- Live Poker Rooms in New Brunswick
- Is Online Poker Legal in New Brunswick?
- Well-known Poker Players from New Brunswick
- Playing Responsibly in New Brunswic
- Frequently Asked Questions
Casinos and Poker Rooms
-
Grey Rock Casino
4.4Maliseet First Nation, 100 Chief Joanna Blvd, Saint-Basile, NB E7C 0C1, Canada+1 506-735-2820Opening Time:
New Brunswick has two land-based casinos that spread live poker today, a possible third on the way in Fredericton, and no province-run online poker product of its own.
That combination shapes how most New Brunswickers actually play the game. Live cash games and monthly tournaments in Moncton or Edmundston for players near a casino, and international online poker sites for everyone who wants to play from home.
This guide covers all of it, where the live rooms are, what could be changing, what the Atlantic Lottery Corporation does and does not offer online, and the legal framework behind it.
Live Poker Rooms in New Brunswick
| Poker Room | Location | Operator | Key Offering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casino New Brunswick (The Lighthouse) | Moncton | Great Canadian Gaming, for the NBLGC | Texas Hold'em cash games, Bad Beat and Royal Flush jackpots, monthly tournaments |
| Grey Rock Casino | Edmundston | Grey Rock Entertainment Centre, Madawaska Maliseet First Nation | Poker room alongside 285+ slots and electronic table games |
Casino New Brunswick, in Moncton, is the province's main poker room. The $90-million venue was built by Sonco Gaming New Brunswick Limited Partnership and opened on May 4, 2010.
British Columbia-based Great Canadian Gaming bought it for roughly $95 million in 2015 and has operated it ever since on behalf of the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation (NBLGC).
Its poker room, known as the Lighthouse, spreads Texas Hold'em cash games, normally seated nine-handed with the house able to seat ten or eleven players at its discretion. Casino New Brunswick also runs a Bad Beat Jackpot and Royal Flush Jackpot on its cash games, which require a minimum of five active players at a table to qualify, and holds monthly live poker tournaments.
Grey Rock Casino, on the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation in Edmundston, is the province's other poker venue. Part of the wider Grey Rock Power Centre development, it opened in March 2015 and offers poker alongside electronic table games and more than 285 slot machines.
It sits just off the Trans-Canada Highway near the New Brunswick-Maine border.
Both venues operate under service agreements with the NBLGC, which is responsible for managing casino gaming in the province, while the Gaming Control Branch within the Department of Justice and Public Safety handles regulation, including registration of gaming suppliers and gaming assistants.
New Brunswick's own tournament calendar is modest next to the country's biggest festivals, so players chasing larger buy-ins and guarantees often travel to events covered in our Canadian poker tournaments guide and WSOP Circuit Canada hub, including recent Circuit stops at Playground in Kahnawake, Quebec and Deerfoot Inn & Casino in Calgary.
A Third Casino Could Be Coming to Fredericton
In September 2026, Sitansisk, also known as St. Mary's First Nation, announced plans for a casino resort on Fredericton's north side, on the edge of the First Nation's land.
- Location: Fredericton's north side, on the edge of Sitansisk (St. Mary's First Nation)
- Proposed cost: $170 million
- Size: approximately 30,000 square feet
- Facilities: casino, entertainment centre and hotel
- Funding: privately funded as of the announcement
- Approval status: proposed, not yet approved by regulators
- Timeline: not announced
- Poker room: not announced
We will update this page once, and if, the project clears approval and concrete plans, including whether it will spread live poker, are confirmed.
Is Online Poker Legal in New Brunswick?
New Brunswick does not run its own regulated online poker product. Gambling in Canada is governed by the Criminal Code, which generally makes it unlawful unless conducted and managed by a province or a body the province authorizes.
In New Brunswick, that authorized body is the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC), jointly owned by New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. ALC's iGaming platform offers Digital Instants, iBingo and an iCasino product with slots and table games, but it does not offer online poker, and unlike Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick is not included in ALC's Live Casino product either.
Because there is no NBLGC-regulated or ALC-run online poker option, New Brunswickers who want to play online generally do so through international poker sites licensed outside Canada, the same sites covered throughout our Canadian poker sites guide.
This puts New Brunswick in a different category from Ontario and Alberta, both of which run their own regulated online poker markets through AGCO and AGLC respectively.
New Brunswick has neither a regulated online poker market of its own nor a rule against residents using international sites, so it sits alongside most other provinces where players are generally eligible to use those platforms.
| Atlantic Province | ALC Online Casino | ALC Live Casino (Ultimate Texas Hold'em) | Multiplayer Online Poker |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Brunswick | Digital Instants, iBingo, iCasino | Not included | Not offered |
| Nova Scotia | Digital Instants, iBingo, iCasino | Included | Not offered |
| Prince Edward Island | Digital Instants, iBingo, iCasino | Included | Not offered |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Digital Instants, iBingo, iCasino | Included | Not offered |
For a closer look at online poker software and traffic, our GGPoker review covers that platform in detail. WPT Global currently lists New Brunswick as an excluded territory, so we do not recommend it as a sign-up option for New Brunswick players.
