Ontario Casinos to Adopt Sweeping New Player Protection Measures, Including Mandatory Deposit Limits for Some Under-25 Players

14 October 2026

Ontario's iGaming operators will soon be required to implement several significant new player protection measures, including a centralized self-exclusion registry and mandatory deposit limits for some players under 25. The changes, announced in recent months, mark a substantial expansion of the safeguards currently in place at AGCO-licensed online casinos.

Current Ontario Limit-Setting Requirements

Under existing rules, all internet gaming sites must allow players to set deposit and loss limits at the point of registration and at any time afterward. These limits can be configured for 24 hours, 7 days, or one month. If a player activates multiple concurrent limits, the lowest applicable limit must take precedence, according to the AGCO. Time limits and, less universally, wager limits, are also available as voluntary restrictions.

Additionally, players are currently subject to a mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period before they can reduce or remove any self-imposed financial or time-based limit. These tools can be accessed in an uncluttered manner, with straightforward navigation from all screens.

New Protections and Exclusions

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is rolling out several new player safeguards in 2026. Most notably, it updated the standards for a Centralized Self-Exclusion (CSE) Program that will allow players to voluntarily exclude themselves from all regulated iGaming sites through a single process, encompassing a wider range of exclusion period choices.

CSE exclusions will become binding across all operator sites, with operators required to prevent centrally self-excluded players from accessing their accounts or creating new ones. Operators must also halt marketing and promotional activities, and seek to cancel and refund outstanding wagers in most cases.

These new standards allow for term lengths of 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years, with operators required to initiate self-exclusion measures within 24 hours of a player being added to the registry. Players will have the option to request a temporary leave of absence or to extend their exclusion during the period.

Mandatory Deposit Limits for Young Players

Separately, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) introduced a new safer-gambling measure requiring some online players under the age of 25 to set mandatory deposit limits.

Under the new rules, players under 25 will be prompted to activate a deposit limit after depositing $500 or more at one time. The daily, weekly, or monthly deposit cap will come into effect 24 hours after being set, with players required to wait the same amount of time before adjusting the limit.

OLG introduced the measure to strengthen responsible-gambling support for a demographic identified through research as having a higher risk of developing problematic gambling behaviour. Players under 25 account for 14% of OLG's online client base, with provincial data indicating that eGaming problems are more prevalent among young people.

What Operators Need To Know

The regulations that support the recently introduced CSE and Under-25 deposit limit protocols will require operators to integrate new controls with their registration and limit-setting tools.

First, they must build centralized self-exclusion into their registration, notification, account management, and marketing systems - once the CSE program is live. The new deposit limit requirement for OLG players under 25 demands a substantial overhaul of financial systems, notification tools, and account access controls.

Under the rules, operators must make limit-setting transparent and straightforward to access. Prominently positioned limit buttons are required across all screens, alongside notifications and prompts to encourage their use. Operators must enforce a set 24-hour period before limits can be reduced or eliminated by the player, with best practices pointing to a time in, time out mechanism. They must also incorporate limits into their reporting, billing, and account management systems.

The supervision obligations that come with the CSE and Under-25 deposit limit policies are one of the most onerous regulatory challenges operators face in Ontario - along with the KYC/wallet verification and GGYC advertising controls called for alongside the pending slot machine entitlement program.

The latest moves by the AGCO and OLG reflect a broader trend in Ontario toward more structured, mandatory player protections. Faced with a rising awareness of gambling risks across the province, the regulator appears to be acting to shore up defenses by extending safeguards to a wider range of players and tightening the implementation process.