How do you check whether an online casino is registered in Ontario? Search the directory that iGaming Ontario (iGO) publishes, then match the brand and web address to the site you are on. A listed operator is registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and has an operating agreement with iGO. OLG.ca is the one exception.

This guide shows how to check if an online casino is registered in Ontario and what the result does and does not tell you. One question kept coming up in complaints: how does a player tell whether a site is registered where they live? The answer here covers Ontario only, because who regulates online gambling in each province is not the same everywhere. All checks were made on October 6, 2026.

How to check whether an online casino is registered in Ontario: five steps

The check takes a few minutes and needs no account. It works the same way for a casino, a sports betting site, a poker room or a bingo site, because the directory covers all of them. Do it before you register or deposit.

  1. Note the site’s name, address and company. Write down the brand, the exact web address in your address bar and the company named in the footer or the terms of use. Keep all three. The directory can be searched by brand and by company, so you may need both.
  2. Search iGaming Ontario’s directory. Open iGO’s list of regulated igaming sites yourself instead of following a link from the site you are checking. iGO describes it as a directory of all igaming sites offered by regulated operators it has contracted. Each entry shows a brand, one or more categories (Casino, Poker, Sports Betting, Bingo or Betting Exchange) and a Play link, and you can filter by operator and category.
  3. If the brand is not listed, search by company. iGO’s operator view lists each company under its company name, with its brands and sites underneath. One company can run several brands, and one brand can have separate sites for casino and sports betting. A name in an ad and a name in a footer can look unrelated. This view connects them.
  4. Match the web address. Compare the address in the directory with the one in your address bar, character by character. Names, logos and text can be copied. iGO warned on September 10, 2026 about third parties using the BetGuard name and branding to make misleading statements, and Atlantic Lottery notes that fraudsters sometimes copy the logos, images and text of legitimate businesses.
  5. Record the date and decide what the result means. Note the day you checked and the date the directory says it is accurate to. A screenshot of the entry with the date visible is enough. Then read the result in the sections that follow.

How do you read iGaming Ontario’s directory?

Read the date first, then the match. The directory states when the listing is accurate: September 1, 2026, on the day it was checked for this guide. A match means the site was part of Ontario’s regulated igaming market on that date. A missing site is not a verdict on its own.

On that date the directory listed 49 operators and 84 igaming websites, and both views showed the same totals. iGO says the listing is updated every time a new site offered by a regulated operator is made available. Treat the date as the limit of what the page tells you.

What the directory showsWhat it does not show
Brands and sites in the regulated marketHow an operator has behaved
The company behind each brand (operator view)A registration number or date
Categories such as casino or pokerPenalties or complaint history
The date the listing is accurate toWhat changed after that date
19+ and physically in Ontario to playAny rating or recommendation

Source: iGaming Ontario directory pages, checked October 6, 2026.

What “registered” means: the AGCO and iGaming Ontario

In Ontario, “registered” is two steps at two institutions. iGO’s directory page puts it in one sentence: a fully registered and authorized operator has received a registration by the AGCO and, with the exception of OLG.ca, has executed an operating agreement with iGO. Neither step alone is enough.

The AGCO registers operators and sets the standards

The AGCO is an Ontario provincial regulatory agency established in February 1998, and it describes itself as the regulator of Ontario’s regulated igaming market. It administers the Gaming Control Act, 1992 and Regulation 78/12. It also sets and upholds the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, which apply to every registered igaming operator and supplier, to iGO for its activities and to OLG for OLG.ca.

Registration is not a one-time event. An operator that runs more than one distinct site must submit a separate application for each, and a registration runs for one or two years, according to the AGCO’s application guide for operators.

iGaming Ontario signs the operating agreement

iGO was established in July 2021 as a lottery subsidiary of the AGCO and became an independent agency in May 2025. It conducts and manages igaming that is offered through private operators, and it develops, executes and oversees the operating agreements with them. iGO does not register or license operators. It contracts with operators the AGCO has already registered.

What the regulator actually checks

The AGCO says its standards cover the prevention of underage access, game integrity, privacy and information security, anti-money laundering and responsible gambling. Those standards are what a registered operator is held to. They are also the limit of the regulator’s reach.

The AGCO’s complaints page is written for people with a problem with a regulated site. It says plainly that the AGCO cannot get your money back or make a site give it back. Registration gives a player a regulator to complain to. It does not give a player a refund.

What the logo on a site tells you and what it does not

According to iGO, every website offered by a fully registered and approved operator in Ontario displays the iGaming Ontario and BetGuard logos. The AGCO’s complaints page likewise tells players who want to know whether they are on a regulated site to look for the iGO logo.

A logo is still an image on a page, and an image can be copied to any page. Use it as a prompt to run the directory check, not as the check. Neither agency’s page, as read for this guide, says where on a site the logo must appear, so do not rely on a particular position.

Regulated sites show other signs too. The directory says players must be 19 or older and physically in Ontario, and the Registrar’s Standards call for operators to let only eligible individuals open an account and to monitor player location. Each of these is a clue, and none of them proves registration.

