How does Ontario law define what counts as an illegal or unregistered gambling site operating in the province?

Ontario's answer to this question runs through two layers of law — one federal, one provincial — and understanding both is what actually explains why a site without registration is operating illegally, not just irregularly.

The federal foundation: gambling is prohibited by default

Canada's Criminal Code defines what types of gaming activities are illegal across the country, and the provinces are assigned responsibility to operate, license, and regulate legal forms of gaming. Part VII of the Code prohibits gaming in general, while section 207 carves out a set of specific exceptions to that general prohibition. The key exception is the "conduct and manage" rule: lottery schemes — which courts and regulators interpret broadly to include online casino and sports betting products — are lawful only when conducted and managed by the province in accordance with a law enacted by that province.

This is the structural reason why an offshore or unregistered site is not simply operating in a regulatory grey zone. It is operating outside the only legal pathway that exists. The province's authority to permit gambling is conditional on the province actually conducting and managing it — and that authority cannot be delegated to a private company that hasn't gone through the registration process.

How Ontario operationalizes "conduct and manage"

In Ontario, being a fully registered and authorized operator in the igaming market means the organization has successfully received a registration by the AGCO and, with the exception of OLG.ca, has executed an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Both steps matter. AGCO registration alone isn't sufficient — the operator must also be under iGaming Ontario's conduct-and-manage umbrella through a signed agreement. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages legal internet gaming and sports betting in Ontario when provided through private sector operators, entering into agreements with those operators pursuant to which they act on behalf of and as agents for iGaming Ontario — offering internet games, including games of chance and mixed chance and skill played for money, as well as sports betting, on behalf of iGaming Ontario to individuals physically located in Ontario.

A site that accepts Ontario players without completing both of those steps is, by definition, not operating under the province's conduct-and-manage authority. That's the legal definition of an unregistered site: operators of gaming websites that are accessible within Ontario must be registered with the AGCO. No registration, no legal basis to operate.

What "unregistered" looks like in practice — and how enforcement works

The AGCO doesn't just define the problem; it actively pursues it. The AGCO prohibits companies operating in the regulated iGaming market from offering their products to unregulated gaming websites available to Ontario players, because supplying games to such sites helps sustain unregulated gaming operations — and the agency aims to disrupt unregulated gaming and its supply chains to safeguard Ontarians and maintain gaming integrity in the province. That supply-chain approach means enforcement reaches beyond the site itself to the software studios and payment processors that enable it.

Unregulated gaming sites do not guarantee player protections or information security and increase the potential risk of harm to players and criminal activity, such as money-laundering and match-fixing. These aren't theoretical concerns — they're the explicit reasons the AGCO treats unregistered access as a serious enforcement priority rather than a technical paperwork issue.

The practical test for players: two logos

For anyone who wants to verify a site's status without reading regulatory filings, the check is straightforward. Look for the iGaming Ontario logo wherever you play as a sign that you're playing on a site that is being conducted and managed by iGaming Ontario, offers player protections, and meets Ontario's high standards for game integrity and responsible gambling. Per iGaming Ontario, fully registered and approved sites also display the BetGuard logo — BetGuard being Ontario's centralized self-exclusion service that launched in May 2026. A site missing either logo warrants a check against the official list of registered operators, which iGaming Ontario maintains and updates in real time at igamingontario.ca.

If you ever want to confirm a specific site's standing, that registry is the authoritative source — not a third-party review. And if gambling ever becomes something you want to step back from, ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) is the province's support line, available around the clock. Ontario's legal market is open to adults 19 and older.