AGCO and iGaming Ontario
Ontario’s two-body regulatory structure for the only open igaming market in Canada
Last verified: 2026-10-01
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario registers operators and sets standards; iGaming Ontario, a standalone provincial agency since May 2025, signs commercial operating agreements and publishes market data.
AGCO and iGaming Ontario
Overview
Two bodies share regulation of Ontario’s open igaming market. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) registers operators and gaming-related suppliers and sets the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, which took effect when the market opened on 4 April 2022 and cover entity-level requirements, responsible gambling, player account management, game integrity and public safety. iGaming Ontario (iGO) is the commercial conduct-and-manage body: operators need an executed operating agreement with iGO, in addition to AGCO registration, before they can legally offer games to Ontario residents, and iGO publishes the province’s market performance data.
iGO was originally a subsidiary of the AGCO. Under the iGaming Ontario Act, 2024, it became a standalone provincial agency on 12 May 2025, with its own board, staffing authority and three-year business planning cycle, while continuing to work closely with the AGCO and with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), which runs the government’s own OLG.ca site under the same Registrar’s Standards as every other registered operator.
The Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming and their 4 Apr 2022 effective date. [1]
The OLG/iGO/AGCO role split. [2]
iGO becoming a standalone agency on 12 May 2025 under the iGaming Ontario Act, 2024. [3]
Key facts
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Verified
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) registers igaming operators and gaming-related suppliers and sets the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, covering entity-level requirements, responsible gambling, player account management, game integrity and public safety; these Standards came into force on 4 April 2022, when Ontario’s igaming market opened.
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Verified
Before the 4 April 2022 market opening, OLG.ca was the only internet gaming site regulated by the AGCO; after the opening, OLG continues to operate under the same Registrar’s Standards as every other AGCO-registered operator, alongside iGaming Ontario’s newly registered private operators.
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Verified
iGaming Ontario (iGO), originally a subsidiary of the AGCO, became a standalone provincial agency on 12 May 2025 under the iGaming Ontario Act, 2024, with its own board and the mandate to develop, conduct and manage online lottery schemes consistent with the Criminal Code and Ontario’s Gaming Control Act, 1992, and to promote responsible gambling.
Sources
- Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)Primary source — Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming — https://www.agco.ca/en/lottery-and-gaming/guides/registrars-standards-internet-gaming
- Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)Primary source — Overview of Internet Gaming in Ontario — https://www.agco.ca/en/lottery-and-gaming/overview-internet-gaming-ontario
- iGaming OntarioPrimary source — 2026-2029 Business Plan — https://igamingontario.ca/en/2026-2029-business-plan