Licenses for online casinos,
betting, skillgaming, lotteries etc.
Full-support for gaming projects
Ontario turned online gambling from a legal grey zone into the largest regulated iGaming market in Canada – and one of the most closely watched in the world. For operators and suppliers, entry runs through a single gateway: the Ontario Gambling License, with its own two-step approval, six-figure annual fee and a regulator that publishes exactly what it expects. This guide walks through the licence from every practical angle: who needs it, how the process works, what it costs, how long it takes and what changes after launch.
What Is an Ontario Gambling License?
An Ontario Gambling License is not one document but two separate approvals, and a company needs both before it can legally take a bet from an Ontario player. The first is registration as an Internet Gaming Operator with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the provincial regulator. The second is an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario (iGO), the Crown agency that conducts and manages the private iGaming scheme on the province’s behalf. Registration without the agreement gives no right to accept bets, and iGO will only sign with a company AGCO has already approved. Gaming-Related Suppliers follow a shorter path: they register with the AGCO but never sign an agreement with iGO, since iGO contracts exclusively with operators – a distinction that matters throughout this guide and is covered in full further down.
The licence only works inside Ontario. It covers players who are 19 or older and physically located in the province at the moment of play – operators verify this through geolocation – and it grants no rights anywhere else in Canada or abroad. One structural detail worth knowing before you apply: since May 12, 2025, iGO has operated as a stand-alone Crown agency under the iGaming Ontario Act, fully separated from the AGCO. In plain terms, one body now writes and enforces the rules (AGCO), and a different body signs the commercial contract and collects the province’s share (iGO).
Overview of the Ontario iGaming Market
Ontario was the first Canadian province to open a commercially licensed online gambling market, and it remains by far the largest. The market opened to private operators on April 4, 2022, and has grown every year since. As of late June 2026, the official iGaming Ontario directory lists 47 contracted operators running 81 approved gaming websites.
Monthly performance data is published openly. According to iGaming Ontario’s Market Performance Report, players wagered about CAD 9.48 billion in May 2026, producing CAD 413.1 million in gross gaming revenue – the money operators keep after paying out player winnings – across roughly 1.26 million active player accounts, or about CAD 329 per account. Online casino dominates the product mix with close to 88% of wagers and 79% of revenue, and sports betting takes most of the remainder. The regulated share of play keeps rising too: a joint iGaming Ontario and AGCO study released in June 2026 found that 91.1% of Ontario online gamblers now play exclusively on licensed sites, up from 83.7% a year earlier.
Peer-to-peer poker sits apart from this growth story. It holds around 1% of the market and remains ring-fenced, meaning Ontarians can only play against other Ontarians. The Court of Appeal for Ontario ruled in November 2025 that pooling Ontario players with international ones would be lawful under the Criminal Code, but provincial lottery corporations have appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada – and iGaming Ontario confirms cross-border pools stay prohibited until the question is settled. For an operator deciding which products to launch, the practical read is: poker is small today, with a realistic path to much larger player pools if the ruling survives.
Gambling Legislation and Regulatory Framework in Ontario
Federal law sets the outer boundary. The Criminal Code of Canada permits gambling only when a province conducts and manages it. In plain terms, the province must run the show – so in Ontario private operators legally act as agents of iGO rather than on their own behalf, and that agency structure is what makes the whole market possible. A Criminal Code amendment in force since August 27, 2021 also legalised single-event sports betting, which is why Ontario sportsbooks can offer more than parlay wagers.
At the provincial level, the Gaming Control Act, 1992 gives the AGCO its registration and enforcement powers, while the iGaming Ontario Act, in force since May 12, 2025, established iGO as an independent Crown agency reporting to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. The division of labour is clear-cut. The AGCO sets standards, registers operators and suppliers, and disciplines non-compliance. iGO signs and administers the operating agreements, collects the province’s revenue share, runs the anti-money laundering (AML) program for the scheme and handles player complaints. An applicant deals with both bodies in parallel, and delays with either one block the launch.
Who Needs a Gaming License in Ontario?
