All-in-One Online Casino Self-Exclusion Tool to Launch in Ontario This May

^{iGaming Ontario’s Betguard will allow Ontario gamblers to self-exclude from all 82 licensed online casinos in their province at once. (Image: iGaming Ontario)}

A new responsible gambling tool that will allow Ontario players to self-exclude from all licensed online casinos at once is set to launch next month.

Unveiled by iGaming Ontario (iGO) president and CEO Joseph Hillier at the Responsible Gambling Council's (RGC) Discovery conference this week, BetGuard is the first of its kind in Canada's only legal iGaming market.

"BetGuard is designed with one simple principle in mind: If you need a break from the entire regulated iGaming market, you can take it.

"With BetGuard, anyone 19 years or older will be able to opt out from all regulated iGaming in Ontario all at once," Hillier said on stage at the responsible gambling conference, which ran from April 14 to 16 at the Delta Hotels Toronto.

While online casinos in Ontario are already legally required to offer self-exclusion and responsible gambling tools, until now these have been operator-specific.

BetGuard allows players to opt out of all available brands in the province "with just a few clicks", according to its newly launched website.

The creation of a centralised self-exclusion (CSE) tool was first announced in January and promises a "safe and easy process" to allow players to cut themselves off from online gambling. 

Set exclusion times include six months, one year and five years, while users can also choose a custom term if they wish.

Once activated, self-exclusion cannot be undone.

To register with and set up BetGuard, which iGO claims takes less than five minutes, players need to digitally submit one valid government ID and verify their identity with facial recognition software. This is a one-time process.

A similar CSE tool is expected to be released in Alberta once the province launches its legal iGaming market on July 13, and it has even been suggested that both provincial tools could one day connect to provide more comprehensive protection to players who travel between both provinces.

While BetGuard only covers online gambling, Alberta's platform will provide options to exclude from all Alberta online casinos, land-based casinos and racing entertainment centres.

BetGuard was built by compliance tech firm Integrity Compliance 360 and software specialist Dataworks Group (formerly IXUP), following iGO's acceptance of their joint bid in August 2024.