How do I know which regulatory body to contact if I have a legal concern about an Ontario online casino?

Knowing who to call when something goes wrong with an Ontario online casino is genuinely confusing — because there are two distinct bodies involved, and their roles don't overlap cleanly. Here's how to think about it.

The two bodies and what each one actually does

The AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) is the regulator of Ontario's igaming market, while iGaming Ontario — which became an independent agency in May 2025 — is responsible for conducting and managing igaming when provided through private operators. That split matters a lot when you're trying to figure out where to direct a complaint.

The AGCO addresses regulatory complaints and inquiries, including those related to game integrity and fairness, misuse of private information, responsible gambling violations, and money laundering. Think of the AGCO as the rule-setter and enforcer — if you believe a regulated site has broken the rules, the AGCO is ultimately where that concern lands.

iGaming Ontario, on the other hand, has established a dispute resolution process to respond to customer concerns. iGO's process applies when the issue relates to a gambling product an operator provides as an agent of iGaming Ontario, and the operator either didn't respond in a timely manner or gave an unsatisfactory response.

The order matters: operator first, regulator second

Neither body is your first call. You must first pursue your dispute directly with your operator by submitting a formal complaint with their customer service department. Once you've followed the operator's complaint submission process, you'll receive a complaint number from them. You'll need that reference number to escalate anywhere else.

Wait for the gaming site to make a decision about your complaint — this can take up to 90 days. If, after giving the operator enough time to respond, you haven't heard back or you're unsatisfied with the outcome, you can then submit a complaint with the AGCO.

There's one important exception to the "operator first" rule: if your complaint relates to responsible gaming, suspected illegal activity, or advertising — where it may not be appropriate to contact the operator first — you can submit directly to the AGCO by entering zero in the complaint reference number field.

A critical prerequisite: are you on a regulated site?

The AGCO does not resolve or make decisions on disputes regarding gambling-related transactions and has no legal relationship with unregulated igaming operators. This is the most important thing to check before anything else. If you're playing on an unregistered offshore site, neither the AGCO nor iGaming Ontario can help you — full stop.

The quickest way to confirm you're on a legitimate Ontario site is to look for the iGaming Ontario logo and the BetGuard logo on the site — per iGaming Ontario, seeing both tells you the site is managed by iGaming Ontario and regulated by the AGCO. You can also cross-check the operator against the live registry at igamingontario.ca, which is the authoritative source for who's currently registered.

Contacts and escalation

• AGCO (regulatory complaints, rule violations): Submit through iAGCO Online Services or contact AGCO Customer Service at 416-326-8700 or 1-800-522-2876 (toll free in Ontario).
• iGaming Ontario (player disputes, contract/service issues): Submit an inquiry through igaming@igamingontario.ca or contact iGaming Ontario Customer Service at (416) 326-8283 or 1-833-554-4263 (toll free).
• Still unsatisfied? This process does not affect your right to raise your concerns with the Ombudsman of Ontario if you are dissatisfied with the results provided by the AGCO.

If your concern touches on problem gambling specifically — whether it's your own play or a site's failure to honour a self-exclusion or limit — that's a responsible gambling violation and goes straight to the AGCO without needing operator sign-off first. ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) is also there for anyone in Ottawa or across the province who wants to talk through gambling-related concerns. Ontario's regulated market exists precisely so that players aged 19+ have real recourse when something goes wrong — use it.