Ontario Gambling Laws in 2024

Legal Online Gambling Sites in Ontario Listed (Updated in April 2024)

The best online casinos in Ontario are now ready to be played. There have been dramatic changes in Canadian gambling laws and more importantly, in Ontario.

This means you have a wide array of the top online casinos to play at. In the past, there were a lot of restrictions for online casinos offering their services to players in the province of Ontario.

Ontario gambling laws are still strict, but they are starting to put their stamp of approval on some of the biggest, best casinos out there. These casinos feature some of the more popular games, including slots, progressive jackpots, table games, live casino games, and sports betting.

👨‍⚖️ Gambling Laws in Ontario 2024

In 2022, Ontario finally opened up the market in their province, which means you can get access to plenty of legal casinos in Ontario.

In the past, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) was the only option for casino and sports betting. The new market regulations are making sure that operators are fully accredited, supervised and adhere to the standards that Ontario gambling laws have put in place.

Currently, gambling operators have to secure registration through iGaming Ontario, which is a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The online casinos will enter a revenue-sharing contract with Ontario and in turn, the province will continuously monitor the casinos.

Note: Casinos that are fully registered and authorised in Ontario will have the iGaming logo displayed prominently.

👩‍🏫 The History of Canadian Gambling Laws

Online gambling laws in Canada are quite relaxed. In 1985, the Canadian government allowed each province to choose their own gaming laws.

Ontario's new gambling laws officially launched their legal, regulated gambling market on April 4, 2022. It took three years to get to this point where they officially ended the online gambling monopoly Ontario has had.

As of April 4, new Ontario gambling laws require online casinos to secure registration with AGCO and get an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario to be able to legally operate in Ontario.

Here's a brief timeline if you're interested:

• 1969 — Gambling becomes legal in Canada.
• 1985 — Canadian government turned gambling control over to each individual province.
• July 2018 — Quebec lifts the “blacklisting” of offshore casinos.
• August 27, 2021 — single-game betting became available.
• April 4, 2022 — Ontario government opens the online market.

There are a few stipulations with internet gambling laws Canada. The online casino has to be run by the province you’re located in or it has to be located outside of Canada. So, if you’re from BC, you can’t gain access to Alberta’s online casinos that are based out of the province.

Each province is different, and some pay offer government online casinos, like Ontario once had. The sites are legal, and they are legal to play on.

The Canadian government isn’t able to legislate offshore, international online casinos so they are not illegal, either.

⚠️ Note: As a player, you gamble at your own risk so make sure they display their licensing information. If they’re fully licensed in the jurisdiction they come from, you can feel confident that it’s a legit, safe site to play on.

Why Did Ontario Make Online Gambling Legal?

As part of the gambling laws Ontario has rolled out, the province will be sharing revenue with each casino they approve. There are approximately 15 million Ontario residents, and the province was projected to generate over $800 million in gross revenue in 2022 alone.

Not only that, but the Ontario gambling also laws have created a regulatory body so there is more control over the quality of online casinos offered.

They are keeping barriers low so legitimate online casinos can enter the Ontario market. They used to have a monopoly on their gambling offerings but now they’re able to foster competition.

This is better for customers as they have options. It’s believed that the new gambling laws in Ontario are going to foster the best payout casinos to rise to the top.

Gambling Market Regulation in Ontario

Each province has their own regulations so Canadian online gambling laws will differ from Ontario gambling laws. This is because of the regulatory bodies or commissions that oversee each province.

In Ontario, AGCO is the parent company that regulates brick-and-mortar casinos in Ontario. These offline casinos are managed by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).

AGCO created a section for its online casinos, iGaming Ontario (iGO). They have been working with the provincial government and AGCO to establish their new online market, making sure that players are protected when gambling at an online casino.

All these regulatory bodies are under the government of Ontario.

Ontario's Legal Gambling Age

Canada online gambling laws generally have a minimum age of 19 years old. This is also the case for Ontario players, which means you have to be 19 to play at Ontario casinos.

With Ontario gambling laws, they will verify each player, making it impossible for a player under 19 to collect any winnings they may get. With Canada gambling laws, players are required to go through a verification check, which includes a government-issued photo ID.

🏒 Sports Gambling in Ontario

Internet gambling laws Ontario involves sports betting, as well. The government of Ontario had a monopoly on sports betting in Ontario as well and there were some restrictions on how one could bet on sports.

Until April 4, bettors were limited to parlays and couldn’t do single-game betting. The Canadian government passed a bill allowing bettors to get in on single-game betting.

Before legalisation, many Ontario residents would play at overseas sports betting sites to get a full array of betting options. Many of the top sports betting sites have also added online casinos to their brand.

This gives Ontario players a nice range of betting options at one site.

Why Gambling Commissions Are Important

Gambling laws in Canada are there to protect players so any of the online casinos licensed in Ontario have been tested to make sure they use the best security features.

This means your personal information is never exposed. They only offer secure payment methods that keep your banking information safe. The top casinos in Ontario are sites you can trust with all the best features and games.

There are fewer restrictions with Canadian gambling laws now but that isn’t to say that online casinos aren’t being closely monitored.

It is the commissions that oversee any online casino depending on where it operates. In Ontario, it is the Ontario iGaming Commission, a regulatory body that strictly oversees any Ontario-based casinos.

There are also third-party auditors that ensure all of the games are paying out as advertised. If there are complaints about withdrawal waiting times or lack of transparency, the casino has to answer that.

If an online casino isn’t maintaining standards, it can lose its licence. Canada's gambling laws are strict and so any licensed casino listed here is a site you can trust because of these regulatory bodies.

Frequently Asked Questions