iGaming Ontario Showcases Centralized Self-Exclusion System BetGuard

Ontario’s online casino market has quickly become one of the top markets globally. However, the rapid growth of gaming also necessitates stronger player protection measures. As a result, iGaming Ontario just unveiled its new centralized self-exclusion system.

BetGuard Will Shield Players from Harm

The reveal happened at the recent Responsible Gambling Council’s RGC Discovery conference in Toronto, with iGaming Ontario showcasing its new self-exclusion system, BetGuard. The new system has been developed in partnership with Integrity Compliance 360 and Dataworks and will finally ensure that players in the province have access to a reliable self-exclusion scheme.

iGaming Ontario plans to launch its new system in May 2026, enabling local players to exclude themselves from all regulated iGaming operators. The organization promised that the self-exclusion process would be simple and intuitive in order to ensure that players always remain in control.

BetGuard will offer various exclusion periods of up to 5 years. One of the key tenets of the scheme is making sure that excluded players do not receive gaming ads and cannot simply create new accounts to continue gambling.

Ontario’s 82 licensed operators are all required to offer self-exclusion schemes. While the launch of BetGuard will not change that, it will offer a broader solution that allows players to opt out of gambling in general. In addition to being required to participate in the new scheme, operators will have to make sure that it is visible on their websites.

An Overdue Addition to Ontario’s Safer Gaming Arsenal

iGaming Ontario’s CEO, Joseph Hillier, spoke with the Canadian Gaming Business on the upcoming launch of BetGuard, admitting that the scheme’s launch is overdue. He added that his team’s goal was to ensure that players have easy access to safer gaming tools and that a centralized self-exclusion system was paramount to this vision.

Hillier said that he is confident in the success of BetGuard, saying that it will truly make a difference by making self-exclusion quicker and more streamlined. He also noted that iGaming Ontario needed to get all operators on board in order to make this system possible.

In other news, Ontario’s government and the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) recently unveiled a safer gaming campaign aimed at younger men. Dubbed “Moment of Reflection,” the campaign highlighted the risks of gaming and the safer gaming tools and educational materials available to struggling players.