Two groups of companies fall under the registration requirement. The first is B2C operators – online casinos, sportsbooks and peer-to-peer poker rooms that want to serve Ontario players under their own brand. The second is B2B businesses supplying products directly tied to gambling operations: platforms, game studios, live dealer solutions, odds providers and similar vendors, which register as Gaming-Related Suppliers.
One further rule changed the calculation for grey-market brands. Under an AGCO standard in force since the end of October 2022, a registered company – and even an applicant – must cease any unregulated gaming activity aimed at Ontario. A brand cannot hold the licence and keep its old unlicensed Ontario traffic at the same time, and staying outside the system means facing the AGCO’s escalating enforcement against unlicensed operators instead. Given the six-figure annual fee and a deep review of the company and the people behind it, the registration realistically suits established, well-capitalised operators planning a long-term North American presence.
What Are the Advantages of an Ontario Gaming License?
The monthly figures above add up to a commercial case that starts with sheer scale: licensed operators handled more than CAD 98 billion in wagers over calendar 2025 and generated over CAD 4 billion in gaming revenue, based on iGaming Ontario’s monthly market reports – figures no other regulated market in Canada comes close to.
The structure of the licence adds several practical benefits. A single Internet Gaming Operator registration covers online casino, sports and esports betting, and peer-to-peer poker together, so an operator does not collect separate permits for each product type. The financial model is simple: the operator keeps roughly 80% of gaming revenue and pays about 20% to iGO under the operating agreement – consistently reported by industry media as one of the most operator-friendly rates in regulated North America. Finally, passing the AGCO’s review carries weight well beyond Ontario: banks, payment providers and platform partners tend to treat it as strong evidence that a strict regulator has already checked who owns the company, where its money comes from and how its controls work.
How to Start a Gambling Company in Ontario
Ontario does not require a Canadian or Ontario-incorporated entity to hold the registration. iGaming Ontario states this directly in its operator guidance: there is no requirement for operators to have a business established in Canada, provided they clear the suitability, technical and compliance requirements.
That said, many operators still choose to create a Canadian presence, for reasons that have little to do with the regulator: opening accounts with Canadian banks and acquirers, hiring local compliance staff, contracting with provincial vendors and handling tax matters are all simpler through a domestic entity. The sensible sequence is to settle the corporate structure before filing, because any later change to the ownership chain has to be disclosed to the AGCO and can reopen parts of the suitability review.
How to obtain an Ontario online gambling license
This is the path for an Internet Gaming Operator, the longer of the two routes described in this guide. A realistic application begins months before anything is filed. At the preparatory stage the company confirms its registration category, works out whether it is applying for one gaming site or several, assembles the ownership and source-of-funds file, and aligns its platform with the Registrar’s Standards – retrofitting technology after submission is the most expensive way to discover a gap.
The formal application goes through the iAGCO portal, with the full regulatory fee payable at submission. The AGCO then runs its suitability review of the company and key individuals; experienced applicants use this window to start onboarding with iGO and negotiating the operating agreement rather than waiting for registration first. The final stretch is ITL testing, answers to regulator questions, go-live compliance checks and signing the iGO agreement. Only when all of these are complete – registration, certification, fees and contract – can the site legally accept its first Ontario bet.
Gaming-Related Suppliers stop earlier. Since iGO signs operating agreements only with Internet Gaming Operators, a supplier’s process ends at AGCO registration – there is no equivalent contract to negotiate and no site of its own to bring live. That said, any games or systems the supplier provides still need ITL certification before an operator can put them in front of Ontario players, so the technical bar does not disappear – it simply gets cleared once and reused across every operator the supplier works with.
A refusal is not automatically final. If the Registrar intends to refuse, revoke or suspend a registration, the AGCO must first serve a Notice of Proposal or Notice of Proposed Order setting out its reasons. The applicant then has 15 days to request a hearing before the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an independent tribunal that is not part of the AGCO. Missing that 15-day window lets the Registrar’s proposed action take effect – so the deadline matters as much as the arguments.
