The Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) has made changes to the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming in preparation for the launch of iGaming Ontario’s Centralized Self-Exclusion (CSE) program in 2026.
The CSE program will enable players in Ontario to voluntarily exclude themselves from all regulated igaming sites through a single, streamlined process. The program will help to reduce barriers for Ontarians by eliminating the need to self-exclude across multiple platforms and provides consistent safeguards across the entire regulated market.
Currently, operators maintain a self-exclusion program for their individual sites, as required under Standard 2.14. In addition to participating in the CSE system, operators will also continue to maintain a self-exclusion program for their site, accept new registrations, and honour all existing self-exclusion agreements.
Our standards aim to minimize the risk of harm and protect vulnerable individuals while supporting responsible access to safer, regulated online gaming.
The updated standards will be published and take effect when the CSE platform goes live next year. Exact timing will be communicated closer to launch.
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, the requirement for operators to provide self-exclusion programs for their sites, as stipulated in Standard 2.14, will be revisited by the AGCO no more than 12 months following the launch of the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program.
What’s changing
Several amendments and additions have been made to the Standards for Internet Gaming, including:
- developing a new CSE standard
- setting new terms and definitions related to CSE, including defining a person and a registry under the program
- minor changes made to related standards
New CSE standard
2.14.1 Operators shall participate in the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program.
Requirements – At a minimum:
- The Centralized Self-Exclusion Program shall be well promoted on all Operators’ sites.
- iGaming Ontario shall ensure the registration process for the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program is efficient and support-oriented and includes the provision of resources and information about where to get help.
- iGaming Ontario shall ensure the terms and conditions of the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program are clearly worded, including: the person’s obligations under the agreement, the consequences of centralized self-exclusion, and the process for returning to play safely.
- iGaming Ontario shall ensure the term lengths for the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program are clearly defined and include six-month, one-year and five-year term options.
- Operators shall prevent Centrally Self-Excluded Persons from creating new player accounts or accessing existing accounts for as long as they continue to be Centrally Self-Excluded Persons.
- Operators shall, no later than 24 hours after an individual is added to the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry, take all reasonable steps to prevent any marketing material, incentives or promotions from being sent to that individual for as long as they continue to be a Centrally Self-Excluded Person.
Operators shall, no later than 24 hours after an individual is added to the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry, cancel and refund that individual’s outstanding wager(s) to their player wallet.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Operators are not required to cancel and refund an individual’s outstanding wager(s) if the individual is added to the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry less than 24 hours prior to the commencement of an event or series of events on which the outcome of the wager(s) is determined.
- iGaming Ontario shall maintain the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry.
- iGaming Ontario shall ensure that individuals who register for the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program are added to the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry as soon as is practicable and no later than one hour after registration.
- Upon receiving confirmation that an individual on their gaming site is a Centrally Self-Excluded Person, Operators shall immediately take steps to log that Person out of their account.
- Operators shall have a mechanism in place to return to Centrally Self-Excluded Persons their unused funds, either when requested by the persons or automatically upon receiving confirmation that a person is a Centrally Self-Excluded Person.
Operators shall manage and respond to system disruptions affecting their ability to perform checks of the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry to mitigate the risk of Centrally Self-Excluded Persons accessing their gaming site.
Operators shall not permit individuals to register for a new account during such disruptions.
Operators may allow players to login to their existing account if the Operator can and does confirm that the individual was not a Centrally Self-Excluded Person at the time of the Operator’s most recent successful check of the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry.
New terms and definitions related to CSE
Centralized Self-Exclusion Program: The Centralized Self-Exclusion Program is a program, administered by iGaming Ontario, via which Ontario players may voluntarily self-exclude from all regulated igaming sites in Ontario through a single registration process.
Centrally Self-Excluded Person: Centrally Self-Excluded Persons are individuals who, at any given time, appear on the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry.
Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry: The Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry, maintained by iGaming Ontario, is a repository of all the individuals who have voluntarily enrolled in the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program.
Changes to related standards
Standard 2.14: Operators shall provide a voluntary self-exclusion program for their site.
[To replace the current Note] Note: The requirement for operators to provide self-exclusion programs for their sites, as stipulated in Standard 2.14, will be revisited by the AGCO no more than 12 months following the launch of the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program.
Marketing and Advertising
2.03 Advertising, marketing materials and communications shall not target high-risk, underage, Self-Excluded Persons, or Centrally Self-Excluded Persons to participate in lottery schemes, shall not include underage individuals, and shall not knowingly be communicated or sent to high-risk players. (Also applicable to Gaming-Related Suppliers)
Eligibility
3.01 (Requirement 2) Individuals described in Requirement 1 above [individuals not eligible to play games on a gaming site] are not eligible for prizes, with the exception of Self-Excluded Persons and Centrally Self-Excluded Persons.
Questions?
Contact AGCO’s Customer Service online anytime through iAGCO or by phone at 1-800-522-2876, Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Learn more about contacting the AGCO.
Helpful links
Background
- The AGCO has required igaming operators to offer a voluntary self-exclusion program since the launch of Ontario’s regulated igaming market in 2022. We are now adapting the existing regulatory standards for self-exclusion to support iGaming Ontario’s centralized program.
- iGaming Ontario is leading the development of the CSE program and will oversee its operation once launched.