title: Ontario — Licensing and regulation: Can we get a licence? | advennt.io canonical: https://advennt.io/jurisdictions/ontario/licensing/ [Jurisdictions](https://advennt.io/jurisdictions/) [Ontario](https://advennt.io/jurisdictions/ontario/) Licensing and regulation Ontario · Question 02 of 11 # Licensing and regulation: Can we get a licence? Favourable · Confirmed · Not reviewed · changed since expert review · In expert review scope · [Back to full Ontario report →](https://advennt.io/jurisdictions/ontario/) Key section parameters | Jurisdiction | Ontario (CA-ON) | |---|---| | Regulator | Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) / iGaming Ontario (iGO) | | Favourability | Favourable | | Confidence | Confirmed | | Review status | Not reviewed · changed since expert review · In expert review scope | | Last collected | 18 Oct 2026 | Summary answer The Province of Ontario is one of only two Provinces of Canada that permit private operators to offer their games within the province. In Ontario, each such private operator must first successfully register with the AGCO and execute an operating agreement with iGO. ## Licence Triggers Accepting be… ## Full section analysis The Province of Ontario is one of only two Provinces of Canada that permit private operators to offer their games within the province. In Ontario, each such private operator must first successfully register with the AGCO and execute an operating agreement with iGO. ## Licence Triggers Accepting bets, deposits or any money whatsoever for igaming services from persons located in Ontario requires a registration from the AGCO. Marketing and advertising for such services also requires registration. Type of licences needed Single “operator” registration for all forms of igaming operations. Separate licensure is not required based on the types of gaming and betting offered. Key personnel must be approved as suitable by the AGCO as part of the operator/GRS registration process, but no separate registration/licence is issues to such individuals. In the case of a GRS, providing any B2B services, products & software to AGCO-registered igaming operators requires a registration. Period of licence & renewal process Registrants can select a one or two-year term option, with fees payable to match the length of the term. List of documents & type of information needed to support application All registered igaming operators and GRSs in Ontario are required to comply with the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming established and enforced by the AGCO (the “Registrar’s Standards”). The Registrar’s Standards follow a risk-based approach, meaning that registrants are not required to comply with a specific set of rules or processes. Instead, the Registrar’s Standards are drafted at a high level of generality, offering greater flexibility for regulated entities to determine the most efficient and effective way of meeting the outcomes required. Additionally, private operators must execute an Operating Agreement with iGO. This agreement commits the operators to certain compliance and control steps, including anti-money laundering initiatives, transition provisions regarding migrating customers from the unregulated market and ceasing all unregulated online gaming activity. See: https://www.agco.ca/lottery-and-gaming/guides/internet-gaming-operator-application-guide Applications to the AGCO to become a registered igaming operator should include the following: Operator Application - Gap Analysis (formal assessment that compares the operator’s current internal controls, technology, and processes against the Registrar’s Standards) - Personal Disclosure for key individuals - Entity Disclosure - Regulatory fee - Any requested investigation fee - Supporting documents (as applicable) For your Operator Application, supporting documents may include: - Business Name Registration - Constituting Document(s) - Certificate or Articles of Incorporation Charter/By-Laws Partnership Agreement Limited Partnership Agreement Limited Partnership Declaration Shareholder’s Agreement Trust Agreement Any other constituting documentation relevant to the entity - Details of Shares - Extra-Provincial Power of Attorney (for Limited Partnerships) - Financial Statements - Government-Issued Identification - Personal History Gaming Form - Schematic Diagram - Partnership & Limited Partnership: showing the relationship between the partners, any affiliates or subsidiary entities, and any individual or entity that has a 5% or greater interest in the partnership. - Corporation: showing the relationship between the applicant and all shareholders (including parent or holding corporations) owning 5% or more of any shares of the applicant corporation, and any affiliated or subsidiary corporations. - Joint Venture: showing the relationship between the joint venture partners, any affiliates or subsidiary entities, and any individual or