Types of Gambling Licenses in Ontario
The AGCO registers iGaming participants in two principal categories. An Internet Gaming Operator is the company responsible for the gaming site as a whole: it makes the key decisions, answers for compliance and chooses which suppliers to work with. A Gaming-Related Supplier provides the goods or services that make gambling possible – platforms, game content, betting engines, customer wallet solutions – without operating a site itself. For fee purposes, suppliers split further into manufacturers of gaming equipment and other suppliers of equipment or services.
Two boundary questions come up constantly in practice. First, purely auxiliary vendors – cloud hosting, payment processing without a wallet function, geolocation services – generally qualify as non-gaming-related suppliers and need no registration at all. Second, an operator with several brands must determine whether it runs one gaming site or several: the AGCO looks at whether players share login credentials and a common wallet across websites and whether the branding is unified. The answer directly multiplies the annual fee, since it is charged per gaming site.
Ontario Gambling License Key Requirements
The core of the AGCO review is suitability – in plain terms, whether the regulator can trust the company and the people behind it. The company, its beneficial owners, directors, officers and other key individuals must show a transparent ownership chain, a documented and legal source of funds, financial stability and a clean integrity record. The full documentation list is set out in the AGCO’s application guide and typically includes corporate structure diagrams, personal and entity disclosure forms for key individuals, financial statements, and a gap analysis showing how the applicant meets the Registrar’s Standards.
The technical bar is equally firm. All games and critical gaming systems must be certified by an Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL) registered with the AGCO before launch. Operators must also maintain a Control Activity Matrix – a document that maps each internal control to the specific rule in the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming it satisfies – and submit it with an independent audit. The Standards themselves cover responsible gambling, player protection, game integrity, advertising, AML, data security and incident reporting, and the AGCO updated them in 2025 to demand documented incident response plans and regular penetration testing. On top of that, iGO requires every operator to obtain the Responsible Gambling Council’s RG Check accreditation within two years of signing the operating agreement and to keep it for the full term.
Cost of an Ontario Gambling License
The headline figure is the AGCO regulatory fee: CAD 100,000 per gaming site per year for an Internet Gaming Operator, payable with the application, with an option to register for a one- or two-year term. Gaming-Related Suppliers pay CAD 15,000 annually as manufacturers of gaming equipment or CAD 3,000 as suppliers of equipment and services, per the AGCO fee schedule. The AGCO also warns applicants directly that investigative costs charged on top of the fee can significantly exceed the fee itself where additional checks are needed.
Beyond regulatory charges, a realistic market-entry budget covers legal support, drafting and localising compliance policies, AML and know-your-customer (KYC) tooling, ITL certification, platform changes for geolocation and responsible gambling features, and the independent audit of internal controls. On the revenue side, the roughly 20% share paid to iGO under the operating agreement is the recurring cost that shapes long-term profitability far more than the registration fee.
That 20% sits alongside ordinary Canadian taxes, not in place of them. The legal structure explains why: formally, players buy the gaming service from iGO, and operators provide their services to iGO. Because of that, per a tax analysis published by BDO Canada, operators generally do not charge Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on the revenue-share fee they receive – iGO accounts for that tax itself. Regular corporate income tax and the company’s own sales-tax registrations still apply in the usual way and depend on how the business is structured, which is a question for tax counsel rather than a one-size-fits-all answer.
How Long Does It Take to Obtain an Ontario Gaming License?
iGaming Ontario’s official operator guidance sets one firm reference point: expect a minimum of 90 days to complete AGCO registration and execute the operating agreement with iGO. Everything beyond that depends on preparation. Corporate structuring, document collection, platform adjustments, laboratory testing and launch readiness all sit outside those 90 days, so the full market-entry cycle runs considerably longer for most applicants.
Three stages consume most of the calendar: the AGCO suitability review, technical certification, and negotiation of the iGO agreement. The brakes are predictable. Ownership chains spread across several jurisdictions, unclear source-of-funds documentation and platforms that fail Ontario’s technical standards at first testing each stretch the timeline. The accelerant is predictable too: running iGO onboarding in parallel with the AGCO review, rather than after it, is one of the biggest time savings available to an applicant.
