Ontario Launches BetGuard to Protect Online Gamblers

iGaming Ontario (iGO) has launched BetGuard, a centralized self-exclusion tool for Ontario's regulated online gambling market. The platform lets anyone 19 or older to exclude themselves from all 82 provincially regulated gambling sites in a single step. The process takes about five minutes and is available in English and French. Users must provide a valid ID to complete registration.

Once enrolled, they are blocked from existing accounts and cannot open new ones. Operators must also stop all marketing to self-excluded individuals.

BetGuard's Real-Time System for Players and Operators

BetGuard uses real-time API checks, letting operators verify self-exclusion status without exchanging user data. "There would be no need to navigate dozens of platforms or manage different self-exclusion processes or accounts across different iGaming websites," said iGO President and CEO Joseph Hillier. Users do not need an existing gambling account to register. Exclusion terms range from six months to five years, with a custom duration also available. Terms can be extended but not shortened or canceled.

BetGuard was developed over more than a year in partnership with DataWorks Group, Integrity Compliance 360, and Ontario-regulated operators. Modeled after Australia's BetStop program, it is the first tool of its kind in Canada.

Advocates and Industry Welcome BetGuard's Launch

The launch has drawn broad support from both industry groups and harm-reduction advocates. Nerin Kaur, executive director of ConnexOntario, said some callers to Ontario's gambling helpline are managing accounts across ten different platforms. "Having BetGuard allows our team to educate the individual and help them through the process," Kaur said. "The amount of willpower it takes for the individual decreases," Kaur added.

Paul Burns, CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, called the tool a demonstration of regulated gaming's promise of consumer protection. Hillier confirmed that iGO plans to eventually extend BetGuard to brick-and-mortar casinos, charitable gaming, and horse racing, describing the expansion as "a matter of time and technical complexity."

RGC Calls on Banks to Address Gambling Harm

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is calling on Canada's banks and credit unions to take a more active role in reducing gambling-related financial harm. A new RGC white paper identifies financial institutions as uniquely positioned to detect early warning signs, such as shrinking savings and growing reliance on overdrafts. Recommendations include voluntary transaction blocks, self-defined spending limits, and improved tracking of gambling transactions.

"The rapid expansion of regulated gambling in Canada requires an evolved response from our financial systems," said Tracy Parker, SVP at RGC. UK banks Monzo and Starling, along with Australia's National Australia Bank, were cited as existing models.