Ontario’s New BetGuard Platform Tops 500 Self-Exclusions in First Two Weeks
Posted on: May 27, 2026, 07:36h.
Last updated on: May 27, 2026, 09:44h.
- Ontario’s centralized self-exclusion platform went live May 14
- BetGuard’s scope covers all licensed iGaming websites in Ontario’s regulated market, including platforms operated by the OLG
- BetGuard prohibits operators from sending direct marketing to self-excluded individuals, with strict penalties for non-compliance
More than 500 people have registered for BetGuard, iGaming Ontario’s centralized self-exclusion platform, just two weeks into its official launch, according to an industry source.
No Access to Websites
BetGuard is a dedicated website where anyone 19 years of age or older can opt out of all licensed online gambling in minutes, without having to log in and opt out on each individual igaming website.
The new central registry ensures that all 77 gaming websites from the province’s 44 licensed igaming operators, plus the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s Proline platform, instantly exclude individuals who have checked out via BetGuard.
Players won’t be able to access existing accounts, create new accounts, or receive marketing communications from any regulated igaming site in Ontario.
Players can voluntarily opt out of online gambling for a term of six months, one year, five years, or a custom term.
This does not however, prohibit players from accessing illegal offshore online gambling sites, which do not fall under the purview of the self-exclusion scheme.
44 Licensed iGaming Operators in Ontario
All licensed igaming operators in the province are required to promote BetGuard, along with their individual self-exclusion programs. There’s also a requirement to promote BetGuard anywhere on their platform where they are talking about responsible gambling.
As more people sign on, a question that will be asked is how much the scheme is reducing gambling harm, and what metric iGaming Ontario (the entity responsible for the conduct and day to day management of the Ontario iGaming market) will be using to measure its success.
Brittany Dale, Director, Business Transformation and Program Delivery, iGaming Ontario, confirmed the management entity will look at factors like, longest term length chosen, numbers of renewals, as well as self-exclusion period lapses versus individuals who reinstate their self-exclusion periods.
Responsible Gambling Tool
The learning opportunity, she added, is to see how they are supporting individuals while they’re self-excluded.
“BetGuard is a tool,” said Joseph Hillier, President and CEO, iGaming Ontario. “It’s an important tool, but it’s not necessarily a silver bullet for all of the needs of the player. Part of what we want to gauge and understand is how BetGuard plays that role in the ecosystem.”
They’ll be looking at who leverages the BetGuard website to link to access other responsible gambling tools and services available, for example handoffs to Connex Ontario for mental health, addiction and gambling support, which is accessed via a customer care line on the website’s homepage.
The BetGuard site also has direct links to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Credit Canada, the non-profit organization that offers credit counselling.
“You’ll hear more soon from us on how we can lean in more from a responsible gaming perspective,” said Hillier.
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