How does the Ontario iGaming licensing process work for casino operators?

Ontario's online casino market operates under a dual-authority structure that sets it apart from most other jurisdictions. Any company wanting to offer real-money iGaming to Ontarians must satisfy two separate bodies — the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), which handles registration and ongoing compliance, and iGaming Ontario (iGO), the provincial entity that conducts and manages the regulated lottery scheme. Neither relationship is optional: you need both.

The Two-Track Process

Operators who want to join Ontario's iGaming market must take steps with both iGaming Ontario and the AGCO before being allowed to provide their products and services to players in Ontario. In practice, these tracks run in parallel rather than sequentially, and the AGCO's own guidance notes that the full journey involves roughly a dozen distinct steps across the two organizations.

On the iGO side, the process begins with a Non-Disclosure Agreement. To get access to detailed information from iGO, including the Operating Agreement and Policies, operators need to sign an NDA. If you are intending to offer an internet gaming site in Ontario, you must execute a Letter of Agreement to start the formal processes of preparing for market. The commercial relationship culminates in a full Operating Agreement — the contract that formally authorizes the operator to serve Ontario players under iGO's umbrella.

On the regulatory side, to become an iGaming operator, you create an account on the iAGCO portal and submit a formal registration application. This step takes two or more months to complete from the time of submitting a complete application in iAGCO and paying the associated fees. An Eligibility Officer from AGCO's Licensing and Registration Branch will be assigned to your application and will connect with you directly during the registration process.

The eligibility review is substantive. The AGCO will only register those operators who act with honesty, integrity, in accordance with the law, and in the public interest — and in assessing eligibility, the AGCO carries out risk assessments and due diligence investigations, including assessments of each operator's character, financial history, and competence. Corporate ownership disclosure requirements are extensive: corporations need to show the relationship with shareholders owning 5% or more of the shares of the company or any associated companies.

Technology compliance is its own substantial workload. Any games and supporting critical gaming systems must be certified by an Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL) that is registered with the AGCO before being made available for play in Ontario. Beyond game certification, all registered operators are required to submit an independently audited assessment of the processes and controls they have in place to meet the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming — what the AGCO calls a Control Activity Matrix (CAM) — which must include all controls related to the gaming site, including where the operator works with third-party suppliers.

The AGCO's standards framework is deliberately outcomes-based rather than prescriptive. This offers greater flexibility for regulated entities to determine the most efficient and effective way of meeting the outcomes required, which in turn helps reduce regulatory burden and support market innovation — since there may be many ways for a registrant to meet the standards, they have the flexibility to determine what works best for their business.

On costs, the registration fee to operate an iGaming site is $100,000 per site per year, and if you plan to run multiple distinct online gaming sites, you must apply separately for each site. Investigation costs can go higher: any applicant may be required to pay the reasonable costs of an investigation prior to processing of their application, levied on an as-required basis depending on whether additional investigative activities are needed.

Registration is not a one-time event. The AGCO will remind registrants by email or mail 60 days before registration expires, and operators must apply to renew and submit the right fee before that expiry date. Expired registrations cannot be renewed — if the AGCO doesn't receive the renewal application by the expiry date, the registration simply lapses.

Responsible gambling obligations are baked into the framework from the start. iGaming Ontario maintains rigorous responsible gambling initiatives on iGO sites, including requiring that operators obtain accreditation with the Responsible Gambling Council's "RG Check" program and maintain an iGaming self-exclusion registry for players in Ontario. Players who want to verify whether a site is legitimately registered can check the AGCO's public list or look for the iGO logo. A directory of all fully registered and authorized operators and their iGaming sites is available via the iGaming Ontario website. If you or someone you know needs support, ConnexOntario is available 24/7 at 1-866-531-2600.