iGaming Ontario adds BetGuard to logo check for regulated sites

iGaming Ontario (iGO) asked Ontario players on 9 November 2026 to verify two signals before wagering online: the presence of the iGaming Ontario and BetGuard logos, and confirmation that the operator appears in iGO’s official directory of regulated sites. The notice was published during Illegal Gambling Awareness Week, observed 9–13 November.

The notice and the two-step check

iGO published the message titled "Choose to play? Choose a site in Ontario's regulated igaming market" on Monday 9 November 2026. The body asks users aged 19 or older to perform a two-step check: [verify the site is regulated](/regulation) and confirm the presence of the two logos.

1. Look for the iGaming Ontario and BetGuard logos on the site.

2. Confirm the site appears in iGO’s directory of regulated gaming sites, the version of which was accurate as of 6 November 2026.

The notice states that all regulated sites provide oversight, mandatory safeguards such as BetGuard, and a trusted complaints process. iGO describes the action as a reminder tied to Illegal Gambling Awareness Week; the release does not name the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR), the organiser of the week.

BetGuard, the directory and market figures

iGaming Ontario launched BetGuard on 14 May 2026 as a single portal that allows anyone aged 19 or older to opt out of all regulated sites, including those operated by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). Exclusion options are 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom period. On 10 September 2026 iGO issued a warning about third parties using the BetGuard name and brand to make misleading exclusion claims.

iGO’s directory, accurate to 6 November 2026, lists 48 operators and 83 gaming sites; OLG.ca is listed separately under the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. According to iGO’s monthly data published 28 October 2026 (unaudited), the regulated market recorded cash wagers of approximately CA$29.3 billion and an unadjusted gross gaming revenue of approximately CA$1.23 billion for July, August and September 2026. iGO adds that the same months in 2025 showed CA$24.3 billion in wagers and CA$975.7 million in revenue; the figures exclude OLG’s own online games.

The approximate conversion used in the public notes applied the USD/CAD exchange rate of 1.4123 recorded by the Bank of Canada on 9 November 2026 to approximate values in US dollars.

The relative value of the logo and the directory

iGO itself acknowledges that a logo is easily replicable: the BetGuard campaign has already suffered commercial impersonation. For that reason, the directory is the verification element that "cannot be forged from outside" according to the release. Including BetGuard among the two verification elements positions the self-exclusion tool as a mark of belonging to the regulated market and increases its visibility across the 83 listed sites.

"Choose to play? Choose a site in Ontario's regulated igaming market", iGaming Ontario, press release published 9 November 2026.

Studies, surveys and the channeling debate

iGO and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) commissioned a study from Ipsos whose results, published by iGO in May 2026, show that 91.1% of online players reported playing on regulated sites, up from 83.7% previously; 8.9% said they played only on unregulated sites. Those percentages come from self-reported survey responses and the 8.9% excludes those who play on both regulated and unregulated platforms.

The Toronto Star reported that iGO kept its own prevalence research confidential, which the article says makes independent replication of the results more valuable. For institutional comparison, the United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission publishes an illegal gambling index with its methodology attached.

Regulator actions on the supply chain

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has focused actions on the supply chain. On 7 May 2026 the regulator imposed fines of CA$40,000 on Relax Gaming and Arrise Solutions after finding their games appeared on unregulated sites accessible from Ontario. iGO notes that logo campaigns are useful only if regulatory pressure prevents unregulated sites from offering the same games as licensed operators; this point affects suppliers and platform providers in the [B2B supply chain](/b2b).

The release closes by emphasising that the directory check is the step that truly matters and that the ability to verify official listings will be the effective test to determine whether the measure shifts play to the regulated market. iGO and AGCO will continue to publish channeling data when available for third-party verification, the notice says.