Online gambling regulation in Ontario, Canada

Casino, sports betting, poker and more

Casino, sports betting and poker are all regulated in Ontario through the iGaming Ontario/AGCO framework, but poker is peer-to-peer and currently operated in a closed liquidity market; sports betting and casino are house-banked products under the same provincial regime.

Product	Status	What that means
Online casino	Licensed	—
Online sports betting	Licensed	—
Online poker	Licensed	Licensed via iGaming Ontario/AGCO; real-money online poker legal on approved sites since April 2022.
Sweepstakes and social casinos	Unregulated	No Ontario or federal Canadian law or AGCO/iGaming Ontario action directly regulating or banning sweepstakes/social casinos as of 2026; iGaming Ontario real‑money regime began 2022.
Prediction markets	Restricted	Ontario OSC settlement against Polymarket under CSA Binary Options Ban / MI 91‑102, 2025; two‑year capital‑markets ban. Kalshi, Crypto.com, Robinhood event contracts: no Ontario‑specific actions found.
Mystery boxes	Not confirmed	Ontario has no specific loot-box/mystery-box gambling ruling found; Criminal Code gambling definition (1985) and AGCO/IGaming Ontario framework (2022) govern general gambling, while loot boxes are not classified as gambling in Canadian guidance.

Advertising unlicensed gambling in Ontario, Canada

Prohibited. Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming and AGCO advertising standards require compliance by registrants and discourage promotion of unlicensed offshore operators.

AGCO has urged media platforms to remove advertising for unlicensed offshore operators, indicating such advertising is inconsistent with Ontario’s regulated igaming framework.

Regulator and law

Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) as regulator; iGaming Ontario conducts and manages igaming via private operators — www.agco.ca

Ontario’s internet gaming is regulated primarily through the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

Online casino: Licensed. Online sports betting: Licensed.

Checking a licence

The regulator publishes a register of licensed operators. AGCO publishes a searchable public register of registered internet gaming operators and suppliers on its website.

https://www.agco.ca/en/lottery-and-gaming/guides/registrars-standards-internet-gaming

How the black market is fought

AGCO standards and registration enforcement against non-compliant operators
Advisories to media platforms to remove ads for unlicensed offshore operators
Administrative sanctions and fines under AGCO regulatory framework
Potential criminal liability for illegal gambling under Canadian law

Advertising rules for licensed operators

No public advertising of inducements, bonuses or credits; allowed only on operator site and direct marketing with active player consent
Advertising must not target or use underage or high-risk persons, or self-excluded players
No use of active or retired athletes or other celebrities with primary appeal to minors in iGaming marketing, except for RG advocacy
All ads must be factual, not misleading, and must clearly disclose material conditions and limitations at first presentation

Recent developments

February 2024: AGCO updated standards to prohibit use of athletes and certain celebrities in iGaming advertising, except for responsible gambling advocacy.
May 2025: AGCO issued a strategic advisory urging media platforms to remove advertising for unlicensed offshore operators, explicitly naming Bodog.
Ongoing 2025–2026: Continued refinement and guidance on revised advertising standards and inducement restrictions in the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.

Questions

Is it illegal to advertise unlicensed gambling in Ontario, Canada?

Yes. Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming and AGCO advertising standards require compliance by registrants and discourage promotion of unlicensed offshore operators. AGCO has urged media platforms to remove advertising for unlicensed offshore operators, indicating such advertising is inconsistent with Ontario’s regulated igaming framework.

Who regulates online gambling in Ontario, Canada?

Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) as regulator; iGaming Ontario conducts and manages igaming via private operators. The main law is Ontario’s internet gaming is regulated primarily through the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)..

How can I check whether a gambling operator is licensed in Ontario, Canada?

The regulator publishes a register of licensed operators at https://www.agco.ca/en/lottery-and-gaming/guides/registrars-standards-internet-gaming. AGCO publishes a searchable public register of registered internet gaming operators and suppliers on its website.

What we could not confirm

Exact statutory provision expressly prohibiting advertising of unlicensed or illegal online gambling not clearly identified in publicly available AGCO documents.
Existence of formal ISP or domain blocking measures specifically targeting unlicensed online gambling operators in Ontario.
Specific Criminal Code sections regularly used against illegal online gambling advertising in Ontario practice.
Whether Ontario treats paid mystery/loot boxes as gambling or consumer products
Whether sweepstakes/social casinos are expressly permitted or targeted by Ontario enforcement
Whether prediction markets are available through a specific Ontario licensing or exemptive regime
Whether Ontario courts’ 2025 liquidity ruling has changed actual operator permissions by Sept. 2026

Sources

Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.