A budget set at home, before the trip to the casino, is one tool for keeping play within limits. The services on this page are the others.
ConnexOntario, 988 and Credit Canada
ConnexOntario offers free, confidential help 24/7. It can be reached in three ways: call 1-866-531-2600, text CONNEX to 247247, or use the chat at connexontario.ca. The line does not close at night or on weekends. Any of the three is a reasonable first contact.
Some situations are more urgent than a conversation about gambling. In a crisis, 988, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, answers 24/7. Debt and money worries are a separate problem with separate help. Credit Canada offers free credit counselling at 1-800-267-2272. A call there can sit alongside a call to ConnexOntario rather than replace it.
PlaySmart and its centres
PlaySmart is OLG's responsible-gambling site, and it can be found at playsmart.ca. It also works in person: there is a PlaySmart Centre at every OLG casino, run with the Responsible Gambling Council.
For anyone not at a casino, the virtual PlaySmart Centre is open 7 days a week, from 11 am to 7 pm. Its number is 1-833-888-2306. Outside those hours, ConnexOntario answers 24/7 at 1-866-531-2600. Holiday hours should be checked on playsmart.ca.
My PlayBreak and BetGuard
OLG's My PlayBreak is a self-exclusion program for Ontario casinos. Length is a personal choice: 3 months, 6 months, or any period from 1 to 5 years. The break applies to all Ontario casinos, not to one venue alone. Signing up is handled by phone, with the OLG Support Centre, at 1-800-387-0098, face to face with casino staff, or at any PlaySmart Centre. A chosen term cannot end ahead of schedule, so it is worth weighing the length carefully before signing up.
Online play has a separate tool. BetGuard, at betguard.ca, as of May 14, 2026, has been managed by iGaming Ontario. Through it, a person can opt out of all regulated online gambling sites in Ontario, OLG.ca among them. The length options are 5 years, 6 months, 1 year or a custom length. BetGuard does not cover land-based casinos: for those, My PlayBreak is the route.
Questions
Is this help only for people who gamble?
Two of these services are not about gambling at all. 988 answers in a crisis, and Credit Canada offers free credit counselling at 1-800-267-2272.
Can a casino break be ended early?
Once a My PlayBreak term has started, there is no early cancellation. That is why the length, from 3 months up to 5 years, is chosen with care at enrolment.
Is there help with debt?
Credit Canada offers free credit counselling at 1-800-267-2272. For the gambling side of the problem, ConnexOntario answers 24/7 at 1-866-531-2600, by sending the text CONNEX to 247247, or through the chat at connexontario.ca.