Ontario

Ontario runs Canada's only open, competitive igaming market built around private operators. The AGCO's Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming came into force on April 4, 2022, when the market launched. Since then, private operators have offered online casino and sports and event betting under contract with iGaming Ontario. OLG's own igaming site sits alongside them.

The market is large and still growing. iGaming Ontario reports more than $4.2 billion in gaming revenue from over $103 billion in wagers in its fourth year, April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. The agency says these figures are unaudited and exclude OLG's igaming offering. An Ipsos study commissioned by iGaming Ontario and the AGCO found that 91.1 per cent of online gamblers who took part reported playing on regulated sites, up from 83.7 per cent the year before. When BetGuard launched in May 2026, Ontario's government described the market as more than 75 regulated sites.

Regulator and licensing

The market has two separate bodies with different jobs:

• AGCO: sets and enforces the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming. It decides who is eligible and registers igaming operators and gaming-related suppliers, and it registers the independent test labs that certify technology against the standards.
• iGaming Ontario (iGO): conducts and manages igaming provided through private operators. Once the AGCO has registered an operator, iGO signs and oversees an operating agreement with it. The AGCO says iGO was set up in July 2021 as a lottery subsidiary of the AGCO and became an independent agency as of May 2025. It reports to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming as a Crown agency.

Suppliers apply under the AGCO's Internet Gaming Suppliers Application Guide. There is no igaming-only supplier category. One Gaming-Related Supplier registration covers the whole regulated gaming sector, land-based included. The guide gives examples of businesses that may need to register: platform providers, game developers, customer e-wallet providers, odds makers, sports integrity monitors and test labs. The regulatory fee is $3,000 or $15,000, depending on the category, with a one- or two-year term. Operators and gaming-related suppliers may not contract with unregistered parties whose services would need registration.

Players must be 19 or older. The standards allow 18-year-olds only to buy lottery tickets.

Key rules for affiliates

Registration. The AGCO decides case by case whether a supplier must register. Its supplier guide lists "certain businesses or individuals that might sometimes be called 'marketing affiliates'" among the businesses that may not need registration. It describes these as websites that send traffic to igaming operators in exchange for a commission or other payment. This is guidance, not a blanket exemption. The AGCO says it is available to consult with businesses before they apply.

No dual-market promotion. Standard 1.21 requires operators to ensure that third parties doing direct-to-consumer marketing, promotion or player referral for them, for commission or any other compensation, do not do the same for sites that take wagers from Ontario players without AGCO registration. The guidance says this standard covers the entities the industry calls "affiliates" or "marketing affiliates".

Advertising content (Standards 2.03 to 2.08). Advertising and marketing must not:

• target high-risk, underage or self-excluded people
• use themes or language that appeal primarily to minors
• use cartoon figures, role models, social media influencers, celebrities or entertainers who would likely be expected to appeal to minors
• use active or retired athletes who have an arrangement with an operator or gaming-related supplier, except to advocate responsible gambling

Standard 2.03 also applies to gaming-related suppliers. Marketing must be truthful. It must not present gambling as a way to recover losses or reach financial security.

Bonus advertising. Standard 2.05 bans advertising and marketing of inducements, bonuses and credits except on an operator's own gaming site, or through direct marketing after the player has actively consented. The AGCO guidance says this covers all public advertising, including targeted and algorithm-based ads. Permitted offers must disclose material conditions up front. They cannot be called "free" or "risk-free" if the player has to put their own money at risk. All advertising must carry a responsible gambling message.

Recent changes

• February 28, 2024: the athlete ban and wider celebrity restrictions in Standard 2.03 took effect. The AGCO had announced them on August 29, 2023, after consulting in April 2023.
• May 2025: iGaming Ontario became an independent agency, according to the AGCO.
• September 8, 2025: Joseph Hillier took office as iGaming Ontario president and CEO. iGO had announced his appointment on August 28, 2025.
• May 7, 2026: the AGCO issued $40,000 monetary penalties each to Relax Gaming Limited and Arrise Solutions Limited, after finding their games on unregulated sites that Ontario players could reach.
• May 14, 2026: iGaming Ontario launched BetGuard, a centralised self-exclusion tool. Players can opt out of every regulated site for 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom term. The AGCO added Standard 2.14.1, which requires operators to take part and to stop direct marketing to anyone who has opted out.
• May 21, 2026: iGaming Ontario published the Ipsos year-four channelization study, with 91.1 per cent of respondents playing on regulated sites.
• August 27, 2026: the AGCO issued a $100,000 monetary penalty to NorthStar Gaming (Ontario) Inc. over alleged anti-money laundering control failures.