New Brunswick Bill Would Let Atlantic Lottery Offer Live Dealer Casino Games

^{Bill 8 would give New Brunswick the authority to regulate live dealer casino games online, a product Atlantic Lottery proposed as it tries to win back players from unregulated sites. (Image: Danita Delimont/Alamy)}

New Brunswick has tabled legislation that would let the province regulate live dealer online casino games, which current law gives the government no authority to do.

Finance and Treasury Board Minister René Legacy introduced Bill 8 on Oct. 27. It was read a second time on Oct. 28, when debate was adjourned, and has not yet been referred to committee.

It would take effect on a date set by proclamation.

The government’s news release describes live casino as a concept proposed by Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC), the Crown corporation owned by the four Atlantic provinces and the only regulated online gambling option for players in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin said regulating live games “will provide a safer alternative to unregulated offerings in the province.”

Legacy said the changes are about keeping pace with how gaming is evolving.

What Bill 8 Changes

The bill defines live casino as online casino games run by a live person, such as a dealer or croupier. 

The government describes them as table games played in real time with human dealers, on the web or by phone.

With cabinet approval, the province could name a government agency to offer live casino games.

This would most likely be ALC, which already offers live dealer games to players in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

In New Brunswick, ALC’s online lineup currently includes slots, table games, video poker, bingo, keno and sports betting.

Bill 8 also expands the province’s power to make rules for games run by government agencies.

The rules themselves are not in the bill. The government says it will introduce them later, and that having the authority will let it set safeguards for the games.

Atlantic Lottery Under Pressure

ALC says it held 35% of the region’s online betting and gaming activity in 2025-26, up from 34% the year before.

That is a much smaller gain than in 2024-25, when its share jumped from 22% to 34%.

Its goal is 50% within five years.

ALC estimates illegal online sites draw about $250 million a year out of the region without contributing to provincial revenues. CEO Dallas McCready has called the disruption unprecedented in the corporation’s history.

Private Operators and the Rest of the Region

Bill 8 sticks to the government-run model, but it is not the only gaming conversation in the province.

Legacy told Canadian Gaming Business on Oct. 22 that the government is looking at ways to regulate private online operators, with Ontario’s and Alberta’s models among those under review.

Progressive Conservative MLA Don Monahan said during second reading that Bill 8 is a worthwhile first move, but that the government should follow it with a wider plan for online gambling.

Live Dealer Demand

It is not clear how many New Brunswick players use offshore live dealer sites, but the format has drawn heavy play in Alberta, one of the two provinces with licensed private operators.

According to the Alberta iGaming Corporation’s Market Performance Report, players in the province wagered $284.1 million on live casino from mid-July to September, about 9.8% of the $2.89 billion wagered in that period.

Live casino brought in 4.9% of September revenue. Operators kept about 2.3 cents of every dollar wagered on live games that month, compared with 4.4 cents across the whole market. The figures are in Canadian dollars and unaudited.

Bill 8 now awaits further debate, a committee stage and third reading, and no regulations for live casino play have been published.