Ontario will roll out in May 2026 its centralized self-exclusion system for online gambling, after officially presenting it on April 2026, in Toronto, in a move that reshapes control of Canada’s largest regulated gaming market. The program, known as BetGuard, was introduced by Joseph Hillier, president and CEO of iGaming Ontario, during the Discovery 2026 event hosted by the Responsible Gambling Council.
For the first time since the market opened on April 4, 2022, players will be able to self-exclude from all licensed operators in Ontario through a single request, eliminating the previous fragmented model. The system will cover 82 regulated sites and will also integrate the digital offering of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
This measure is implemented under the regulatory standards of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, within the legal framework defined by the Gaming Control Act, 1992 and the iGaming Ontario Act, 2024, politically overseen by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, led by minister Stan Cho. The regulatory structure keeps AGCO as the compliance authority, while iGaming Ontario operates and manages the market on behalf of the province.
The backdrop is financial scale, Ontario reported more than CAD 63.3 billion in wages and CAD 2.2 billion in gaming revenue in its second full year, with over 2.1 million active player accounts. In 2025, the market reached approximately CAD 98.3 billion in total wagers and close to CAD 4 billion in revenue, positioning it among the largest regulated markets globally. In January 2026 alone, handles exceeded CAD 9.5 billion, highlighting sustained consumption growth.
Minister Stan Cho
BetGuard responds directly to that expansion, causing the rapid growth, combined with intense competition and aggressive marketing, increased regulatory pressure around player protection. The system aims to close operational gaps, prevent users from reopening accounts across platforms and block marketing exposure to self-excluded players.
The impact is twofold, cause in the short term, it strengthens the regulated market’s legitimacy against offshore operators. In the medium term, it signals Ontario’s transition toward a more controlled, compliance-driven phase, where growth will depend not only on volume but on regulatory sustainability.
