The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is a top-tier licensing authority and regulator of legally permitted online gambling businesses and activities in Ontario, Canada.
It’s known for imposing strict vetting controls and carrying out/conducting extensive background checks and in-depth investigations into its applications before issuing them a license to operate a real money gambling website.
The AGCO also imposes a heavy focus on responsible gambling, meaning that all AGCO-licensed iGaming sites today (e.g., online bingo & lottery sites, dedicated poker sites, online sportsbooks, and online casinos) must actively promote responsible gambling and have their registered members’ best interests in mind.
Let’s dive in to discover how Ontario-licensed iGaming operators protect their players and which safer gambling tools you should consider using when joining a reputable, legally permitted site like the official TitanPlay online casino.
What are safer gambling tools?
Safer gambling tools are essentially the first line of defence in detecting, preventing, and combating problem gambling.
If you are aged 19 or above, live in Ontario, and sign up to an AGCO-licensed online sports betting casino, you can rest assured that you will never exceed your budget, provided you take advantage of as many safer gambling tools as possible and use them correctly.
The main types of safer gambling tools you can typically use on today’s most trusted sites are the following:
- Session time reminders, also known as time limits – reality check and session limit
- Financial limits – deposit limits, turnover limit, loss limit
- Standalone and simultaneous limit periods
- Combination of limits
- Access restriction limits
- Time-out (break in play)
- Self-exclusion
- Account closure
Players can easily keep track of their account activity by requesting an activity statement. Internal checks by Shark77 are also carried out to ensure customers are gambling sensibly. You can set these tools in a matter of seconds when logging into your account from your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.
How do safer gambling tools work, and are they reliable?
Most online casino players who use safer gambling tools say that they work for them. One of the most effective safer gambling tools is the deposit limit.
For example, if you set a C$50 monthly deposit limit and deposit the full C$50 on the first day of the month, the self-imposed limit you set means that you won’t be able to deposit any more money until the first day of the following month.
However, if you only deposited C$20 [with a C$50 monthly limit), it still means that you can deposit up to C$30 over the next four weeks (or until your limit has been reached). You can also set daily and weekly deposit limits. When you reach your limit, a notification will appear on the screen telling you.
For this reason alone, safer gambling tools are extremely effective. To avoid exceeding your reasonable spending budget, you should also consider setting deposit limits or as many other safer gambling tools as possible that you think will work best for you.
Final thoughts
Safer gambling tools and responsible gambling support provided to players on AGCO-licensed online sports betting casino websites like Titan Play help foster a sense of trust and transparency in the iGaming industry.
Today, players living in Ontario who join sites like this to place sports bets or play computer-generated or live dealer online casino games are far better protected than ever and have much better control of their spending.
When claiming online casino bonuses, remember to claim just one offer at a time, and don’t forget to read the terms and conditions attached to any bonuses you claim to ensure you get the most out of them.
Finally, gambling is supposed to be fun. Besides setting deposit limits, session time reminders, and win/loss limits, the safest thing you can do to ensure you never spend more money than you can afford is to avoid signing in to your account while tired, under the influence or intoxicated.
When playing in an altered state of mind, you may be more inclined to take risks that you wouldn’t normally take, which could result in losing even more money.
The experts/industry leaders also recommend avoiding chasing any losses you incur immediately after losing by placing bigger-than-normal wagers that you wouldn’t normally place. Gambling sensibly and responsibly keeps things safe for everyone involved.
