Online casinos in Ontario: what's registered, and why our links are off

How Ontario’s market works

The Criminal Code lets only a province “conduct and manage” gambling, online included.[3] source Ontario does this through iGaming Ontario, which signs private operators after the AGCO registers them. Every registered site is on one public list, updated by iGaming Ontario.[1] source

On that list you’ll find bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, 888, PlayOJO and dozens of casino brands. A site that isn’t there isn’t registered for Ontario, whatever its footer says about other licences.

How to check a site in two minutes

1. Open the iGaming Ontario list of operators and gaming sites.[1] source
2. Find the brand and compare the web address with the one you’re on. Registered sites usually have their own Ontario address.
3. Look at the footer of the site itself. A registered site names the AGCO and its Ontario company.

Brands in our catalogue with a separate Ontario site

These brands appear in our catalogue through their offshore sites. In Ontario, each runs a different site through the company named below.[1] source

We don’t link to these Ontario sites and don’t publish their offers: we have no agreement with them, and their bonuses can’t be advertised publicly.[2] source

Why our buttons lead here

The AGCO standards make registered operators responsible for the marketing done on their behalf, and bar their affiliates from sending Ontario players to sites that aren’t registered.[2] source The casinos in our ranking are offshore sites, and some belong to groups with a registered Ontario company.

So we switch our links off for Ontario in two ways. If you choose Ontario at the top of the page, casino buttons and offers disappear. If you click a casino button from an Ontario connection, you land on this page instead of the casino. The same check covers other provinces a casino excludes in its own terms — several exclude New Brunswick — and the province-by-province list of exclusions shows which.

What changes on a registered site

• Bonuses are shown only on the operator’s own site, or to players who agreed to receive offers.
• Self-exclusion is centralized: the standards require every registered site to take part in one program.
• Advertising can’t feature active or retired athletes, or celebrities likely to appeal to minors (Standard 2.03, since February 28, 2024).
• Age is checked against 19.