Compliance Obligations for Ontario Gaming Operators
After launch, the operator stays under continuous supervision by both bodies. Operators must keep their games, systems, payments and internal controls continuously aligned with the Registrar’s Standards, monitor and report incidents, cooperate with AGCO reviews and file the reporting iGO requires under the operating agreement. AML obligations also connect to the federal level: reporting processes must work with FINTRAC, Canada’s federal anti-money laundering agency, alongside the provincial requirements.
Two areas deserve particular attention because enforcement there has visibly tightened as the market has matured. Advertising is the first: Ontario bans public advertising of inducements and bonuses – offers may only reach players through direct, consented channels – and the AGCO has actively pressured media platforms to drop promotion of unlicensed brands. Since February 28, 2024, the same Standards have also barred active and retired athletes from iGaming advertising outright, along with celebrities, social media influencers and cartoon figures likely to appeal to minors; the sole exception is using an athlete to promote responsible gambling itself. Operators that built early campaigns around athlete endorsements had to rebuild their marketing from that date on, and any new campaign needs to be checked against this rule before it launches. Responsible gambling is the second area: operators must embed player protection tools, obtain the RG Check accreditation described above, and connect to BetGuard – the centralised self-exclusion registry all Ontario operators participate in, which lets a player block access to every regulated site in the province at once.
Renewal of an Ontario Gambling License
Registration runs for the chosen one- or two-year term and must be renewed before expiry, with the annual fee paid again. At renewal, the AGCO reassesses suitability in full: it may revisit compliance history, ownership changes, the financial position of the company and any regulatory incidents accumulated during the term.
The practical consequence is that renewal risk is created or removed during the term itself. Unresolved incidents, weak record-keeping, late reporting or standards violations become the file the regulator reads at renewal time – and the AGCO is visibly stricter now than in the market’s early years, with monetary penalties and settlements a routine enforcement tool. Operators that treat compliance as a continuous internal audit cycle, with documented reviews between renewals, give the regulator nothing new to find when the term ends.
Why Choose Ontario for an iGaming Business?
Ontario combines the three things operators actually weigh when choosing a market: scale, clear published rules, and a financial model that leaves room for marketing and product investment. A population of more than 15 million supports the largest regulated online gambling market in Canada, and the survey data above shows nine in ten online players now play exclusively on licensed sites.
There is also a forward-looking argument. On July 13, 2026, Alberta opened its own commercial iGaming market built closely on Ontario’s framework – the same two-step model of regulatory registration plus a commercial operating agreement. An Ontario registration carries no formal status in Alberta, which runs its own process; what does transfer is nearly everything behind it – the disclosure files, the certified technology, the compliance controls and the track record with a regulator built on the same model. For an operator that has already cleared Ontario, a second Canadian application starts far from zero. None of this makes Ontario a budget option: the fee, the review and the ongoing supervision assume a serious organisation behind the application. For operators with that foundation, the province remains the clearest regulated path into North American iGaming.
How Can SBSB FinTech Lawyers Help You Obtain an Ontario Gambling License
Obtaining an Ontario Gambling License opens the door to the largest regulated iGaming market in Canada – for operators and suppliers ready to meet the standards of one of the strictest regulators in the industry.
At SBSB, we specialize in providing comprehensive legal and regulatory support to businesses entering the Ontario iGaming market. We guide you through every step of the process – from corporate structuring and preparation of AGCO registration documents, to negotiating the operating agreement with iGaming Ontario and completing the pre-launch compliance setup. We ensure your company meets all licensing obligations, assist in developing AML and responsible gambling policies, and prepare you for potential regulatory changes.
Contact us for tailored legal advice and solutions on how to get a gaming license in Ontario. We will ensure compliance at every stage and help your business grow in one of the most dynamic regulated iGaming markets in the world.
Official Sources & Primary Legislation
Regulators & Official Bodies
Primary Legislation
- Criminal Code of Canada (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46)
- Gaming Control Act, 1992 (S.O. 1992, c. 24)
- iGaming Ontario Act, 2024 (S.O. 2024, c. 20, Sched. 9)
Regulatory Standards & Official Guides
- Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming (AGCO)
- Internet Gaming Operator Application Guide (AGCO)
- Hearings and Appeals – Gaming (AGCO)
Official Market Data
FAQs About an Ontario Gambling Licence
What Is an Ontario Gambling License?
