Online in BC
Casino Nanaimo, PlayNow and BC Rules
Casino Nanaimo is not a website but a building in downtown Nanaimo, at 620 Terminal Ave. Online play in British Columbia has its own rules, and they are set out below.
By the Chart editorsChecked October 10, 2026
What is legal online in BC
In British Columbia, PlayNow.com is the one legal site for online gambling. It is run by BCLC. Online play here means betting through a website or app instead of at a casino. Since April 13, 2026, the body that regulates gambling in BC is the Independent Gambling Control Office, called the IGCO. The IGCO replaced GPEB.
On August 28, 2026, the IGCO declared every other online gambling site that takes BC players to be illegal in the province. A BC resident on a private online casino has none of the provincial protections. In British Columbia, a person must be 19 to gamble, whether in a casino or online. Anyone younger than 19 cannot go into a gambling venue.
Casino Nanaimo and apps
Casino Nanaimo says it has no online gaming app. It has also warned about fake app ads that use its name, so an ad for a Casino Nanaimo app does not come from the casino. Its own social accounts are @casinonanaimo on Facebook and @casino_nanaimo on Instagram. The casino's website is casinonanaimo.com, and casinonanaimo.ca redirects there.
How this guide is paid
On the home page, a reader passes three paid links: a menu button, a section after the opening screen, one close to the bottom. Each shows the word Ad, and no other page of the Chart has paid links. The three go to one partner, an online casino under private management, and the Chart collects a commission from it. That partner could later give way to a different one. Casino Nanaimo does not own the Chart, which runs independently as a guide rather than a casino, so betting and account sign-up are not possible.
That partner site is not PlayNow.com. Provincial protections do not apply there: Game Break, BCLC's voluntary self-exclusion program, does not cover it, and neither do PlayNow limits. The IGCO cannot take complaints about that site.
Questions from the dock
Can people in BC legally play at online casinos?
Only on PlayNow.com, a site run by BCLC. Every other online gambling site that serves BC players is illegal in the province, the IGCO said on August 28, 2026. Players must be 19 or older.
Does Casino Nanaimo have an app?
Casino Nanaimo says it has no online gaming app. It has warned about fake app ads that use its name.
Does Game Break cover private online sites?
BCLC's voluntary self-exclusion program is called Game Break, and its terms last 3 years, 2 years, 1 year or 6 months. It covers casinos, community gaming centres and bingo halls in BC, plus PlayNow.com. It does not apply on private online casinos.
Why does the home page have Ad links?
A private online casino is the guide's one partner; it pays a commission and may later be swapped for another. These links, each carrying the Ad label, appear only on the home page. That site is not PlayNow.com.