We advocate for responsible gambling while playing at Ontario online casinos and one of the simplest things Canadian customers can do is familiarise yourselves with the various responsible gaming tools sites have and how they work.
To give you a starting point, in the article below, we look at five common responsible gaming features these sites have and explain how you can use them. This includes things like deposit limit, reality checks, timeouts, and self-exclusion periods. We also give you some tips and advice on staying safe and keeping your gaming healthy.
Understanding Responsible Gambling Tools at Ontario Online Casinos
Before we dive into the individual tools, let’s take a look at responsible gambling in general at Ontario sites. Responsible gambling tools are specific features that the most reputable
online casinos in Ontario
use to help their customers stay in control, prioritize fun, and prevent themselves from getting in trouble.
You are not obliged to use them and they are entirely optional, but we think that arming yourself with knowledge, and making use of the tools is the best way to use these online gambling sites. Aside from the actual account tools, most sites will also have dedicated responsible gambling pages that might feature questionnaires you can take to see if you have a problem, or links to external self-help resources.
Explaining How the Different Responsible Gambling Tools Work
With the basic premise of Ontario responsible gambling tools explained, we can jump into the specifics. From our experience working with these sites and testing them, we’ve found that there are five main types of responsible gambling tools:
Tool
Description
Deposit limits
Set a maximum daily, weekly, or monthly casino deposit limit.
Reality checks
Get reminders when you’ve been playing for a set timeframe.
Timeouts
Shorter periods of account closure.
Self-exclusion
Longer periods of account closure.
Account closure
Fully close your account.
💰 Deposit Limits
Deposit limits are perhaps the most useful of the responsible gaming tools as they can directly impact how much you spend. The premise of these is simple – you specify the maximum amount you want to be able to deposit at an Ontario online casino in a specific timeframe – usually per day, per week, or per month.
For example, you might set your maximum weekly deposit limit at 50 CAD – once you have deposited that amount, you won’t be able to credit your account until the new weekly period has started. Setting a deposit limit couldn’t be easier – you will usually find the option in the banking section or your account management section. Must select the time period such as daily, weekly, or monthly, enter the maximum amount, and confirm your choice.
⏳ Reality Checks
Reality checks are also especially useful as they can help you stay focused and keep track of the time while immersed in casino games. These are reminders that you can set that will pop-up and display when you have been playing or in the casino for a specific timeframe. For instance, you might want a reminder to appear when you’ve been playing for 15 minutes. Setting reminders can either be done from your account management, or the responsible gaming page and you’ll usually have to activate the reality checks and set their frequency.
⏲️ Timeouts
Timeouts are a shorter type of self-exclusion where you limit access to your account for a specific period. We’ve commonly found that timeouts can be enabled for periods of 24, 48, or 72 hours. They are meant to give you a short but important break so that you are not playing at online casinos every day. Like the other responsible gambling tools for Ontario online casinos, timeouts can usually be activated from your account management section. You might have to re-enter your password to activate a timeout, and you usually won’t be able to deactivate it until the specific time has elapsed.
🚫 Self-Exclusion
Self-exclusion periods are much longer than timeouts and are for cases when you feel like you are losing control and you need a more substantial break. We’ve found that self-exclusion periods are usually at least one month, but can be as long as 6 months or even years. In most instances you can start a self-exclusion period from your account management section, but some online casinos might require that you contact customer support. Once you have started the self-exclusion, you will not even be able to log in to your account, and there usually isn’t any way to reverse the decision.
❌ Account Closure
The final and ultimate responsible gambling tool for Ontario online casinos is straight account closure. This is a permanent closure as opposed to a limited-time self-exclusion. Typically, if you want to undo an account closure, you will have to go through an entire re-opening process, but it also may not even be possible depending on the individual online casino. To close your account, you may also have to perform some type of verification to prove it is you trying to use the responsible gambling tool.
Pros and Cons of Ontario Responsible Gambling Tools
Tools like this on established and
new casino sites
have come a long way, but we still don’t think they are perfect and there is potential room for improvement. We have reflected this with a summary of the main pros and cons below:
Pros and Cons
Easy to understand
Anyone with an account can use them
They help you stay in control
You can reverse the actions of some tools
Stay Safe and Know the Tools at Your Disposal for Ontario Online Casinos
You should now have a much clearer idea of how the different responsible gambling tools work at
online casinos in Canada
and why they are beneficial. We think that the most important ones for active players are deposit limits, reality checks, and timeouts. These three tools/resources can make sure you only ever play within your means, that you keep your playing sessions short, and that you stop if things get out of control.
While we’ve given information on how the various tools work here, we also recommend reading the FAQs and help center of any of our recommended online casinos that you use for specific details. For more learning and recommendations, please feel free to check out our other casino guides so that you can be fully equipped when gaming at Ontario online casinos.
Ontario Responsible Gambling Tool FAQs
Yes. We don’t advise that you do this, but usually, once you have set a deposit limit, you can change it afterwards. There will usually be a minimum cooldown period before you can do it though.
Yes. Ontario online casinos should provide an option for you to permanently close your account. If you want to reopen it, you usually have to go through a specific procedure including potentially speaking to customer support.
No. These are not mandatory tools. However, we strongly advise that you at least learn what they are and how they work. They are there for your safety and peace of mind and can help you stay in control and prioritize fun at Ontario online casinos.
We recommend playing for short periods only of 10-15 minutes each time. It’s also a great idea to be aware of the different responsible gambling tools the sites have such as deposit limits and reality checks.
