In Ontario, gambling has emerged as a popular leisure activity, and the realm of online gambling has witnessed a significant improvement in terms of accessibility and transparency after the updated legislation of the province in April 2022.
However, along with this convenience and transparent availability, there are inherent risks connected not only with problem gambling as such but with underage gambling. This post discusses the legal gambling age in Ontario and explains all the rules and limitations connected to this topic.
The legal age to gamble in Ontario is 18 years old for playing the lottery and bingo. To play casino games in Ontario players have to be 19 years old.
This table of Ontario gambling age shows what online and offline activities in the province are allowed.
| 18 years old | 19 years old |
|---|---|
| Lottery, Bingo, Scratch cards, Horse racing bets | All Casino games, bets on Sports |
Online Gambling Legal Age Rules in Ontario
AGCO is the main regulating body that together with the iGaming Ontario agency control and supervises all the operators, providers, and activities in the province. Starting from April 2022, all game studios and casino operators have to comply with the regulations of these two agencies, and this is the law for all casino sites, sports betting sites, and whatever other online platform that suggests making real money bets.
According to the new gambling laws in Ontario these sites also have to follow strict KYC policies and follow Minors Protection protocols, including identity verification and geolocation, to make sure their customers are eligible for making bets online.
To stick to the current regulations, however, all platforms operating legally in Ontario are allowed to register customers who are 19 years old or older. Users who are 18 years old can only register with a platform to purchase a lottery ticket if the site has a lottery.
In case the customer registers an account with a private platform that has casinos, lottery, sports bets, and/or other games, they will either be only able to buy lottery tickets or their accounts will not be allowed at all.
The second option is very probable because there are many national and provincial lotteries officially available to 18-year-olds, and most private casino operators won’t engage in potential trouble by allowing an 18-year-old to register an account with them.
Online casino run by OLG, the former monopolist of the online gambling service in the province, allows account registration even for 18-year-olds but again, this is the only legal age to buy lottery tickets in Ontario and not other gambling activities. This platform has strict rules and will block access to all other games and activities on-site for a player who is not eligible. But at least they can have an account!
Proof of Age & Geolocation Online
All online casinos in Ontario are obliged to double-check the customer’s identity and age. This is what the law says:
“Operators must put in place mechanisms to detect and dynamically monitor the location of a player attempting to play a game and to block unverified attempts to play a game. Player location checks subsequent to the initial location check shall occur at reasonable intervals determined by the Operator that minimize the risk of play outside of Ontario. Depending on the location of the player/device, longer or shorter periods may be justified.
Operators must put in place mechanisms to detect software, programs, virtualization and other programs capable of circumventing player location detection.
Note: If a lottery scheme is being provided in conjunction with another province, individuals in that province may be permitted to be on the gaming site”
In other words, online gambling sites have to follow the Know Your Customer procedure and check the customer’s identity right during the registration process, or before the first withdrawal is processed, by requesting one or several of the following documents:
- ID card
- Driver’s license
- Proof of income
- Proof of location/residence
They will also pay close attention to the customer’s age and in case they have any doubts in terms of legal gambling age in Ontario they will request additional documents or even a video call via Skype. All underage accounts will be immediately blocked.
Another important consideration is the geolocation of the user.
Ontario allows gambling only for 19-year-olds and older, but the neighboring provinces allow gambling from the age of 18.
So, to prevent underage gambling, all platforms licensed by AGCO use geolocation to spot exactly where the registered customer is located. VPNs are not allowed for account registration at a casino site.
Geolocation usage prevents younger players from account registration, and most importantly, it prevents them from trying to reach out to online casinos that operate for residents of the neighboring provinces where the minimum legal gambling age is lower.
Offline Gambling Regulations & Practices in Ontario
Most gambling and betting facilities that operate offline in the province are licensed and regulated by OLG which was previously the monopolist in the market.
To gamble legally offline, players have to be 18 years old to play Lottery, Scratch cards, and make bets on Horse racing.
To play slots and other casino games, including table games, and make bets on a wider range of sports, players have to be 19 years old and older.
For those interested “how old to gamble in Ontario?” the process of proof of age is very simple in land-based facilities because the players just have to show their ID or a driver’s license to the responsible person, or otherwise identify as eligible for gambling.
However, there are still some problems with age-proof in locations with gambling machines and terminals for sports bets where responsible persons demonstrate a lack of control. So, despite all the current efforts of the government, underage gambling is still a problem today.
Legal Consequences for Underage Gambling
Most adolescent gamblers will not face fines if they are too young, but systematic misleading behavior to trick the operators will lead to fines for the player. Some activities even suggest imprisonment for a short period of time.
Operators and facilities that do not prevent underage gambling in a proper manner will face huge fines and can even lose their licenses in the province.
Underage Problem Gambling
Research in the industry of online and offline gambling in Ontario shows that teenagers are often engaged in gambling activities, either regulated (like online casino games, betting, lotteries, etc)., or unregulated like playing cards and other table games with friends and family for money, making bets on whatever for money, etc. These teenagers don’t ask “how old to go to casino in Ontario?“ and instead, just seek available options to gamble.
However, in reality, children as young as 10 years old can already engage in unregulated and uncontrolled gambling by buying loot boxes or trading skins for their avatars in video games or playing social casino games on their phones. This way, even young children already get exposed to the harms of gambling.
Several additional factors can increase the risk of problem gambling in teenagers, including:
- Having a parent or other family member with a gambling problem
- Substance use / alcohol use
- Depression and/or anxiety
- Trauma
- Childhood abuse
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Loneliness
- Poor coping skills
- Being male
Numerous studies in Ontario show that a significant portion of young people are actively engaged in gambling activities, with one-third of them reporting their participation on a regular basis. Among secondary school students, there are players with low to moderate gambling problems and a part of players with high to severe gambling addiction issues.
The recent findings indicated that 41.6% of adolescents had gambled within the past three months.
Interestingly, those who engaged in online gambling displayed a higher prevalence of both high and low-to-moderate problem gambling severity compared to those who played offline.
Eva is the voice of online casino reviews at CasinosHunter. With over a decade of copywriting experience, she ensures all content is clear and accurate. Eva simplifies complex gambling concepts and rules, helping players make informed decisions based on casino facts.
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