An Ontario Gambling License is commonly understood as a combination of two approvals: registration as an Internet Gaming Operator with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario (iGO). An operator cannot legally accept bets from Ontario players until both stages are completed.
Who Regulates Online Gambling in Ontario?
The AGCO regulates the market, registers operators and suppliers, establishes compliance standards and takes enforcement action where necessary. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages the provincial iGaming scheme, signs operating agreements with operators and administers the commercial side of the regulated market.
Can a Foreign Company Obtain an Ontario Gambling License?
Yes. A company does not have to be incorporated in Canada or Ontario to apply. However, the foreign applicant must satisfy the same suitability, financial, technical, AML and compliance requirements as a Canadian company.
Is a Canadian Company or Local Director Required?
Ontario does not generally require an applicant to establish a Canadian company, appoint a Canadian shareholder or have a local director. Nevertheless, a Canadian corporate presence may simplify banking, taxation, payment processing, recruitment and relationships with local service providers.
What Gambling Activities Can Be Offered under an Ontario Registration?
An Internet Gaming Operator registration can cover online casino games, sports and esports betting, and peer-to-peer poker. Operators do not normally need to obtain a separate registration for every product category, although each gaming site must be approved and meet the applicable technical requirements.
Is an Ontario Gambling License Valid throughout Canada?
No. Ontario registration allows an operator to serve eligible players who are physically located in Ontario. It does not grant permission to offer gambling services in other Canadian provinces or territories.
How Much Does an Ontario Gambling License Cost?
The AGCO regulatory fee for an Internet Gaming Operator is CAD 100,000 per gaming site per year. Additional expenses may include regulatory investigation costs, legal support, technical certification, platform adjustments, compliance policies, independent audits and responsible gambling accreditation.
How Long Does It Take to Obtain an Ontario Gambling License?
Applicants should expect the AGCO registration and iGO onboarding process to take at least 90 days. In practice, the full timeline may be longer depending on the ownership structure, source-of-funds documentation, technical readiness, laboratory certification and the speed of responses to regulatory questions.
What Documents Are Required for an Ontario Gambling License Application?
Applicants generally need to provide corporate documents, an ownership structure chart, beneficial owner information, personal and entity disclosure forms, financial statements, evidence of the source of funds and detailed compliance documentation. The AGCO may request additional information concerning directors, officers, shareholders and other key individuals.
What Technical Requirements Apply to Ontario Gambling Operators?
Games and critical gaming systems must be tested and certified by an AGCO-registered Independent Testing Laboratory before launch. Operators must also implement geolocation, cybersecurity, incident response, player protection and internal control systems that comply with the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.
Can One Operator Run Several Brands or Websites?
Yes, but the AGCO may treat different brands or websites as separate gaming sites. It considers factors such as whether the websites use a shared player account, common login credentials, a single wallet and consistent branding. Each separate gaming site may be subject to its own annual regulatory fee.
Do Gaming Software Providers Need an Ontario Gambling License?
Companies providing gaming platforms, casino games, betting systems, live dealer products or other gambling-related technology may need to register with the AGCO as Gaming-Related Suppliers. Unlike operators, suppliers do not enter into an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario.
What AML and Responsible Gambling Requirements Apply?
Operators must implement AML, KYC, transaction monitoring and reporting procedures that meet provincial requirements and support the applicable FINTRAC reporting framework. They must also provide responsible gambling tools, participate in Ontario’s centralised self-exclusion system and obtain RG Check accreditation within the required period.
Can an Operator Accept Bets before Completing the Application Process?
No. Filing an application or receiving AGCO registration alone does not authorise an operator to begin serving Ontario players. The operator must complete the necessary technical approvals, execute the operating agreement with iGaming Ontario and receive confirmation that the gaming site is ready to launch.
How Long Is an Ontario Gambling Registration Valid?
An Internet Gaming Operator may generally select a one-year or two-year registration term. The registration must be renewed before it expires, and the AGCO may reassess the operator’s ownership, financial position, compliance record and continued suitability.
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