What is the first step someone should take when they decide they want to regain control of their gambling habits?

Deciding you want to regain control is genuinely the hardest part — everything that follows is just mechanics. So here's what the mechanics actually look like in Ontario, and why the first concrete move matters more than most people realize.

Stop access before willpower has to do all the work

The single most effective first step is to put a structural barrier between yourself and your accounts — not just a mental note to play less. Ontario's regulated market gives you a purpose-built tool for exactly this: BetGuard.

BetGuard enables individuals aged 19 and older to voluntarily opt out of all Ontario regulated online gaming platforms through one online portal. By opting out through BetGuard.ca, players are prevented from accessing their existing accounts, creating new accounts, or receiving marketing communications from any regulated igaming site in Ontario. That last point matters — you won't keep getting nudged back in.

You choose a timeframe that works for you: 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or a custom term. BetGuard is a free, centralized self-exclusion tool from iGaming Ontario — anyone 19 or older can opt out of all regulated online gambling sites in Ontario in just a few minutes, and no player account is required.

Setting it up is straightforward. To get started, create an account and verify your identity, providing information that matches your existing Ontario online gambling accounts, and sign out of any open player accounts before you begin. All igaming operators in Ontario participate in BetGuard, so one registration covers the entire regulated market — you don't need to contact each site individually.

If you're not ready for full self-exclusion, tighten your limits first

Some people want to scale back rather than stop entirely, at least initially. Every regulated Ontario site is required to offer deposit and loss limits, and there's an important protection built into how those limits work: where a gaming limit has been previously established by a player, a request to relax or eliminate that limit shall only be implemented after a cooling-off period of at least 24 hours. That delay is mandated by the AGCO's Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming — it's there specifically to prevent impulsive decisions from undoing the limits you set with a clearer head. Tightening a limit takes effect immediately; loosening one does not.

Every regulated gaming site in Ontario has its own unique tools that must meet the AGCO Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming — 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.

How to know you're on a legitimate Ontario site

One quick check worth doing: every internet gaming website offered by a fully registered and approved operator in Ontario will have iGaming Ontario and BetGuard logos displayed — if you see these logos, you know that the website operations are managed by iGaming Ontario and regulated by the AGCO. If those logos aren't there, the site isn't part of the regulated market and won't be covered by BetGuard or any of Ontario's player protections.

If you'd like to talk to someone before or alongside taking these steps, ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) connects you to gambling support services across the province — free, confidential, and available around the clock. You have to be 19+ to hold an Ontario online gambling account, and the same support is there for anyone in that age range who needs it.