Well-known Poker Players from New Brunswick
New Brunswick's poker scene has not produced a global star on the level of Ontario's Daniel Negreanu or Sam Greenwood, but the province has several players with six-figure tournament resumes on the Canadian circuit.
| Player | Hometown | Career Earnings | Notable Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Macdonald | Miramichi Bay, NB | $1,201,774 | 1st place, $600 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack, 2024 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, Hollywood, for $250,420 |
| Jeff Cormier | Moncton, NB | $905,516 | 1st place, C$10,300 No Limit Hold'em High Roller 6-Max Re-Entry, 2017 World Cup of Cards, Kahnawake, for C$160,000 ($129,173) |
| Pierre-Paul Paulin | St. Simon, NB | $644,299 | 2nd place, C$10,300 No Limit Hold'em High Roller, partypoker MILLIONS North America, Kahnawake, 2019, for C$185,000 ($137,973) |
| Alexander Allison | London, NB | $347,505 | 1st place, C$330 WSOP International Circuit - WSOPC Montreal Closer event, August 2019, for C$50,000 ($37,599); runner-up, 2019 WPT Montreal WPTDeepStacks event, for C$102,000 ($77,586) |
Kevin Macdonald of Miramichi Bay leads all New Brunswick players in career earnings, according to the Hendon Mob database.
His biggest score came at the 2024 Lucky Hearts Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida, where he won a $600 buy-in event for $250,420.
Jeff Cormier of Moncton ranks second in the province. His best result is a win at the 2017 World Cup of Cards in Kahnawake, where he took down a C$10,300 high roller event for C$160,000, worth $129,173 at the time.
Pierre-Paul Paulin of St. Simon sits third. His deepest run came at the 2019 partypoker MILLIONS North America in Kahnawake, where he finished runner-up in a C$10,300 high roller for C$185,000, worth $137,973.
Alexander Allison rounds out the list. He won the WSOP International Circuit's WSOPC Montreal Closer event in August 2019 for C$50,000, worth $37,599, and followed it with a runner-up finish at the 2019 WPT Montreal WPTDeepStacks event for C$102,000, worth $77,586.
New Brunswick's Legal Framework at a Glance
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Federal baseline | The Criminal Code makes gambling unlawful unless it is provincially conducted and managed, or licensed by a body the province authorizes. |
| Provincial regulator | The New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation, established in 2008 under the Gaming Control Act, oversees casino gaming in the province. |
| Land-based casinos | Casino New Brunswick and Grey Rock Casino operate under service agreements with the NBLGC; a possible third venue in Fredericton is currently only a private proposal, not an approved project. |
| Online gaming | The Atlantic Lottery Corporation runs the province's authorized online gaming platform, covering instants, bingo and iCasino, but not poker. |
| Minimum age | 19, in line with New Brunswick's legal age for gambling. |
Playing Responsibly in New Brunswick
If gambling is becoming a problem for you or someone you know, New Brunswick's Department of Health operates a free, confidential Gambling Information Line at 1-800-461-1234, listed as the province's official responsible gambling contact by both the NBLGC and Atlantic Lottery Corporation.
It is a separate resource from the general helplines you will see referenced for other provinces, so New Brunswick residents should use this number specifically for gambling-related support.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is there live poker in New Brunswick?
Yes. Casino New Brunswick in Moncton and Grey Rock Casino in Edmundston both spread live poker, with Casino New Brunswick running Texas Hold'em cash games and monthly tournaments in its Lighthouse poker room.
- Is a new casino being built in New Brunswick?
A third casino has been proposed for Fredericton by Sitansisk, also known as St. Mary's First Nation, at an estimated cost of $170 million. As of now it is a privately funded proposal without regulatory approval, a confirmed timeline, or announced poker plans.
- Can I play online poker legally in New Brunswick?
There is no New Brunswick-specific or Atlantic Lottery Corporation online poker product, so the province has no regulated online poker market of its own. Most New Brunswickers who play online do so through international poker sites, the same options covered in our Canadian poker sites guide.
- Does the Atlantic Lottery Corporation offer online poker?
No. ALC's iGaming platform covers Digital Instants, iBingo and iCasino games such as slots and table games, but it does not include an online poker product, and New Brunswick is not included in ALC's Live Casino offering the way Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are.
- What is the minimum age to play poker in New Brunswick?
19, the province's legal gambling age, applies to both the land-based casinos and any gambling activity generally.
- Where is Casino New Brunswick located?
Casino New Brunswick is in Moncton and has been operated by Great Canadian Gaming since 2015, on behalf of the NBLGC.
- Where is Grey Rock Casino located?
Grey Rock Casino is on the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation in Edmundston, just off the Trans-Canada Highway near the New Brunswick-Maine border.
For a broader overview of safer-play tools, self-exclusion and support services across the country, visit our Responsible Gambling in Canada guide.