Licensing and regulation: Can we get a licence?

The Gaming Control Act (British Columbia) came into force April 13, 2026 as primary, durable legislation, replacing the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) with the new Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO). General Manager Sam MacLeod leads the office, which applies a standards-based regulatory model to BCLC's land-based and online gambling, charitable gambling, and horse racing. The British Columbia government has described the new act as creating a strong regulatory framework enabling the IGCO to more effectively address criminal activity and protect the public. This is an institutional and statutory-instrument transition rather than a change to licensed activity scope: no new licence categories, application processes, or entry conditions were identified this cycle. The change is confirmed and corroborated across the regulator's own announcement and a government press release, giving it high confidence as a durable structural fact rather than a provisional administrative adjustment.