Ontario iGaming Licence Cost 2026: What Operators Pay

The Ontario iGaming licence cost starts at CAD 100,000 per gaming site each year, paid to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. On top of that, operators pay 20% of gross gaming revenue to the province through iGaming Ontario. Most articles quote those two figures and stop there. This guide sets out the full AGCO fee schedule and the per-person registration charges. It also covers investigation costs the Registrar can recover, certification spend, and what the first year costs before you take a single bet.

What the Ontario iGaming Licence Cost Covers

The direct cost splits into two payments to two different bodies. First, the AGCO charges a registration fee for the regulatory approval. Second, iGaming Ontario takes a contractual share of revenue under the operating agreement. Because both approvals are mandatory, an operator carries both costs from day one.

The AGCO fee is a fixed annual amount tied to each gaming site. The iGO share moves with performance, so it costs nothing until the site produces revenue. That difference matters when you build a cash-flow model. The fixed fee lands before launch, while the variable share only starts once players are depositing. Our guide to the Ontario iGaming licence covers eligibility and the registration route in full.

Everything else sits outside those two lines. Certification, legal work, corporate setup, banking, insurance and staffing all land on the operator. In practice, those items decide whether the budget holds. They are also the reason the real Ontario iGaming licence cost runs well above the headline fee.

Ontario iGaming Licence Cost: Full AGCO Fee Schedule

The AGCO publishes one fee schedule covering every internet gaming registration class. Operators usually see only the CAD 100,000 line, but the other classes apply to the companies and people around them. The table below reproduces the published annual fees.

Two details are easy to miss. Harmonized Sales Tax does not apply to these fees, so the published number is the number you pay. All registration fees are also non-refundable, which means a withdrawn or refused application does not return the money. You can check the current figures on the AGCO’s internet gaming fees page before you budget.

Why the fee multiplies across gaming sites

The operator fee is charged per site rather than per company. So a group running three distinct brands in Ontario pays CAD 300,000 a year instead of CAD 100,000. This single rule moves the Ontario iGaming licence cost more than any other item in the schedule.

The AGCO decides what counts as a distinct site on practical grounds. Separate account credentials, separate e-wallets, distinct branding, or operation by different teams all point towards a separate registration. For that reason, a portfolio strategy that looks efficient elsewhere becomes expensive in Ontario.

Operators who plan multiple brands should model the fee per brand from the start. If two brands share a single wallet and one set of credentials, the position may differ, though the AGCO decides that case by case. Confirm the treatment in writing before you commit to a brand structure.

The 20% revenue share paid to iGaming Ontario

The second payment is not a tax. Instead, it is a contractual share set in the operating agreement between the operator and iGaming Ontario. Under this arrangement, the province receives 20% of gross gaming revenue, which means player losses after winnings are paid out. For how GST, HST and corporate income tax apply to that revenue, see our guide to Ontario iGaming tax treatment.

The mechanism matters for cash flow. iGaming Ontario holds gross gaming revenue and then pays the operator its agreed portion. So the operator never collects the full amount and remits a share afterwards. That means working capital planning has to account for the timing of those settlements.

The share tracks gross gaming revenue rather than turnover. Because of that, a high-volume sportsbook and a casino brand can produce very different payments on similar handle. If you are sizing the opportunity, the Ontario market revenue figures show what the market has produced by product since launch.

Investigation costs the Registrar can recover

This is the part of the Ontario iGaming licence cost that almost no published guide quantifies. Alongside the registration fee, the Registrar of Alcohol, Gaming and Racing may require an applicant or registrant to pay the reasonable costs of an investigation. The AGCO states the power plainly but publishes no schedule, cap or average.

The exposure is real but unbounded on paper. In practice, the amount depends on how much work the eligibility assessment requires. For example, a clean corporate chain with Canadian-resident directors and audited accounts generates little investigative work. By contrast, a multi-layered group with offshore holding companies and overseas key persons generates far more.

Since no figure is published, treat this as a contingency rather than a fixed line. Set aside a reserve, ask your eligibility officer early whether investigation costs are expected in your case, and get the answer in writing. Applicants who assume the CAD 100,000 is the complete AGCO bill are the ones caught out.

Certification and technical testing costs

Games and critical gaming systems must be certified by an Independent Testing Laboratory registered with the AGCO before they go live in Ontario. The AGCO does not publish certification prices. The testing laboratory sets them, and they vary with the scope and complexity of what is being tested.

Two variables drive the number. First, how many games and systems need certification. Second, whether your suppliers already hold Ontario certification for their products, because certified components do not need retesting. Operators using platforms already live in Ontario face a lighter bill than those bringing an untested stack.

Certification timing is also outside your control. The AGCO notes that duration depends on laboratory capacity and the depth of certification required. Book slots early, because a delayed certification slot extends the period over which you carry the Ontario iGaming licence cost without trading. The AGCO sets out what it expects at this stage in its internet gaming go-live compliance guide. Our platform consultancy and RNG testing team coordinates this stage for operators entering new markets.

What registering your key people costs

Ontario registers people as well as companies. Employees with significant supervisory or decision-making responsibility register as Category 1 gaming assistants at CAD 300 a year each. Employees without that authority register as Category 2 at CAD 165 a year each.

Individually, these are small amounts. However, they add up across a team and recur annually alongside the operator fee. For example, an operator with forty registered staff carries several thousand dollars a year in gaming assistant fees. Nevertheless, that line rarely appears in a headline Ontario iGaming licence cost estimate.

There is an administrative cost too. Each registered person completes disclosure covering background, finances and gaming history, and anyone holding a 5% or greater interest in the operator is disclosed. Preparing that pack properly takes weeks of internal and legal time, which rarely appears in a first-draft budget.

