Online in Ontario
iGaming in Ontario, the basics
A regulated market for online gambling has existed in Ontario from April 4, 2022. This page explains who runs it, who regulates it and how a reader can check whether a site belongs to it.
Who runs the market
April 4, 2022 is the launch date of Ontario's regulated online gambling market. Conduct and management of it fall to iGaming Ontario. Regulating it is the AGCO's job (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario). So two bodies share the work: one runs the market, the other regulates it.
In Ontario, a private online casino is lawful only once registered by the AGCO and bound to iGaming Ontario by an operating agreement. The list of regulated sites is published by iGaming Ontario at igamingontario.ca. OLG.ca is a different case. It is the provincial agency's online casino; that agency is the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
Two conditions apply to the player. The minimum age for online play in Ontario is 19, matching the legal age for casinos in the province. Bets can be placed only while the player is physically in Ontario.
How to check a site
The check runs against one list. iGaming Ontario publishes the regulated sites at igamingontario.ca. A reader looks for the name of the site there before going any further.
Legality for a private online casino in Ontario rests on two conditions. The AGCO must register it, and iGaming Ontario must sign an operating agreement with it. Both have to be in place. The list shows which sites are regulated, so a name that does not appear on it is not one of them.
Blocking yourself
Online play falls under BetGuard, found at betguard.ca. The operator, from May 14, 2026 onward, is iGaming Ontario. Through it, a person can bar their own access to each online gambling site under Ontario regulation, OLG.ca as well. Terms run 1 year, 5 years or 6 months, or can be set as a custom term. Land-based casinos are outside its scope.
OLG's My PlayBreak handles casinos. It sets a self-exclusion of 3 or 6 months or 1 to 5 years, and a casino break bars entry to any Ontario casino. To enrol, a person calls 1-800-387-0098, the OLG Support Centre, or asks staff on site or at any PlaySmart Centre. A chosen term cannot be cancelled before it ends.
Paid links on this site
This page carries no paid links, and neither does any other inner page. The home page is where all paid links are found, each labelled Ad. The menu carries one of the three, a second occupies a block directly after the first screen, while the third is placed toward the end. Their one destination is a single partner, an online casino.
A commission is paid to this site, and the partner can change over time. These links serve Ontario only, so readers must be physically located in Ontario. No casino, OLG, the province or any help service ever pays this site, and readers get no rewards from it.