As British Columbia's gambling regulator, the Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) supports the position of the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) as stated in their joint notice of August 27, 2026, which provides new guidance on prediction markets.
Staff Notice 91-307, which has been published on the BC Securities Commission (BCSC) website, provides guidance regarding the application of securities and derivatives legislation to certain products commonly described as event contracts, prediction contracts or prediction market contracts. The guidance includes CSA staff's view that event contracts based on sports or entertainment events or outcomes should not be regulated within securities and derivatives legislation.
Under BC's current legislation, products based on sports or entertainment outcomes are considered gambling by the IGCO and must be regulated in accordance with the Criminal Code of Canada and provincial gaming legislation.
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is the only entity permitted to conduct and manage commercial gambling, including online gambling and sports betting, on behalf of the BC provincial government. BCLC's PlayNow.com is the only regulated commercial online gambling website permitted to operate in BC, meeting high standards for technical integrity, age verification and responsible gambling controls, as well as advertising and marketing standards.
People in BC are advised to only play on the regulated gambling site PlayNow.com. All other online gambling websites that allow BC players to access their sites, including those that offer event contracts based on sports or entertainment outcomes, operate illegally in our province.
For additional information on how gambling is regulated in British Columbia or to contact the IGCO, please visit the IGCO website at www.igcobc.ca.
Media Contact
Alanna Dixon
Director of Communications
media@igcobc.ca