Ontario residents now have access to a single system that blocks them from every regulated online gambling platform in the province after iGaming Ontario officially launched BetGuard, a centralized self-exclusion program aimed at strengthening responsible gambling protections.

The new platform allows anyone aged 19 and older to voluntarily suspend access to all provincially regulated online sports betting, casino, and poker websites through one online portal. Once enrolled, users cannot log in to existing gambling accounts, open new ones, or receive direct promotional messages from licensed operators across Ontario’s regulated market.

The system became available Thursday and can be accessed in English and French. According to iGaming Ontario, the registration process takes about five minutes to complete and requires identity verification.

“BetGuard is designed with one simple principle in mind: if you need take a break from the entire regulated iGaming market, you can,” said iGaming Ontario President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Hillier. “Player choice is key to the sustainability of our market, and that includes the choice to opt out.”

Centralized System Expands Responsible Gambling Measures

Before BetGuard’s launch, Ontario’s licensed operators already offered individual self-exclusion options. Those systems only applied to a single platform, meaning users could continue gambling through other regulated sites after excluding themselves from one operator.

BetGuard changes that structure by applying exclusions across the entire regulated market at once. The tool covers every licensed online gambling platform operating in Ontario, including the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s Proline service.

Users can choose exclusion periods lasting six months, one year, five years, or a custom duration. Individuals may extend or renew their exclusion terms later, though they cannot shorten or cancel them once activated.

“There would be “no need to navigate dozens of platforms or manage different self-exclusion processes or accounts across different iGaming websites,” Hillier said during a media briefing.

“In fact, you don’t even need to have an iGaming account to sign up for BetGuard,” he added.

Ontario’s regulated online gambling sector has expanded rapidly since the province opened its competitive market. More than 40 licensed operators currently manage over 70 regulated gaming websites in the province. One report cited 44 operators and 76 gaming sites operating in Ontario’s market, which generated more than $4 billion in revenue in 2025.

The provincial government reported that the regulated market returned approximately $262 million in revenue to Ontario during the 2024-25 fiscal year. Since 2018, the government has invested more than $421 million into gambling-related public education campaigns, awareness initiatives, research programs, and responsible gambling supports.

“The Ontario government is committed to responsible gambling,” Ontario Tourism, Culture, and Gaming Minister Stan Cho said in a statement Thursday. “As online gaming continues to grow in popularity, the launch of BetGuard is an important step forward in helping people play safely and responsibly across more than 75 regulated sites.”

Industry and Support Organizations Back Launch

iGaming Ontario said it spent more than a year developing BetGuard in partnership with DataWorks Group, formerly IXUP, Integrity Compliance 360, government partners, and regulated operators. Officials said the platform was modeled after Australia’s BetStop program.

The system uses API technology to verify whether a person has registered for self-exclusion. According to Hillier, operators do not exchange customer self-exclusion lists with BetGuard, and BetGuard does not share its database with operators. Instead, licensed platforms perform real-time checks when users attempt to access services or when marketing communications are issued.

The launch has also received support from gambling industry representatives and addiction support organizations.

Nerin Kaur, executive director of ConnexOntario, said some individuals seeking help currently manage accounts across numerous gambling applications, making self-exclusion more difficult.

“Having BetGuard allows our team to educate the individual and help them through the process,” Kaur said. “And the individual will only have to self-exclude one time, so the amount of willpower it takes for the individual decreases, and it’s a much better process in terms of help-seeking behaviour or recovery.”

Paul Burns, president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, described the launch as an important consumer protection measure for the regulated sector.

“It has been something the industry has been long looking and waiting for, and we are grateful, because this really delivers on the promise of regulated gaming,” Burns said. “This is a real demonstration of what that means in terms of consumer protection.”

Plans Could Extend Beyond Online Gambling

Ontario is the first province in Canada to launch a centralized self-exclusion system covering a competitive online gambling market. Most other provinces continue to limit online gambling operations to government-owned lottery corporations.

Alberta, which plans to introduce a competitive online gambling market in July, has also indicated it intends to launch a centralized self-exclusion system from the start.

Hillier said iGaming Ontario hopes to eventually expand BetGuard beyond online gambling to include other regulated forms of wagering, including land-based casinos, charitable gaming, and horse racing. He acknowledged that technical and legal complications remain, particularly because horse racing falls under federal regulation.

“It’s really a matter of time and technical complexity,” Hillier added.

Hillier also said iGaming Ontario plans to continue exploring additional responsible gambling tools and support systems used in other jurisdictions while promoting BetGuard to vulnerable communities and expanding public education efforts surrounding safer gambling practices.