How Online Casino Play Works in Ontario
Online casino play in Ontario runs through two separate doors. This page explains each one, who oversees whom, and how to check any site yourself. The minimum age for both is 19.
01
Two Doors Into Online Play
The first door is iGaming Ontario's market of private operators. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages the online gaming they offer and holds the operating agreements with them. That market opened on April 4, 2022.
OLG.ca is the second door. It is OLG's own online casino, run separately from the iGaming Ontario market. It launched across the province under the name PlayOLG, and iGaming Ontario does not run it.
Both doors share one rule. The minimum age for online casino play in Ontario is 19, the same as for land-based casinos and slot facilities. Lottery and charitable gaming start at 18, but that line does not reach online casinos.
02
Who Watches Whom
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the AGCO, is the provincial gaming regulator. It administers the Gaming Control Act, 1992, and sets the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming. Operators and suppliers are registered by the AGCO. iGaming Ontario began in 2021 as an AGCO subsidiary and became a stand-alone agency on May 12, 2025. The AGCO still keeps regulatory oversight of it.
Any online site can be checked in iGaming Ontario's directory of registered operators and their gaming sites. The AGCO links to the same directory. If a site has dropped off the list, it has most likely stopped operating in Ontario. A short look is worth it before you hand over any details.
03
The Home Page Ad, Explained
The home page carries one paid button, labelled Online casino and marked Ad. It leads to an online casino run by a partner. That partner is not this guide and not OLG.ca, and it can change. This site earns a commission when readers follow the button.
This page does not state whether the partner is registered. Readers are asked to check it in iGaming Ontario's directory, the same way as any other site. Nothing on this page links to it.
Under AGCO standards, operators answer for their marketing affiliates. An affiliate paid by a registered operator may not also promote unregistered sites serving Ontario. Inducements and credits may only be advertised on an operator's own gaming site. Direct marketing sent with a player's active consent is the one other exception. That is why no such offers appear in this guide.
Asked under the same sky
Questions
Is OLG.ca part of the iGaming Ontario market?
No, OLG.ca is OLG's own online casino, run separately from the iGaming Ontario market. iGaming Ontario does not run it.
Can this guide say which online casino is registered?
No, the guide does not keep its own list. iGaming Ontario's directory of registered operators and gaming sites is the place to look. The guide's check page walks through it in three steps.