Why Some Canadian Provinces Have So Few Casinos

From the glittering resort casinos of Ontario and British Columbia to the quieter landscapes of the Atlantic provinces and the North, Canada offers a wide range of gaming experiences. Yet many people notice something curious: some provinces have several casinos, while others have only a handful – or none at all.

This is not an accident. The number and type of casinos in each province are the result of conscious policy choices, community priorities, and long-term economic strategies. Understanding why some provinces have relatively few casinos actually reveals a lot about how Canada balances entertainment, public health, Indigenous partnerships, and regional development.

The Big Picture: Why Provinces Decide How Many Casinos They Want

In Canada, gambling is primarily regulated at the provincial and territorial level. The federal Criminal Code sets the framework, but provinces decide how to organize and offer gaming within that framework. This means:

• Each province or territorychooses whether to allow casinos, lotteries, video lottery terminals (VLTs), bingo, online gaming, and more.
• Provincial crown corporations(such as lottery and gaming corporations) typically manage or regulate commercial casinos and other gaming products.
• Indigenous communitiesmay operate casinos and gaming facilities under specific agreements with provincial governments.

Because every region has its own economy, culture, and social priorities, there is no single "Canadian" approach to casinos. Instead, there are 13 different approaches – one for each province and territory. That is why the casino map looks dense in some areas and sparse in others.

Key Reasons Some Provinces Have Fewer Casinos

1. Population Size and Geography

A casino is a large, complex business. To be sustainable, it needs enough visitors and spending to support employees, facilities, security, technology, and responsible gaming programs. Smaller provinces and territories simply have fewer people to draw from.

• Smaller local marketsmean fewer communities that can support a full-scale casino year-round.
• Wide geographic spreadmakes it harder to build multiple casinos without them competing for the same limited pool of players.
• Seasonal tourism(for example, summer vacation destinations) may not generate steady traffic all year, which encourages governments to approve only a small number of carefully located casinos.

In practice, this often leads to one or two casinos in strategic locations – such as a provincial capital, a major tourist hub, or a border city – rather than a dense network of venues.

2. Focus on Lotteries, VLTs, and Online Gaming

Some provinces generate significant gaming revenue without relying heavily on physical casinos. Instead, they emphasize:

• Provincial lotteriessold through retail outlets.
• Video lottery terminals (VLTs)in bars, clubs, and other licensed venues (where allowed by law).
• Provincially regulated online casinos and sports bettingthat players can access from home.

This approach offers several benefits:

• Lower infrastructure costscompared with building and maintaining large resort casinos.
• More flexible accessfor adults who prefer to play casually, without travelling to a dedicated casino.
• Stronger centralized oversightthrough provincial systems that can incorporate responsible gaming tools, such as spending limits and self-exclusion options.

Where these products are well-established, provinces may feel less pressure to approve additional casinos, especially in smaller markets.

3. Social Responsibility and Public Health Priorities

Canadian governments place increasing emphasis onresponsible gamblingand public health. For some provinces, keeping the number of casinos relatively low is a deliberate way to balance entertainment and revenue with social impacts.

Reasons for limiting casino numbers can include:

• Reducing potential harmsfrom problem gambling by limiting easy access to high-intensity gaming environments.
• Aligning with community valuesin regions where residents prefer a more conservative approach to gambling.
• Supporting local consultation, where municipalities or Indigenous communities may decide they do not want a casino nearby.

Importantly, a lower number of casinos does not mean less commitment to entertainment. In many cases, it signals a province’s decision to provide gaming in a more targeted, managed way – often paired with strong education and support programs.

4. Indigenous Partnerships and Agreements

Indigenous communities play a central role in Canada’s casino landscape. In several provinces, First Nations operate casinos underrevenue-sharing and regulatory agreementswith provincial governments. Where these agreements exist, they often shape how many casinos are built and where they are located.

In provinces with fewer casinos, you may see:

• A small number of Indigenous-owned casinosserving both local residents and regional visitors.
• Shared decision-makingon new casino proposals, which can limit rapid expansion but reinforce long-term partnerships and community benefits.
• Targeted economic development, where one or two facilities are designed to maximize local employment, training, and business opportunities.

This often results infewercasinos overall, butstrongerconnections between those casinos and their host communities.

5. Tourism Strategy: Quality Over Quantity

Some provinces purposely choose a "quality over quantity" strategy. Rather than scattering small casinos across many towns, they invest in a limited number of venues that can act as anchors for tourism and hospitality.

This can mean:

• One flagship casino resortthat offers a mix of gaming, dining, entertainment, and hotel stays.
• Integration with local attractionssuch as waterfronts, convention centres, or cultural districts.
• Targeted marketingto visitors from neighbouring provinces, the United States, or overseas markets.

By concentrating investment and visitors in fewer locations, provinces can build stronger destination brands while keeping the overall footprint of casinos relatively small.

Examples Across Canada: A High-Level Overview

Every province and territory is unique, but it helps to look at the bigger picture of how casino density tends to differ across the country. The table below offers ahigh-level, approximate viewof how casino landscapes often compare, without focusing on exact facility counts.

