Ontario's regulated online gambling market launched on April 4, 2022, and it opened the province to private operators under a registration system. Here is how it works and how to tell a regulated site from an unregulated one.
How Ontario's market works
To offer online gambling in Ontario, an operator must be registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and sign an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario, known as iGO. The AGCO is the regulator and sets the binding standards; iGO manages the market and its agreements with operators. OLG.ca is the one exception to the operating agreement rule.
As of September 1, 2026, there were 49 operators running 84 regulated gaming sites.
How to check a site
Look for the iGO logo on the site, then confirm it in iGO's real-time directory of approved sites. A site that does not appear in the directory is not part of Ontario's regulated market, whatever its own pages claim.
To play on a regulated site, you must be 19 or older and physically located in Ontario. Under AGCO Standard 3.01, people under 19 cannot open accounts, with one exception: an 18-year-old buying lottery tickets only.
What can be advertised
AGCO Standard 2.05 bans advertising gambling bonuses and credits, except on the operator's own site and in direct marketing to players who have opted in. That is why bonus offers are not shown to Ontario players on sites like this one. Offers also cannot be called free or risk-free if players must risk their own money.
Since February 28, 2024, active or retired athletes cannot appear in Ontario iGaming ads, except to promote responsible gambling.
For players, the practical rule is simple: check the directory before you sign up, and treat any site outside it as unregulated in Ontario.
Gambling is for adults (19+ in most provinces, 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec) and costs money; free, confidential help is available from ConnexOntario on 1-866-531-2600 or your provincial helpline.
