New Brunswick Bill 8 would let a provincial agency operate live casino lotteries

The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick introduced government Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Gaming Control Act, on 27 October 2026. Sponsored by René Legacy, the bill passed first reading that day and reached second reading on 28 October, where debate was adjourned. Its proposed changes would create a statutory route for online casino lottery schemes, including live-dealer-style games, to be operated by a designated provincial government agency.

For compliance teams, the immediate issue is the architecture rather than a new operating obligation. Bill 8 would give the province authority to establish the operating model through an agreement and later regulations, but does not itself launch a scheme, name an operator, set a commencement date or specify a licence fee.

A new agency route for online casino lotteries

Section 1 would add two definitions to the Gaming Control Act.

An “online casino lottery scheme” would mean a lottery scheme conducted and managed by the Corporation through an online platform and involving casino-style games. A “live casino lottery scheme” would be an online casino lottery scheme in which casino-style games are “hosted, facilitated or presented by a live person”.

Section 2 would then allow the Corporation, with the approval of the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, to enter into an agreement with a body corporate incorporated under an agreement made under section 7(d). That agreement could designate the body corporate as “an agency of the government of the Province” and authorise it to operate an online casino lottery scheme in New Brunswick, including a live casino lottery scheme.

The provision creates two controls around any future arrangement: approval by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council and a formal agreement with a body corporate already incorporated under an agreement made under paragraph 7(d), which designates that body corporate as a provincial agency. Bill 8 does not itself grant a commercial operator authority to offer online casino games.

Trade outlet Legal Sports Report reported that the measure would give the provincial government authority to regulate online live casino games. Casino.org News has framed the bill in the context of New Brunswick considering an Ontario-style regulated iGaming market. Those reports describe the possible policy direction, while the bill itself supplies only the enabling powers.

Regulation and fees move downstream

Section 5 would widen the regulation-making power in section 26 of the Act. It would change references to lottery schemes “conducted and managed” to schemes “conducted and managed or operated” across paragraphs (b) to (f). Paragraph (a) would also expressly cover schemes conducted and managed by the Corporation or another provincial government agency, and schemes conducted and managed by the Corporation but operated by another agency.

That wording matters because it separates operation from the existing concepts of conducting and managing a lottery scheme. Regulations could therefore address schemes where the Corporation retains responsibility for conducting and managing the lottery while a designated agency operates the online product.

The bill would also change how licensing fees are handled:

- proposed section 34(1.01) says an application for a particular class of licence need not be accompanied by a fee where the licence itself is subject to a fee;
- proposed section 86(1)(b.21) would authorise regulations on licence fees, including the calculation method, maximum amount, timing and payment method;
- the calculation may be based on the amount or value of prizes offered or awarded under the licence.

No fee amount, rate or cap is set in Bill 8. The details would have to come through regulations. In Atlas’s view, the bill therefore creates a framework for both agency-operated online casino products and their eventual licensing economics, while leaving the commercial and control requirements to the agreement and subordinate rules.

Sections 1, 3 and 4 also make French-language drafting changes to existing references in the Act, replacing “conformément à un” with “par un”. Section 2 changes “à créer” to “à constituer” in section 7.

The bill remains at second reading with debate adjourned. If enacted, Bill 8, or any of its provisions, would come into force only on a day or days fixed by proclamation.