First-Year Ontario iGaming Licence Cost for One Site

The table below sets out a single-site operator’s first-year direct costs. Figures marked as variable depend on your structure, so treat them as budget lines rather than quotes.

Note what is missing from that list: marketing, platform licensing, payment processing and salaries. None of those form part of the Ontario iGaming licence cost, but all of them land in the same twelve months. When operators say entry cost more than expected, the gap is usually here rather than in the AGCO fee.

What the timeline costs before revenue starts

Money committed early earns nothing until launch, so the schedule is itself a cost. iGaming Ontario publishes indicative timings for each onboarding step, which lets you model the gap properly.

Several steps run in parallel, and the AGCO clock only starts once a complete application is filed and the fee is paid. Still, the registration fee is due at submission, months before the first deposit. Budget for the carry as well as the invoice, because the Ontario iGaming licence cost is committed long before revenue arrives. You can review the official sequence on iGaming Ontario’s steps to join the Ontario market page.

Annual Ontario iGaming Licence Cost and Renewal Expenses

The Ontario iGaming licence cost is recurring, not a one-off entry charge. Registration renews annually, so the CAD 100,000 per site falls due every year. Gaming assistant registrations renew too, and staff turnover means new people join the schedule while leavers drop off. The 20% share continues for as long as the site trades.

Compliance carries its own recurring spend. Operators run controls against the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming and file regulatory submissions through the iAGCO portal. They also maintain AML monitoring and FINTRAC reporting. When players escalate complaints, they take part in dispute resolution.

Recertification adds more. When you add games, change a critical system or update your platform, the affected components go back to the testing laboratory. For operators shipping product frequently, that is a standing annual line rather than a one-off. Our ongoing licensing compliance service covers this cycle.

What the Ontario iGaming licence cost does not buy

The registration authorises online casino, sportsbook and poker products offered to players physically located in Ontario, under the brands named in the application. It does not extend beyond that.

Specifically, it does not cover players in other Canadian provinces. An operator that also wants Alberta players registers separately through the Alberta iGaming licence process, with its own fee. It does not cover players outside Canada. It does not authorise land-based gaming or lottery products, which the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation runs separately.

The fee also does not buy certification. Paying the AGCO does not make your platform compliant, and a registered operator running uncertified games is in breach regardless of what it has paid.

Where operators underestimate the budget

Four patterns come up repeatedly when operators model the Ontario iGaming licence cost. First, treating the CAD 100,000 as the total AGCO charge and ignoring investigation cost recovery and per-person fees. Second, budgeting one site fee while planning three brands.

Third, underestimating the disclosure workload. Personal disclosure for every key person, the 5% ownership chain and financial statements take time to assemble. So does a gap analysis against the Registrar’s Standards. Delay then pushes the launch date without pausing the spend.

Fourth, leaving banking until late. Operators need Canadian-dollar settlement arrangements and complete a bank due diligence process with iGaming Ontario before the systems readiness cycle. If banking is not in place, the whole onboarding sequence stalls. We handle opening a gaming bank account for operators as part of market entry. Reading how the iGaming Ontario model works before you build the budget removes most of these surprises.

Budgeting for Ontario before you apply

The AGCO publishes a fixed fee. Almost everything else in the Ontario iGaming licence cost depends on your corporate structure, brand count and supplier stack. Book a consultation with DD Consultus and we will map your specific fee exposure before you file, including per-site multiplication and disclosure scope. Our gaming licence acquisition support covers the application end to end. Call +356 99408536 or email contact@licencegaming.com.

Ontario iGaming Licence Cost FAQs

How much does an Ontario iGaming licence cost?

The AGCO charges CAD 100,000 per gaming site each year for an operator registration. Operators also pay 20% of gross gaming revenue to the province through iGaming Ontario under the operating agreement. Certification, legal work, corporate setup and banking sit outside both figures.

Is the AGCO registration fee refundable if the application fails?

No. The AGCO states that registration fees are non-refundable, so a withdrawn or refused application does not return the money. The fee is payable at submission, before the eligibility assessment concludes.

Do suppliers pay a registration fee in Ontario?

Yes. A gaming-related supplier of gaming services and equipment pays CAD 3,000 a year, while a manufacturer of gaming equipment pays CAD 15,000 a year. Non-gaming-related suppliers pay CAD 2,000 a year.

Is the 20% paid to iGaming Ontario a tax?

No. It is a contractual revenue share set in the operating agreement between the operator and iGaming Ontario, not a levy under tax legislation. It is calculated on gross gaming revenue, meaning player losses after winnings are paid.

Does the CAD 100,000 fee cover more than one brand?

No. The fee applies per gaming site, so each distinct site needs its own registration and its own annual fee. The AGCO assesses whether sites are distinct using factors such as separate credentials, separate e-wallets, distinct branding and who operates them.

What are the investigation costs the AGCO can charge?

Alongside the registration fee, the Registrar of Alcohol, Gaming and Racing may require an applicant or registrant to pay the reasonable costs of an investigation. The AGCO publishes no schedule or cap for these costs. Applicants should hold a contingency and confirm the position with their assigned eligibility officer.

How is HST applied to AGCO gaming registration fees?

Harmonized Sales Tax does not apply to AGCO registration fees. The published figure is the amount payable. Payments under CAD 30,000 go through credit or debit card in the iAGCO portal. Payments of CAD 30,000 or more require a wire transfer or electronic funds transfer.

How long before an Ontario operator starts paying the revenue share?

The share only becomes payable once the site is live and generating gross gaming revenue. The AGCO registration fee, by contrast, is due at application, and AGCO registration takes 2 or more months from a complete submission. Operators therefore carry the fixed fee for months before any revenue share arises.