🇨🇦 Ontario gambling license check

Licensed market   Last verified

Ontario licenses online gambling through iGaming Ontario, and every real iGO licence can be confirmed in the authority's public register. If a casino claims an Ontario permit, the register linked below settles it in under two minutes.

Regulator
iGaming Ontario · iGO
Official register
Public licensee register
Machine readable
No, manual search only
Regime
Licensed market
Search the official iGO register

How to verify an Ontario license

  1. Open the list of regulated igaming sites on igamingontario.ca
  2. Find the brand in the list or pick the operator name in the Operators filter
  3. Compare the web address in your browser with the address the directory links to
  4. Check that the site shows the iGaming Ontario and BetGuard logos, which every regulated site displays
  5. Treat a brand that is missing from the directory as unregulated in Ontario, since sites that leave the market drop off the list

License types in Ontario

Private operators may offer online casino, poker, sports betting, bingo and betting exchange games in Ontario once the AGCO has registered them and they have signed an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages these games, and the AGCO regulates the operators and their suppliers.

  • Internet Gaming Operator registration with the AGCO
  • Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario
  • Gaming-related supplier registration with the AGCO

Key facts about the iGO regime

  • Two bodies share the market. The AGCO registers and supervises operators, and iGaming Ontario contracts with them and conducts and manages their games
  • An operator must complete seven steps with iGaming Ontario and seven with the AGCO before it may accept players
  • The AGCO registration fee is $100,000 per site per year, and each separate igaming site needs its own application
  • The Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming came into force on 4 April 2022 when the regulated market launched
  • iGaming Ontario became an independent agency in May 2025 after starting in July 2021 as a subsidiary of the AGCO
  • OLG.ca is run by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and does not appear in the iGaming Ontario directory
  • Operators need no business established in Canada and need not offer their sites in French

What the license means for players

Players must be 19 or older and physically located in Ontario to place a wager. They may open or manage an account from outside the province. Every regulated site offers deposit, loss and time limits and its own self-exclusion. BetGuard lets anyone 19 or older opt out of all regulated online gambling in Ontario for 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom term, and it covers OLG sites too. A dispute goes first to the operator. An unresolved dispute can then go to iGaming Ontario for review, though iGaming Ontario cannot settle bets, refund wagers or award compensation. Regulatory complaints go to the AGCO.

Red flags and fake iGO claims

  • The brand or its exact web address is missing from the iGaming Ontario directory
  • The site claims Ontario regulation but shows no iGaming Ontario or BetGuard logo
  • Public advertising promotes a bonus or free credit, which the Registrar's Standards allow only on the operator's own site or in direct marketing after player consent
  • An offer is described as free or risk-free although the player must risk their own money
  • A third party offers to handle BetGuard self-exclusion outside BetGuard.ca, a tactic iGaming Ontario has warned about

Legal status and tax

Ontario runs a regulated igaming market with private operators that opened on 4 April 2022. The Gaming Control Act, 1992 requires registration with the AGCO for anyone providing goods or services for lottery schemes conducted and managed by iGaming Ontario. The iGaming Ontario Act, 2024 continues iGaming Ontario as an agent of the Crown with the duty to conduct and manage online lottery schemes. The earlier regulation that set up iGaming Ontario as a subsidiary of the AGCO was revoked on 12 May 2025.

Each registered operator pays the AGCO a regulatory fee of $100,000 per site per year. iGaming Ontario reconciles igaming revenue on behalf of the province. Its May 2026 BetGuard release states that the market generated $262 million in revenue in 2025-26 that was reinvested in the province. The primary sources checked for this page do not state a revenue share or tax rate for private operators.

Frequently asked questions

Who regulates online gambling in Ontario?

iGaming Ontario, usually shortened to iGO, oversees gambling in Ontario. Private operators may offer online casino, poker, sports betting, bingo and betting exchange games in Ontario once the AGCO has registered them and they have signed an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages these games, and the AGCO regulates the operators and their suppliers.

How do I check if a casino holds an Ontario license?

Open the official register on igamingontario.ca and search for the operator. iGaming Ontario publishes a directory of every igaming site offered by a regulated operator. Each entry gives the brand name, the site address and the game categories, and a filter shows all sites of one legal operator. The directory lists no registration numbers or dates. The AGCO publishes no separate list and points to this directory. A real licensee appears there under its own name.

What does a iGO license mean for players?

Players must be 19 or older and physically located in Ontario to place a wager. They may open or manage an account from outside the province. Every regulated site offers deposit, loss and time limits and its own self-exclusion. BetGuard lets anyone 19 or older opt out of all regulated online gambling in Ontario for 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom term, and it covers OLG sites too. A dispute goes first to the operator. An unresolved dispute can then go to iGaming Ontario for review, though iGaming Ontario cannot settle bets, refund wagers or award compensation. Regulatory complaints go to the AGCO.

How do I spot a fake Ontario license claim?

The brand or its exact web address is missing from the iGaming Ontario directory The site claims Ontario regulation but shows no iGaming Ontario or BetGuard logo Public advertising promotes a bonus or free credit, which the Registrar's Standards allow only on the operator's own site or in direct marketing after player consent An offer is described as free or risk-free although the player must risk their own money A third party offers to handle BetGuard self-exclusion outside BetGuard.ca, a tactic iGaming Ontario has warned about

Sources

Not sure how registers work in general? Read the guide on how to check a casino license or browse every jurisdiction we cover.