In regions with fewer casinos, this is typically the result ofintentional planningrather than missed opportunities. Governments, Indigenous partners, and communities weigh the economic benefits against social impacts and choose a model that fits local realities.

Benefits of Having Fewer Physical Casinos

At first glance, having fewer casinos might sound like a limitation, especially for people who enjoy in-person gaming. In practice, there are several meaningful advantages for communities, players, and governments.

1. Stronger Oversight and Safer Environments

With a smaller number of venues, regulators and operators can concentrate resources on:

• High-quality staff trainingin responsible gaming and customer service.
• Robust security and compliancesystems that meet strict provincial standards.
• On-site support programsand information for players who may be at risk of gambling-related harm.

This focused approach helps ensure that the casinos which do operate are safe, well-regulated, and committed to player protection.

2. Clearer Community Planning and Consultation

Approving only a few casinos makes it easier for governments and communities to:

• Conduct thorough impact assessmentson traffic, local businesses, housing, and public services.
• Engage residents in public consultationsabout where a casino should be located and how it will operate.
• Negotiate community benefit agreementsthat support local projects, infrastructure, or cultural initiatives.

When casino development is more selective, the result can bebetter-integrated projectsthat reflect local priorities instead of one-size-fits-all expansion.

3. Focused Economic Benefits

Fewer, strategically located casinos can still generate impressive economic outcomes:

• Stable employmentin hospitality, security, food and beverage, entertainment, and management.
• Supply chain opportunitiesfor local businesses that provide services, products, and maintenance.
• Tourism spending spilloversinto hotels, restaurants, retail, and cultural attractions.

By concentrating demand, a single property in a smaller province can become a significant regional employer and tourism driver, without the challenges of maintaining many smaller venues.

4. Greater Flexibility to Embrace Digital Options

With fewer bricks-and-mortar casinos to manage, some provinces can more easily:

• Modernize their online gaming platformswith new games, responsible gaming tools, and mobile access.
• Respond quickly to changing player preferences, such as the shift toward online sports betting and live dealer games.
• Integrate education and safeguardsdirectly into digital products, where spending can be tracked and limits can be set.

This does not replace the in-person casino experience, but it provides a complementary option that can be more convenient and more closely monitored.

How Provinces Balance Revenue and Responsibility

Every provincial and territorial government faces the same core challenge:how to generate public revenue from gaming while protecting citizens and supporting healthy communities. Limiting the number of casinos is one tool in a broader strategy that can also include:

• Setting age limits and identification requirementsto prevent underage gambling.
• Funding treatment and counselling servicesfor people experiencing gambling-related harm.
• Restricting advertisingto responsible messages targeted at adults.
• Monitoring dataon player behaviour and adjusting policies where risks appear to be increasing.

In provinces with relatively few casinos, policy-makers often emphasize that the goal isnotto discourage entertainment, but to ensure that any gaming offered issafe, sustainable, and aligned with local expectations.

What It Means for Players and Communities

If You Live in a Province With Few Casinos

For residents, a smaller number of casinos can shape everyday choices but also create unique opportunities:

• Destination experiences: Visiting a casino can feel like a special outing or mini-vacation, rather than a casual everyday activity.
• Stronger local connections: Staff and regular visitors often know one another, contributing to a sense of community and personalized service.
• Travel incentives: Some players choose to combine casino visits with regional travel – exploring new cities, cultural attractions, and natural landscapes.

At the same time, adults who prefer not to travel can often accessregulated provincial online gamingoptions from home, where available. This mix of limited physical venues and digital platforms allows people to choose the experience that fits their lifestyle.

For Local Governments and Businesses

Communities that host a casino – particularly in provinces with few venues – can benefit in several ways:

• Predictable revenue-sharingthat helps fund public services and community projects.
• New business opportunitiesfor hotels, restaurants, events, and transportation providers.
• Enhanced regional profilethat supports broader tourism campaigns beyond gaming alone.

Instead of competing with many nearby casinos, local businesses may enjoy a clearer, more stable partnership with one or two anchor properties.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Casinos in Smaller Markets

The landscape of gaming in Canada continues to evolve. As technology advances and player preferences shift, provinces are regularly re-evaluating how many casinos they need and where they should be located. Yet several trends suggest that the current pattern – with some provinces hosting many casinos and others only a few – is likely to continue:

• Population and geographywill keep shaping where full-scale casinos make economic sense.
• Responsible gambling commitmentswill encourage steady, thoughtful growth rather than rapid expansion.
• Online and mobile gamingwill complement physical casinos, especially in regions where distance and climate make travel more challenging.
• Indigenous partnershipswill remain central to decisions about new casinos and revenue-sharing models.

In this context, the provinces that currently have fewer casinos are not "behind". Instead, they are following a model built aroundcareful planning, community priorities, and a balanced mix of entertainment options.

Ultimately, the question "Why do some provinces have so few casinos?" leads to a reassuring answer: because governments, Indigenous partners, and communities are working to ensure that gambling in Canada remainsentertaining, well-regulated, and socially responsible– in every region, at every scale.