What is the difference between a licence issued by iGaming Ontario and a licence from an offshore regulator like Malta or Gibraltar?

The real worry behind this question is usually: if a casino holds a licence from Malta or Gibraltar, is it actually safe and legal for me to play there as someone in Ontario? That's the right thing to be asking — and the honest answer is that those two types of authorisation are fundamentally different in what they mean for you.

Ontario's Framework: Two Bodies, One Market

Ontario doesn't issue a simple "casino licence" the way offshore jurisdictions do. The structure here is a dual-layer system. The AGCO is the regulator for the province, while iGaming Ontario is the commercial conduct-and-manage entity. To legally serve Ontario players, a company must satisfy both. Being a fully registered and authorized operator in the Ontario igaming market means the organization has successfully received a registration from the AGCO and, with the exception of OLG.ca, has executed an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario.

The AGCO's role is regulatory: it sets and enforces the rules. It establishes and upholds the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming, which apply to all registered igaming operators and suppliers. iGaming Ontario's role is commercial: it executes operating agreements with private igaming operators, once they have been registered by the AGCO, and oversees contract obligations for the provision of their services in Ontario's regulated igaming scheme.

This matters because an operator can't simply point to a foreign licence and open shop here. As of October 31st, 2022, a standard requires registrants and applicants to cease any unregulated activities in the Ontario igaming market — operators and gaming-related suppliers must cease all gaming activities in Ontario's igaming market if carrying out those activities would require registration under the Gaming Control Act.

What Ontario Registration Actually Requires

Getting into the Ontario market is not a rubber-stamp process. To complete the steps, organizations must have met rigorous standards of game integrity, fairness, player protections, and social responsibility. Their sites must have controls preventing underage access and measures to enable more responsible gambling, and they must have entered legal agreements ensuring compliance with applicable laws, including anti-money laundering.

The responsible gambling obligations are notably specific. Operators regulated in Ontario are required to successfully achieve and maintain responsible gambling accreditation through the Responsible Gambling Council's RG Check program, run problem gambling prevention campaigns, and participate in iGaming Ontario's BetGuard tool for opting out of all regulated online gambling in Ontario. On top of that, at a minimum, operators must provide spend-limit and time-limit setting tools and the ability to take a short-term break or to self-exclude for a longer term.

There's also a province-wide self-exclusion system. The Centralized Self-Exclusion Program, administered by iGaming Ontario, allows Ontario players to voluntarily self-exclude from all regulated igaming sites in Ontario through a single registration process. That kind of cross-operator exclusion mechanism simply doesn't exist for offshore sites.

Enforcement has real teeth here too. The AGCO monitors igaming operators, suppliers, and digital game offerings for compliance with regulatory obligations; where compliance concerns are identified, it brings operators and suppliers back into compliance through progressive sanctions, including warnings, suspensions, monetary penalties, and in the most serious cases, revocations.

What a Malta or Gibraltar Licence Means — and Doesn't

The Malta Gaming Authority and Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner are legitimate, well-regarded regulators in the international context. Many large operators hold licences from one or both. But those licences authorize activity in those jurisdictions — they don't extend legal authority to serve Ontario players. A site holding only a Maltese or Gibraltar licence and accepting Ontario players is, under Ontario law, operating outside the regulated market here. On unregulated sites, payouts may not be timely or accurate and could be withheld or delayed, and your personal information and data may not be secured. Critically, Ontario's consumer protection rules, responsible gambling mandates, and the AGCO's enforcement powers don't reach those operators.

Note that many operators who hold MGA or Gibraltar credentials have also gone through Ontario's registration process — the two aren't mutually exclusive. The question to ask isn't what foreign licences a site holds, but whether it appears on the official iGaming Ontario registry. A directory of all fully registered and authorized operators and their igaming sites is available via the iGaming Ontario website. That's the definitive list.

If you ever feel your play is becoming a problem, ConnexOntario is available around the clock at 1-866-531-2600. And remember: legal gambling age in Ontario is 19+.