Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is an Ontario provincial agency established in February 1998; it regulates casinos, internet gaming sites and lotteries in the province. The internet gaming market opened to private operators on April 4, 2022, together with the Registrar's Standards; before that, the OLG site was the only internet gaming site regulated by the AGCO. iGaming Ontario (iGO), established in July 2021 under the AGCO and independent since May 2025, conducts and manages igaming through private operators: operations start under an operating agreement with iGO, not with AGCO registration alone.

The AGCO registers internet gaming operators and gaming-related suppliers. An operator is responsible for the gaming site as a whole and files a separate application for each site with its own player credentials, wallet, brand or operator. Suppliers fall into two fee categories, manufacturers and other; platform providers, game developers, e-wallet providers, odds makers, sports integrity monitors and testing labs register, while marketing affiliates, geolocation providers and payment processors without a wallet may not need registration. The standards cover slots and other casino games, live dealer games, peer-to-peer games, sports, esports, novelty and exchange betting and fantasy sports. Players must be within Ontario, can self-exclude from all market sites through one iGO program, see bonuses advertised only on the operator's site or after giving consent, and play games that do not disguise losses as wins and always show their net position.

The operator fee is $100,000 per site per year; suppliers pay $15,000 (manufacturers) or $3,000 (other) a year. The fee for the chosen one- or two-year term is paid with the application and is non-refundable; applicants may be charged investigation costs, and operators cost-recovery payments for regulating internet gaming that could significantly exceed $100,000 per site. Registration takes 2+ months after a complete application and paid fees, while the steps with iGO can run at the same time, most taking two business days to 2 weeks.

With the application, an operator files a gap analysis against the standards with a remediation plan and disclosure for the entity, officers, directors, 5% shareholders and principal employees; non-residents of Canada add a criminal background check from the last 12 months. The AGCO weighs experience, licences in other jurisdictions and the gap analysis: at elevated risk an independently audited Control Activity Matrix (CAM) may be required before registration is issued, otherwise it is filed within three months of launch, and within six months the operator demonstrates its controls. Before launch the operator confirms its technology in a letter signed by its CEO, adding vulnerability and penetration tests by an independent firm, its cloud and data centre providers with SOC 2 or ISO 27001, and a player geolocation check. Games and critical gaming systems are certified by an AGCO-registered lab, among them BMM North America, eCOGRA, Gaming Associates Europe, Gaming Laboratories International, Global Lab Ltd., Riskcherry and Quinel Ltd; platforms need no such certification. The company keeps independent oversight and internal audit, a code of conduct, personnel screening and an anonymous employee reporting channel, keeps records for at least 3 years and clears changes of officers, directors or shareholders with the Registrar. Online operators' staff do not register as gaming assistants, and players recognise iGaming Ontario sites by the iGO logo.