Some things are not proof at all:

  • a claim or a logo on the site with no matching directory entry
  • a Canadian look, prices in dollars or a .ca web address
  • a licence from another jurisdiction, which is not a registration with the AGCO
  • reviews and rankings, including those on affiliate websites, which are opinions and not registration checks

If the site is in the directory

A match on both brand and web address means the operator is registered with the AGCO and has an operating agreement with iGO, or the site is OLG.ca. iGO lists what it says players get on regulated sites: protected deposits, winnings that are paid out, secure personal information, fair game play and access to responsible gambling resources. Those are the stated aims of the system. They are not a guarantee about any single site. The directory is also a snapshot, so repeat the check if some time has passed since the date on it.

If something goes wrong, start with the operator. The AGCO tells players to follow the site’s formal complaints process and says the decision can take up to 90 days. If you think a regulated site broke the rules, you can then make a complaint to the AGCO. Some complaints, such as ones about responsible gambling or advertising, may go to the AGCO without first contacting the site.

The match also matters for self-exclusion. BetGuard, Ontario’s centralized self-exclusion program, covers all igaming websites in Ontario’s regulated market, including OLG’s, according to iGO’s announcement. A site outside that market is outside BetGuard.

Registration is not a recommendation. It says who oversees a site. It says nothing about whether the site suits you, and nothing about winnings. Taxes on winnings are a federal question, covered in whether gambling winnings are taxable in Canada.

What if the site is not in the directory?

Check whether it is OLG.ca first, and pause before depositing while the question is open. If it is not, and you have searched by both brand and company, the site is not part of Ontario’s regulated market. This guide labels no site. It describes what the regulator covers.

OLG.ca is the exception

iGO does not conduct or manage online gambling at OLG.ca. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) offers it, and the AGCO’s standards apply to OLG for that site. OLG.ca is therefore regulated and still absent from iGO’s directory, which carries a footnote about it.

Check for ordinary slips

Before drawing a conclusion, run the search again. Look for the company name instead of the brand, check the spelling of the address and note the directory’s date.

What the regulators say about sites outside the market

iGO’s directory page lists the harms of playing on a site offered by an unregulated operator. It says there is no guarantee that deposits are securely stored and that payouts could be delayed or not given at all. The AGCO’s complaint route covers regulated sites, so it is not a way back to a payout from a site outside the market.

If you already have an account on such a site, keep every email, screenshot and receipt, and note the date of each. Tell your bank about any payment you do not recognize. If you think you were the target of a scam, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 or through its online report form.

Where this check stops, and who to contact

This check applies to Ontario. The directory covers sites for players who are 19 or older and physically in Ontario. Alberta opened its own regulated market on July 13, 2026, and the Alberta iGaming Corporation publishes a separate list of registered igaming sites. Other provinces have their own arrangements, and an Ontario result says nothing about them.

To report a problem, go to the operator first and the AGCO second. Report suspected fraud to the CAFC.

To check if an online casino is registered in Ontario, use the directory and note its date. Registration tells you who oversees a site. It does not tell you how much is reasonable to wager. If gambling is affecting you or someone you care about, ConnexOntario offers free and confidential support in Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 and online at connexontario.ca. Other provinces have their own helplines, listed in gambling helplines and tools in other provinces.

This guide gives general information and is not legal advice.

Questions people ask about checking a site

How to check if an online casino is registered in Ontario without signing up?

The directory is public, so no account is needed. Search iGaming Ontario’s directory for the brand, then by company if the brand is missing, and match the web address to the site you are on. Note the date the listing is accurate to. A listed operator is registered with the AGCO and has an operating agreement with iGO, and OLG.ca is the exception.

Who regulates online gambling in Ontario?

The AGCO regulates Ontario’s igaming market. It registers operators and sets the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages igaming offered through private operators and signs operating agreements with them after the AGCO has registered them. iGO became an independent agency in May 2025.

Does iGaming Ontario license online casinos?

No. The AGCO registers operators, and iGaming Ontario then signs an operating agreement with each registered private operator. Both steps come before a site offers games in the regulated market. OLG.ca is the exception, because OLG runs it. The directory lists the sites that completed both steps.

Where is the list of registered online casinos in Ontario?

iGaming Ontario publishes it in two views, by brand and by company. As of September 1, 2026, it lists 49 operators and 84 igaming websites. The AGCO’s own page on registered operators refers readers to the iGO directory instead of keeping a separate list.

Why is OLG.ca not in iGaming Ontario’s directory?

iGO does not conduct or manage online gambling at OLG.ca. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation does, and the AGCO’s standards apply to OLG for that site. So OLG.ca is regulated without an operating agreement with iGO, and without an entry in the directory.

Does the iGaming Ontario logo prove that a site is registered?

No. iGO says every site offered by a registered operator displays its logo, and the AGCO tells players to look for it. A logo is still only an image on a page. The check is the directory entry, with a brand, company and web address that match the site you are on.

What if the brand is listed but the web address is different?

Treat it as a failed check. A listed brand does not make every address that uses its name the operator’s site. Go back to the directory, use the entry’s own Play link to reach the site, and compare the address again. Do not enter any details on the page that did not match.

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