Is gambling legal in Canada?
Criminal Code s. 207(1)(a) makes it lawful for the government of a province, alone or with another province, to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in that province in accordance with provincial law.1
Under s. 207(4)(c), games operated on or through a computer, video device, slot machine or dice game are excluded from the schemes that charities, fairs and licensed persons may run under s. 207(1)(b) to (f). So online slots can be lawfully offered only under the provincial-government authority in s. 207(1)(a). Note: the 'on or through a computer' wording is in the exclusion in (4)(c), not in (1)(a) itself.2
That is why every province has its own operator, rules and minimum age — see casinos by province and gambling age by province.