwards is taxed.
MythThe gambling age is 19 everywhere in Canada.
FactQuebec, Alberta and Manitoba use 18.
What changed in the last year
Checked 24 Sep 2026The Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, an industry group whose members include operators licensed in Ontario and Alberta, sent the Quebec government recommendations for a licensed online market.
InstaDebit closed; withdrawals through it ended on 30 April 2026. Interac e-Transfer is the main replacement.
Conquestador left the Ontario market, calling it a business decision "not related to any regulatory, compliance, or legal issues". Quebec was not part of that change.
Alberta opened its licensed online casino market, the second province after Ontario to do so.
Quebec Liberal leader Charles Milliard proposed that the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux license all online gambling in Quebec. Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon backed the idea the same day.