entity that has a 5% or greater interest in the joint venture. - Association: showing the relationship between the applicant and any entities forming the association, any affiliates or subsidiary entities, and any individual or entity that has a 5% or greater interest in the association. - Signature of Applicant or Partner(s) as applicable - Tax Return and Tax Assessment - Criminal Background Check (if Canada is not the primary residence of an individual) - List of Suppliers - Gaming Site Diagram ## Geographical cover Registration with the AGCO as an Operator is strictly limited to providing igaming services within Ontario. As a result, sites used to provide igaming services in Ontario must be kept entirely separate from any sites used to provide igaming in the unregulated market in the rest of Canada (the “ROC”) or elsewhere in the world. In October 2024, the AGCO issued $30,000 in penalties to NorthStar Gaming (Ontario) Inc. (NorthStar) for allegedly failing to ensure that their site, NorthStarBets.ca, was accessible only to players in Ontario, contrary to Standard 3.02. This violation of Standard 3.02 represented $10,000 of the total penalties. The remaining $20,000 of the penalties were for NorthStar’s failure to respond in a timely manner to the AGCO’s repeated requests for information about the alleged access to the site from outside of Ontario. Thereafter, NorthStar provided the AGCO with information which enabled the AGCO to confirm that NorthStar did not violate Standard 3.02. As a result, in December 2024 the AGCO withdrew the $10,000 portion of the penalties relating to Standard 3.02, but NorthStar did have to pay the remaining $20,000 in penalties for failure to respond to the AGCO’s requests for information. Mechanics of the licence process As of April 4, 2022, private operators wishing to provide their services in the Province of Ontario must successfully register with the AGCO and execute an operating agreement with iGO before they may begin offering their games to players in Ontario. The AGCO is the regulator for the province while iGO is the conduct and manage entity. Bad Actor / Cooling off periods Effective October 31, 2022, the AGCO requires all Ontario-registered igaming Operators, Gaming-Related Suppliers, and prospective applicants for such registrations to end all unregulated activities in the Province of Ontario after submitting their application. Applicants who continue their unregulated activities in Ontario after this date risk having their application for registration refused in addition to other regulatory action. Unregulated activities in the ROC are not affected by this AGCO requirement. Applicant considerations. Applicants for igaming operator and/or GRS registrations are not required to establish a local company. Applicants can be incorporated anywhere, and are not subject to requirements to have a local representative or any other local presence requirements. ## Localisation All transactions between Ontario players and an AGCO-registered igaming operator must be in Canadian currency. Geofencing is strictly required by the AGCO and iGO to ensure that persons located outside Ontario do not use igaming sites registered by the AGCO. Operators and GRSs must ensure that games on gaming sites registered with the AGCO are provided only within Ontario, unless they are conducted in conjunction with the government of another province. At a minimum, this requires that operators put in place mechanisms to detect and dynamically monitor the location of a player attempting to play a game and to block unverified attempts to play a game. Player location checks subsequent to the initial location check must occur at reasonable intervals determined by the operator that minimise the risk of play outside of Ontario. Depending on the location of the player/device, longer or shorter periods may be justified. Operators are required to put in place mechanisms to detect software, programs, virtualisation and other programs capable of circumventing player location detection. In October 2024, the AGCO issued $30,000 in penalties to NorthStar Gaming (Ontario) Inc. (NorthStar) for allegedly failing to ensure that their site, NorthStarBets.ca, was accessible only to players in Ontario, contrary to Standard 3.02. This violation of Standard 3.02 represented $10,000 of the total penalties. The remaining $20,000 of the penalties were for NorthStar’s failure to respond in a timely manner to the AGCO’s repeated requests for information about the alleged access to the site from outside of Ontario. Thereafter, NorthStar provided the AGCO with information which enabled the AGCO to confirm that NorthStar did not violate Standard 3.02. As a result, in December 2024 the AGCO withdrew the $10,000 portion of the penalties relating to Standard 3.02, but NorthStar did have to pay the remaining $20,000 in penalties for failure to respond to the AGCO’s requests for information.