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Location and ID checks at Ontario online casinos

Every regulated Ontario casino site has to confirm two things: that you are who you say you are, and that you're in Ontario while you play. Here's what each check involves, why the location check sometimes fails and what to try when it does.

By onlineslotsontario.ca · Facts checked October 29, 2026 · Sources

Why sites check

The checks come from the AGCO's Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming, the rules every regulated site follows:

  • Location (Standard 3.02): games may only be provided within Ontario. Sites must detect where you are, check again at set intervals while you play and watch for software designed to get around those checks.
  • Identity (Standard 3.04): when you register, a site must collect your name, date of birth, address, contact details and the information anti-money-laundering rules require, and validate it before your account is created.
  • Your word (Standard 3.05): you confirm that what you've entered is complete and accurate before the account opens.
  • Age (Standard 3.01): anyone under 19 is ineligible for an account, except 18-year-olds who are only buying lottery tickets.

These checks are one of the clearest signs you're on a regulated site. Our guide to checking that a casino is regulated explains the others.

What happens when you sign up

  1. You enter your details: your legal name, date of birth, address and contact details. Use them exactly as they appear on your ID and bank account. Betty, for example, told us Interac only works if it's registered in your own legal name.
  2. The site validates them before your account is created.
  3. You confirm they're accurate.
  4. The site checks your location before you can play, and again while you play.
  5. You may be asked for documents, at sign-up or later.

When we emailed support teams for our customer support test, here's what they told us about documents:

  • bet365: a driving licence, ID card, passport, residence permit or visa. It aims to review uploaded documents within 15 minutes.
  • PlayOJO: a passport, driving licence or national identity card. It usually reviews documents within 12 hours.
  • DraftKings: a valid Canadian government-issued photo ID showing your current address, front and back, when it asks. Its Ontario casino page also says you need a valid Canadian Social Insurance Number.
  • LeoVegas: an identity card, driving licence or passport. It may ask at any time, and you can ask to verify early.

How location checks work

Sites use specialist location services. GeoComply, one of the main providers, launched a version for Ontario in June 2023 that checks your location from the website itself, so you don't need to download a separate app. Betty uses another provider, GeoLocs, which also needs no extra download.

The check runs when you log in and again while you play. It's built to catch people outside Ontario trying to get in: in the week before the 2023 Super Bowl, GeoComply said it blocked more than 9,000 attempts to reach Ontario sportsbooks from outside the province.

If the location check fails

OLG publishes these steps for its own site, and they're a good starting point anywhere:

  1. Turn on location services for both your device and your browser. On an iPhone, turn on Precise Location as well.
  2. Turn off your VPN and any app that changes or hides your location.
  3. Fix the browser: update it, clear cookies and the cache or try a different browser.
  4. Restart the app, or delete it and reinstall it.
  5. Near the Ontario border, turn on mobile data or connect to Wi-Fi. Location is harder to confirm close to the boundary, especially on a phone.
  6. Wait a few minutes and try again if the site reports a system error.

Some devices aren't supported at all. OLG lists smart TVs, game consoles, rooted devices and virtual machines.

If it still fails, contact the site's support team or check its help centre. Sites use different location services, so the exact steps can differ.

Travelling, visiting and the border

  • Outside Ontario, you can't play. iGaming Ontario says you can't place wagers on your accounts while you're outside the province.
  • Location is checked, not just your address. The standard is about where you are when you play, and sites check it every session.
  • Your own device counts. The AGCO says you can place a bet in a bar or restaurant, as long as it's on your own personal device.
  • Don't use a VPN. Regulated sites must watch for software that gets around location checks, so the check will fail.

If verification is taking too long

  • Verify early. Upload your documents before you need to withdraw, so a payout isn't held up.
  • Ask support what's missing. PlayOJO, for example, told us to contact it if you've heard nothing after 48 hours.
  • Check the details match. Your name and address should match your ID and your payment method.
  • Escalate if you need to. If a regulated site doesn't resolve your problem, you can take it to iGaming Ontario. Our guide explains how complaints work.

Questions

Why does the casino keep checking my location?

Ontario's rules require it. Regulated sites must detect that you're in Ontario and check again at set intervals while you play (AGCO Standard 3.02), so a check can appear more than once in a session.

Can I play on a VPN?

No. A VPN hides or changes your location, so the check fails. Regulated sites must watch for software designed to get around location checks.

Can I play if I'm visiting Ontario?

The location rule is about where you are when you play: you must be in Ontario and 19 or older. Each site also sets the ID it accepts, and some ask for Canadian documents. DraftKings, for example, says you need a valid Canadian Social Insurance Number.

Why does a site need my ID?

Sites must validate your name, date of birth and address before your account opens, and collect the information anti-money-laundering rules require. It also confirms you're 19 or older.

Sources

We checked every fact in this guide against these sources on October 29, 2026. The document details for each site come from the replies to our support test emails, sent October 14, 2026. Read how we research and fact-check.

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How to check a casino is regulatedFour checks that confirm a site is part of Ontario's regulated market, and what to do if something goes wrong.Ontario casino support testWe emailed casino support teams the four questions a new player would ask. Who replied fastest, and who answered best.Interac at Ontario online casinosWhich regulated sites take Interac, what each one publishes about limits and timings, and how to get paid faster.

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