How do I confirm that a casino licence displayed on an Ontario gambling site is genuine and currently active?

Forget the logo — start with the list. The single most reliable way to confirm an Ontario online casino is genuinely licensed and currently active is to look it up directly in the official iGaming Ontario operator directory at igamingontario.ca. That page is the live, authoritative record of every site that has cleared both regulators. If a site isn't on that list, no badge it displays changes that fact.

Here's how the two-regulator structure works, because it explains why that directory is so definitive: being a fully registered and authorized operator in Ontario's igaming market means the organization has successfully received a registration by the AGCO and, with the exception of OLG.ca, has executed an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Both steps are required. To complete these steps, operators must meet rigorous standards of game integrity, fairness, player protections and social responsibility — including controls preventing underage access and measures to enable responsible gambling, as well as legal agreements ensuring compliance with applicable laws including anti-money laundering. A site that has only cleared one of those two hurdles isn't fully approved.

The iGaming Ontario directory is accurate as of the current date and is updated every time a new site offered by a regulated and authorized operator becomes available. That's the practical value: it reflects the current state, not a snapshot from months ago. The AGCO's own page on registered internet gaming operators also points directly to the iGaming Ontario website as the place to check — so both regulators are telling you the same thing.

What to look for on the site itself

Beyond the directory check, legitimate Ontario-regulated casinos carry two logos you can verify visually. Look for the iGaming Ontario logo wherever you play as a sign that you're playing on a site that is being conducted and managed by iGaming Ontario, offers player protections and meets Ontario's high standards for game integrity and responsible gambling. Alongside that, fully registered sites also display the BetGuard logo — BetGuard (betguard.ca) being Ontario's centralized self-exclusion service, launched May 2026, which is integrated across all approved operators. Seeing both the iGaming Ontario logo and the BetGuard logo on a site signals it's operating within the regulated framework.

One thing worth knowing: Ontario uses the word registration rather than licence for igaming operators. If a site's footer claims a licence from a foreign regulator (Malta, Gibraltar, Curaçao, etc.) but doesn't appear in the iGaming Ontario directory, it is not operating legally in this province for Ontario residents — regardless of what that overseas credential says. Those sites are outside the regulated market.

Also keep registrations current in mind. Expired registrations can't be renewed — if the AGCO doesn't receive a renewal application by the expiry date, the registration expires and is no longer valid. This is precisely why checking the live directory beats trusting a static badge: a logo can stay on a site long after a registration has lapsed.

One quick note while we're on the topic of player protections: Ontario's regulated market is open to adults aged 19 and over, and you must be physically located in Ontario to play. If you ever need support, ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) is the province's problem-gambling helpline.

The short version for Ottawa players: pull up the iGaming Ontario operator directory, search for the site by name, and confirm it's listed. That takes about thirty seconds and is far more reliable than any badge a site puts on its own footer.