New Brunswick Tables Bill to Regulate Live Online Casino Games

New Brunswick's government tabled a bill in the provincial legislature in Fredericton on 27 October 2026 that would let it regulate live online casino games, amending the Gaming Control Act at the request of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. The bill gives the province a regulation-making power it says it currently lacks; the actual rules for the games will follow later.

The announcement came jointly from the Department of Justice and Public Safety and the Department of Finance and Treasury Board. The government release does not give the bill's number, and no effective date has been published.

What the bill changes

The bill adds one specific power: the government could make regulations covering live casino events that take place online. According to the release, the existing Act does not provide that authority, which is why legislation is needed before any rules can be written.

The province describes live casino as interactive online platforms, reached by web or phone, where people play table games in real time with human dealers and other players. In industry terms, that is studio-streamed blackjack, roulette and similar games, rather than the random-number-generated slots and tables already sold online in the region.

Who administers New Brunswick gambling law

The Gaming Control Act is New Brunswick's main gambling statute. It defines a "lottery scheme" by reference to the federal Criminal Code, whose section 207 allows only provincial governments, or bodies they license, to conduct and manage gambling. The Act continues the former Lotteries Commission as the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation and recognizes the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC), created under an agreement between the four Atlantic provinces.

Responsibility is split. The Minister of Public Safety administers the Act generally, through a gaming control branch in the Department of Justice and Public Safety led by the Registrar of Gaming Control. The Minister of Finance and Treasury Board administers Part 2, which covers the lottery corporation. The current text does not mention online or internet gambling at all.

What the ministers said

Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin said legislation has to keep up so games stay regulated and responsible. Regulating live casinos, he said, "will provide a safer alternative to unregulated offerings in the province."

Finance and Treasury Board Minister René Legacy said the updates would make sure new gaming options are developed responsibly and meet players' needs in a safe, regulated way.

Atlantic Lottery's case: profits down, offshore money out

The bill follows Atlantic Lottery's 2025-26 annual report, released on 21 October 2026. The Crown corporation returned $492 million in net profit to its four owner provinces. Retail and destination gaming fell, while iLottery profit rose 15.4% to $133.8 million. Its report also lists Live Casino among products launched during the year.

New Brunswick's share was down about 3.7% from $154.6 million a year earlier, according to RG.org, the steepest drop of the four provinces. ALC estimates that about $250 million a year leaves the region through illegal online operators, which it says contribute nothing to provincial revenues. Chief executive Dallas McCready said the corporation faces disruption "unprecedented in our 50-year history."

Atlantic Lottery already sources online casino content from major studios; it signed Evolution as a supplier for Atlantic Canada in 2024. Live dealer games give a provincial operator a product many offshore sites already sell.

The bigger question: a private market

The live casino bill keeps expansion inside the government-owned model. A separate debate is open. On 20 October 2026, Legacy said the province was exploring options as both regulated and unregulated online gambling grow, according to Covers, citing the Telegraph-Journal. No decision or consultation has been announced. ALC said that choice belongs to its owner governments.

Two provinces have gone further. Ontario opened a competitive market for licensed private operators in 2022, later separating iGaming Ontario from the AGCO, and reports high rates of players using regulated sites. Alberta became Canada's second regulated online market and launched on 13 July 2026; its transition period closed with 29 operators approved.

What happens next

The bill must go through second reading, committee and third reading before royal assent. After that, the government would draft regulations setting out how live online casino games may be offered, by whom and under what player protections. Watch for:

1. the bill's number and progress on the Legislative Assembly's website;
2. draft regulations, and whether the public can comment;
3. whether the province moves on private licensing, which would be a much larger change.

Status reviewed on 29 October 2026. Bill details come from the government's 27 October release; the bill text and number were not available. More regulation news and North America coverage.