How to choose a legal poker room in Ontario

Yes, if you are 19 or older and use an operator licensed by AGCO and iGaming Ontario. Always check the operator's licence on the regulator's public register.

We only show an offer when its key terms are complete, checked in the last 30 days and within local rules. If any of that fails, we link to the site without offer wording.

Commission and reader response can move the order, which we disclose above the list. Scores never change for money, sites under 7.5 cannot reach the top three, and paid placements are labelled Featured.

Check iGaming Ontario's directory of registered and authorised operators, which the AGCO points players to. Regulated sites also display iGaming Ontario's logo, which the AGCO describes as a sign the site follows Ontario standards. Operators must be registered by the AGCO before running a site, and any site that did not join the regulated market is unregulated.

Source: AGCO: List of registered internet gaming operators; AGCO: Frequently asked questions - internet gaming

You must be 19 to play on Ontario's regulated online casino and betting sites. The AGCO's standards bar anyone under 19 from iGaming sites, with a narrow exception for 18-year-olds buying lottery tickets. Your age must be verified before you can reach areas of a site where games are played.

Source: AGCO Registrar's Standards: Gaming site access and minimum age requirements

Ontario restricts public advertising of inducements, bonuses and credits. Under the AGCO's standards, operators may describe these only on their own websites and in direct marketing to players who have actively agreed to receive it. That is why sites like ours do not show offers for Ontario. In 2025 the AGCO fined one operator $110,000 partly over inducement marketing.

Source: AGCO presentation on the Registrar's Standards for advertising (IAB Canada, March 2022); AGCO: $110,000 in penalties to BetMGM Canada for offering cash to induce new customers (26 Mar 2025)

You can log in, but you cannot play. Ontario's standards say games may be offered only within Ontario, and operators must detect and keep monitoring each player's location, block any play that has not been verified, and detect software used to hide location. The AGCO has fined an operator for failing these geolocation rules.

Source: AGCO: $30,000 penalty to NorthStar Gaming (Standard 3.02, geolocation)

Start with the site's formal complaints process and keep the reference number; a decision can take up to 90 days. If you are unhappy, or the issue involves responsible gambling or advertising, file with the AGCO through iAGCO. The AGCO can review compliance and penalise operators, but it cannot get your money back.

Source: AGCO: Internet gaming complaints

ConnexOntario offers free, confidential help with problem gambling, addiction and mental health, 24 hours a day, on 1-866-531-2600. You can also block yourself from every regulated online site at once through BetGuard. Talking to someone early helps, even if you are only starting to worry.

Source: Toronto Central Healthline: ConnexOntario helpline listing; Covers: Ontario launches unified self-exclusion system BetGuard (14 May 2026)