Tobique Gaming Commission Licence: What It Covers and How to Check It

The Tobique Gaming Commission (TGC) is the gaming regulator of Tobique First Nation (Neqotkuk), a Wolastoqiyik community in New Brunswick, Canada. It licenses online casinos under the Tobique Gaming Act 2023, a First Nation law, and you can check a licence by clicking the “Tobique Shield” seal on the casino’s site, which must open a page on validate.thetgc.ca. A TGC licence is not a provincial or federal Canadian gambling licence, and the Commission does not decide player disputes: unresolved complaints go to an approved ADR entity.

Two casinos on our crypto list hold a Tobique licence, Foxy Gold and Koru Casino, and Winz.io states a Tobique licence alongside its Anjouan one. Here is what the licence means, how to verify it and how to complain.

Who the Tobique Gaming Commission is

The Commission describes itself as the regulatory body for the Tobique First Nation and “a symbol of self-governance”. Its stated aim is to regulate responsible and transparent gaming while supporting economic development for the community.

Its legal basis is the Tobique Gaming Act 2023. The Act states that it is made under the Nation’s inherent right to self-government as recognised by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and that it applies to all gaming based in and offered from the Territory, “including interactive gaming involving players situated both within and outside the Territory”. Section 6 of the Act creates the Commission.

The Commission then issued a General Code of Practice for remote gaming licence holders on 5 April 2024, under section 22 of the Act. That code holds most of the rules that affect players, and we summarise it below.

What a Tobique licence is, and what it is not

The Act asserts that it is paramount over other gaming legislation as it relates to Tobique First Nation, including acts of the Parliament of Canada and of the provinces. That is the Nation’s position. It is not how Canadian provinces describe gambling: New Brunswick’s own framework says gambling is lawful when it is conducted and managed by the Province or a body the Province authorises, under section 207 of the Criminal Code, and we found nothing showing that New Brunswick or Ottawa recognises TGC licences.

In plain terms for players:

• A TGC licence is a real licence under Tobique First Nation law, and you can validate it.
• It is not an iGaming Ontario registration, a provincial lottery corporation licence or any other provincial authorisation.
• It does not make a casino legal in your country. Local law where you live decides that, and every Tobique-licensed casino on our list excludes the US and the UK.

Licence types under the Tobique Gaming Act

Section 23 of the Act lets the Commission grant these licences, all of which authorise remote gambling:

Licences are personal and not transferable, a licence is only valid once the prescribed fee is paid in full, and the Commission can issue a temporary licence for at most six months while an application is processed. The Commission does not publish an official fee schedule on its site; the figures quoted by licensing agents vary widely, so we do not repeat them here.

Player protection rules in the Code of Practice

The General Code of Practice sets requirements that are more detailed than many offshore regimes. Among them:

• Segregated funds (8.11): licensees must keep customer funds in a separate regulated bank or e-money account, equal to 100% of customer balances, and must cover any shortfall within 7 days (8.12).
• Age checks (21.5): verification starts at account opening and must be completed within 30 days of the first deposit, or before the customer wagers more than the equivalent of EUR 2,000 of their own funds, and before any payout. The minimum age under the Act is 18 (section 37).
• Limits (18.8): once you set a limit, a request to raise it takes effect only after 24 hours.
• Self-exclusion (19): available for any period or permanently, applied across all the licensee’s brands, with no new bets or deposits accepted while you can still withdraw your cleared balance.
• Help link (Act s. 28): the home page must link to at least one organisation that helps problem gamblers.

These are licence rules, so a breach is something to report. They also tell you what to expect: a Tobique casino asking for ID before your first withdrawal is following the code, not breaking it.

How to verify a Tobique licence, step by step

1. Find the Tobique Shield in the casino footer.
2. Click it. It should open validate.thetgc.ca with the site’s domain and a seal ID in the address. The Commission’s own page tells you to make sure you see the status on that official URL.
3. Read the result. A valid page shows the company name, its address, the registered websites, the line that the licensee is authorised under the Tobique Gaming Act 2023, and “Operating status: VALID”.
4. Do not test the bare domain. Typing only a domain into the validator, without the seal ID, returns INVALID even for licensed sites. We saw this on 7 October 2026 for korucasino.com, while the same site’s seal link showed VALID for Novatrix SRL.
5. Match the company on the validation page with the operator named in the casino’s terms. The Commission also lists licence holders at thetgc.ca/license-holders/.

How to complain about a Tobique-licensed casino

The Commission’s complaints page is explicit: complaints about a licensed operator must go through the complaints link in the Tobique Shield, and complaints sent through the Commission’s general website will not be reviewed for any licensed operator.

1. Raise the issue with the casino first. Under the code, you must be able to submit complaints 24/7, and the casino must look into them promptly and keep a record (29.1 to 29.6).
2. If the casino fails, use the complaints link in the Tobique Shield.
3. Any dispute the licensee has not resolved to your satisfaction within 2 months must be referred to an approved ADR entity, and both sides must abide by its decision (29.8).

The code also says very serious complaints, involving substantial sums or issues of public interest, should reach the Commission early. Keep screenshots, chat logs and, for crypto, the transaction hash of every deposit and withdrawal involved.

Casinos on our list with a Tobique licence

Checked on the operators’ own pages in October 2026. Both brands exclude the US and the UK.

Note how often the licensees are Costa Rican companies. That is common for Tobique-licensed brands, and it means the company and the regulator sit in different countries, which matters if a dispute ever needs legal action.

A licence check is only half the job. Before you deposit, also read each casino’s restricted-country list, its withdrawal limits and its bonus wagering rules. Foxy Gold, for example, sets default withdrawal limits of EUR 4,000 a day and EUR 10,000 a week, and its welcome bonus carries 35x wagering; those numbers come from its terms, not from the licence.

Tobique compared with Anjouan and Curaçao

Read more on the Anjouan licence page and the Curaçao Gaming Authority page, or compare all regulators on our licence hub. If you are in Canada, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, another First Nation regulator, is covered on our Kahnawake page.

Whatever the licence, set deposit limits before you play, and use self-exclusion if you need a break. Gamblers Anonymous (gamblersanonymous.org) offers free support.

Tobique Gaming Commission FAQ

Is the Tobique Gaming Commission legit?

It is a real regulator created by the Tobique Gaming Act 2023, a law of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada, and its licences can be validated online. It is not a provincial or federal Canadian licensing body.

Where is the Tobique Gaming Commission based?

It regulates gaming for Tobique First Nation (Neqotkuk), a Wolastoqiyik community in western New Brunswick, Canada.

How do I check a Tobique gaming licence?

Click the Tobique Shield in the casino footer. It must open validate.thetgc.ca with the site domain and a seal ID, and show the company name and Operating status: VALID. A bare-domain lookup without the seal ID shows INVALID even for licensed sites.

How do I file a complaint with the Tobique Gaming Commission?

Use the complaints link inside the Tobique Shield on the casino site; complaints sent through the Commission website are not reviewed. Disputes the casino has not resolved within 2 months must go to an approved ADR entity.

Is a Tobique-licensed casino legal in Canada?

A Tobique licence is issued under First Nation law, and we found no provincial or federal recognition of it. Provinces regulate gambling under section 207 of the Criminal Code, so check your province rules before playing.

Which crypto casinos have a Tobique licence?

On our list, Foxy Gold and Koru Casino (Novatrix SRL, licence 0000002) are Tobique-licensed, and Winz.io states a Tobique licence alongside an Anjouan one.