Ontario gambling complaints: operator, iGaming Ontario and the AGCO

In Ontario, a complaint about a regulated online casino, sportsbook or poker site starts with the operator. File through its formal complaints process and get a complaint reference number. If the operator has not answered within 90 days, or you are unhappy with its answer, you can take the dispute to iGaming Ontario (iGO). Complaints that a site broke the rules, and concerns about responsible gambling, illegal activity or advertising, go to the AGCO. The AGCO says plainly that it cannot get your money back or require a site to refund you (AGCO and iGO guidance, checked October 2026).

Who regulates online gambling in Ontario?

Two public bodies share the work. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is the regulator: it registers operators and enforces its Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages the market; private operators offer games as its agents. iGO lists "establish a dispute resolution process to respond to customer concerns" among its activities. Our guide to Ontario's igaming licence covers how to confirm a site is regulated, including the iGO logo and its list of operators.

Step 1: complain to the operator

Both bodies ask you to start with the site:

1. Review the terms and conditions linked to your account or the transaction.
2. File a formal complaint through the site's customer service process and get a complaint reference number.
3. Give the operator time to respond under its own published service standards. Check your spam folder and follow up.

Under the AGCO's Registrar's Standards, operators must give players a way to raise complaints "in a timely fashion", record and address complaints in a timely, fair and transparent way, publish clear service standards, and keep records that let disputes be resolved. The standards do not set a fixed number of days for the operator's answer; the 90-day figure comes from iGO and the AGCO's escalation guidance.

Before you file, use our gambling complaint evidence checklist. If the problem is a withdrawal, see what to do when a casino won't pay out.

Step 2: take a dispute to iGaming Ontario

The AGCO and iGO guidance does not send players to a private alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider, as UK or Malta rules do. Instead, iGO's own Complaints/Disputes Service Standards (last modified 12 May 2025, checked October 2026) say it will review a dispute about a gambling transaction or the service you received when:

• you first raised it through the operator's complaints process,
• the product was offered by the operator as iGO's agent, and
• the operator did not respond within 90 days of learning of the dispute, or its response did not satisfy you.

iGO acknowledges a complaint within 1 business day, tells you how long any further response will take, notifies the operator, tries to resolve the matter and explains its decision. Submit through the online form on iGO's player support page, with the site's name, your player ID and the operator's complaint reference number.

What iGaming Ontario can and cannot do

iGO's player support page says it "cannot directly settle any bets, refund wagers or award compensation." What it can do is review the dispute with the operator and explain the outcome. It refers criminal or regulatory matters to the right authorities. If you are unhappy with how iGO handled your complaint, its standards point you to the Ombudsman of Ontario.

Step 3: when to go to the AGCO, and what it will do

The AGCO asks you to contact it if you believe a regulated site broke the rules, if you waited up to 90 days and still have no resolution, or if your concern involves responsible gambling, suspected illegal activity or advertising. For those last three, contacting the site first may not be appropriate; enter "0" in the complaint reference field. File through the iAGCO portal; you do not need an account.

The AGCO publishes its own timeline:

Penalties may include warnings, suspensions or monetary penalties, but the AGCO is explicit that a penalty does not resolve your individual dispute, and that it does not resolve or make decisions on disputes about gambling-related transactions.

What time limits apply?

• Operator: a formal decision can take up to 90 days (AGCO and iGO, as of October 2026).
• iGO: acknowledgement within 1 business day; further timing given case by case.
• AGCO: the stage timings in the table above.

We could not find a published deadline by which you must escalate to iGO or the AGCO. Do not wait: records and memories fade, and the standards tie dispute handling to records the operator keeps.

What should your complaint include?

Both bodies ask for three things up front: the regulated site's name, your player ID and the operator's complaint reference number. Add a short timeline with dates, times, amounts, bet IDs or game round IDs, and what you want to happen. Our guide on how to write a gambling complaint timeline gives a layout.

How do you keep track of reference numbers?

Keep the operator's reference, the iGO acknowledgement and any iAGCO file number together, with the date each was issued. Quote all of them in every follow-up. What happens after a gambling complaint explains what to do while you wait.

What if the site is unregulated or offshore?

The AGCO says it has no legal relationship with unregulated operators and cannot help with disputes involving them, and iGO says it cannot help with unregulated sites either. You can still complain directly to the operator. Both bodies warn that playing on an unregulated site puts you at risk.

Watch out for paid "recovery" services

Complaints to the operator, iGO and the AGCO cost nothing. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warns that fraud victims may be targeted again with promises to recover their money, including offers that require a fee first and callers posing as government or police. It says it and police will never ask you to pay. Hub of Luck cannot recover funds or influence any operator or regulator. Our guide on why people who have lost money are often contacted again explains how these approaches work. If gambling is causing harm, ConnexOntario offers free, confidential help (1-866-531-2600), and our safer gambling page lists more support.

In practice

1. Confirm the site is regulated in Ontario (iGO logo and operator list).
2. Screenshot the relevant terms, your balance and the transaction.
3. File a formal complaint with the operator and note the reference number.
4. Wait for the operator's decision, up to 90 days, following up in writing.
5. For an unresolved dispute, submit to iGaming Ontario with the site name, player ID and reference.
6. For a rule breach, responsible gambling, illegal activity or advertising, file with the AGCO through iAGCO.
7. If unhappy with iGO's handling, consider the Ombudsman of Ontario.