Expert: OLG $500 under-25 deposit prompt a ‘baby step’

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced this week it will prompt online account holders under 25 to set a deposit limit after a single CA$500 or larger deposit. Tony Bitoni, OLG’s spokesperson, wrote by email that the prompt appears when a player under 25 makes a one-time deposit of CA$500 or more and that the account will not be automatically restricted.

Duncan Hannay, OLG’s president and CEO, described the measure as supporting informed choice and building safer play habits early, saying: “This new measure is a practical, data-driven step to help players under 25 build safer play habits early.” Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Stan Cho, said responsible gaming remains a government priority and that the initiative reflects collaboration among government, agencies and industry partners.

Jeffrey Derevensky, director of the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviours at McGill University, called the policy a “baby step.” He said the prompt differs from mandatory caps and recommended two changes: require all players to set deposit limits and set a maximum amount an individual can deposit or lose.

Derevensky noted a potential gap in the CA$500 trigger and asked what would happen if a player made repeated deposits below the threshold, for example multiple CA$400 deposits that together create a large exposure. He also pointed to the policy’s application only to OLG accounts and said players could use other operators if limits affected their play.

Bitoni stated that OLG monitors player activity and intervenes when necessary, and that the PlaySmart program offers safety tools to all players. He added that uptake of pre-commitment options among digital customers is strong. OLG’s release also noted BetGuard, a centralized exclusion tool launched in May that allows self-exclusion across participating operators. The corporation acknowledged there is no province-wide system linking deposit limits across different gambling platforms.

The new prompt applies to under-25 online accounts after a single CA$500+ deposit and prompts users to set a deposit limit rather than imposing an automatic cap. Derevensky recommended mandatory deposit or loss limits and broader application across operators.