What is the difference between an AGCO registration and an iGaming Ontario operating agreement?

Most Toronto players never need to think about this distinction — but if you've ever wondered why a site can appear "registered" yet still not be fully authorized to take your money, this is exactly the gap that explains it.

Two separate hurdles, two separate bodies

Private gaming operators must successfully register with the AGCO and execute an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario before they may begin offering their games to players in Ontario. The AGCO is the regulator for the province, while iGaming Ontario is the commercial "conduct and manage" entity. These are genuinely different things, issued by different organizations, serving different purposes — not two names for the same approval.

The AGCO registration is the regulatory gate. The AGCO establishes and upholds the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming, determines eligibility and registers igaming operators and gaming-related suppliers to ensure the integrity of sector participants, and monitors operators and suppliers for ongoing compliance with those regulatory obligations. Think of it as the licence to exist in the Ontario market at all — covering character, financial fitness, game integrity, anti-money-laundering controls, responsible gambling safeguards, and technology certification. The AGCO will only register those operators who act with honesty, integrity, in accordance with the law, and in the public interest. Without this, an operator cannot legally offer play to anyone in Ontario.

The iGaming Ontario operating agreement is a separate, commercial contract. iGaming Ontario executes operating agreements with private igaming operators once they have been registered by the AGCO, and oversees contract obligations for provision of their services in Ontario's regulated igaming scheme. iGO develops, executes, and oversees these agreements, as well as the required policies, programs, and procedures that balance key government objectives such as consumer protection, reduction of red tape, and revenue generation. In plain terms: the operating agreement is what makes iGaming Ontario the legal "conduct and manage" umbrella under which private operators run their sites — a requirement under Canadian federal law for the scheme to operate lawfully.

Sequence matters — registration comes first

The final step before entering the regulated market is executing the operating agreement with iGO. That sequencing is deliberate: the steps to joining the Ontario market include 7 iGO-managed and 7 AGCO-managed steps that prospective operators must complete on their path to joining the market. Operators should expect a minimum of 90 days to complete the steps required to become registered by the AGCO and execute an operating agreement with iGO.

There is one notable exception to the dual-requirement rule: being a fully registered and authorized operator in the Ontario igaming market means the organization has successfully received a registration by the AGCO and, with the exception of OLG.ca, has executed an operating agreement with iGO. OLG operates under its own provincial mandate and doesn't need the iGO commercial agreement.

Why this matters when you're choosing where to play in Toronto

From a player's perspective, the practical takeaway is simple: both steps must be complete before a site is legitimately open to you. A site that has AGCO registration but hasn't signed the iGO operating agreement isn't yet authorized to serve Ontario players. Conversely, the operating agreement alone — without AGCO registration — doesn't exist, because iGO only contracts with already-registered operators.

The fastest way to confirm a site has cleared both hurdles is to check the iGaming Ontario registry directly at igamingontario.ca, where the list of fully authorized operators is maintained and updated. Regulated sites also display both the iGaming Ontario logo and the BetGuard logo — per iGaming Ontario, seeing those two logos tells you the site is conducted and managed by iGO and regulated by the AGCO. BetGuard, launched in May 2026, is Ontario's centralized self-exclusion service: a single request through betguard.ca excludes you from every licensed Ontario online gambling operator at once, which is one of the concrete player-protection benefits the operating agreement requires operators to support. If you ever need support, ConnexOntario is available at 1-866-531-2600 — and remember, all of this applies to adults 19 and older.