How do I report concerns about a licensed Ontario online casino to the appropriate authority?

Ontario's regulated market gives players a clear, multi-step path for raising concerns — but knowing which door to knock on first makes a real difference in how quickly things get resolved.

Start with the operator's own complaints process

The best way to resolve a dispute is directly with the gaming site. Every registered Ontario operator is required to have a formal complaints mechanism. Player complaints, disputes, and inquiries must be recorded and addressed in a timely, fair, transparent, and appropriate manner, and operators must have clear service standards and make them available to players. In practice, that means finding the site's support or complaints section, submitting your issue in writing, and keeping a record of the reference number they give you — once you have followed the operator's complaint submission process, you will receive a complaint number from them. Hold onto that number; you'll need it if things escalate.

Before you submit anything, check any terms and conditions that are linked to your account or your gambling transaction — sometimes what feels like a breach is actually a disclosed rule, and knowing that saves time. You've tried resolving your dispute directly with the gaming site and waited up to 90 days for a formal decision but have not reached a resolution is the threshold the AGCO uses before it will step in on a transaction dispute, so document your timeline carefully.

Escalating to the AGCO and iGaming Ontario

If the operator hasn't resolved things satisfactorily, two bodies can receive your complaint: the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and iGaming Ontario (iGO).

To submit a complaint to the AGCO, use their online service iAGCO — on the landing page, click "Submit a Complaint," complete the form, and note that you don't need to create an account to submit. You'll be provided with a reference number, which lets you track the status of your complaint. Be aware of one important limitation: making a complaint to the AGCO won't resolve your dispute with an internet gaming site — they can't get your money back or make a gaming site give you your money back. What the AGCO complaint process does is hold operators accountable to their regulatory standards and help keep the integrity of Ontario's regulated internet gaming market strong.

On the iGO side, players may escalate an unresolved or unsatisfactorily resolved dispute to iGaming Ontario for review, after first attempting to resolve it with the regulated operator. All complaints covered under iGO's service standards will have their receipt acknowledged within 1 business day. You can reach iGO customer service at 1-833-554-4263 (toll-free) or via igaming@igamingontario.ca.

Complaints that skip the operator step — and where to go if all else fails

Not every concern needs to start with the operator. If your complaint relates to a topic such as responsible gaming, suspected illegal activity, or advertising, where it may not be appropriate to contact the operator first, you can submit a complaint directly in iAGCO — the form accommodates this with a specific field. For Toronto players wondering whether a site is even legitimate before filing anything: regulated sites display both the iGaming Ontario logo and the BetGuard logo as signals that the site is managed by iGO and regulated by the AGCO.

If the AGCO's response itself leaves you unsatisfied, you retain the right to raise your concerns with the Ombudsman of Ontario. That's a rarely needed backstop, but it exists.

One category worth flagging separately: matters of a criminal or regulatory nature will be referred by iGO to the appropriate authorities — so if your concern involves suspected fraud or illegal activity, the iGO and AGCO complaint channels will route it correctly; you don't need to navigate that yourself. And if gambling-related stress is part of what's going on, ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) offers free, confidential support around the clock — worth knowing about regardless of how your complaint resolves.