Gambling is entertainment, not income. If it stops being fun — or if it is costing you more than you can afford to lose — help is available immediately, free, and confidential.
Other Canadian resources
- Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) — tools, education, and self-assessments at responsiblegambling.org
- Gamblers Anonymous Ottawa — in-person and virtual meetings for Ottawa-area members at gamblersanonymous.org
- OLG Self-Exclusion — voluntary self-exclusion across OLG-operated venues and PlayOLG.ca
- iGaming Ontario — central registry for AGCO-licensed self-exclusion at participating regulated operators
Warning signs
Problem gambling rarely starts dramatically. It builds. Watch for any of the following in yourself or someone close to you:
- Betting more than you can afford to lose, or borrowing money to gamble
- Chasing losses with bigger and bigger bets
- Lying to family, friends, or partners about how much time or money is going to gambling
- Missing work, school, or commitments because of gambling
- Feeling irritable or restless when not gambling
- Gambling to escape stress, loneliness, or low mood
Tools we recommend before you play
- Set a deposit limit at the operator level before your first deposit. Every AGCO-licensed casino offers one — use it.
- Set a session time limit. Most platforms let you set a reality-check pop-up every 30 or 60 minutes.
- Disable auto-play and auto-spin. The friction of a manual spin is a real circuit breaker.
- Keep gambling money separate from rent, groceries, and bills. Never use a credit card.
- Self-exclude the moment limits stop working. Self-exclusion is free, fast, and you can request it directly at any licensed operator.
Age requirement
The legal gambling age in Ontario is 19. Every casino featured on The Link Ottawa enforces age verification at registration. Do not attempt to gamble — or help someone else gamble — before turning 19.
Our commitment
The Link Ottawa is an affiliate publisher. We earn commissions when readers sign up at casinos through our links. We will never recommend an operator that does not offer functional deposit limits, session limits, and a clear self-exclusion process. If a casino degrades its responsible-gambling tools, it gets dropped from our rankings regardless of revenue.