If you’re thinking about self-excluding, a practical question tends to come up before you do it: what happens to the money still sitting in the account? In Ontario, most of the answer is written into the regulator’s standards. Some of it is left to each operator, though, and you’ll want to know which parts.
Two ways to self-exclude
Since May 14, 2026, there have been two ways to self-exclude from online gambling in Ontario.
The first is BetGuard, the centralized program run by iGaming Ontario. One registration covers every regulated online gambling site and app in the province, including OLG’s. The second is each operator’s own self-exclusion program for its own site. Operators are still required to offer those. The AGCO has said it will revisit that requirement within 12 months of BetGuard’s launch.
The money rules for the two routes are close, but not identical.
Through BetGuard
The AGCO’s standard for the centralized program requires iGaming Ontario to add you to its registry no later than an hour after you register. Once an operator gets confirmation that you’re on the registry, it has to log you out right away. It also has to block you from your existing accounts and from opening new ones.
On the remaining balance, the standard requires each operator to have a way to return your unused funds. It can do that when you ask, or automatically once it confirms you’re on the registry. Either approach meets the standard. BetGuard’s own FAQ says the same thing: unused funds come back automatically or on request, depending on the operator. So you can’t count on the money arriving by itself. With some operators, you’ll have to ask for it.
Open bets get their own rule. Within 24 hours of you being added to the registry, operators have to cancel any outstanding wagers and refund them to your player wallet. The exception is a bet on an event that starts less than 24 hours after you were added; operators don’t have to cancel those. This rule is written around bets on events. A slot spin settles in a few seconds, so for most slot players the balance is the part that matters.
Through one operator’s own program
The standard for site-level self-exclusion is similar in spirit. Once you self-exclude, you’re logged out right away and can’t log back in for the length of the exclusion. Any wager in progress is brought to an end. The operator has to refund it if you enrolled before the event that decides it began, but doesn’t have to if you enrolled after.
On the balance, this standard requires a way to return your unused funds when you request them. Unlike the BetGuard standard, it doesn’t mention an automatic return. If you exclude through a single site, plan on asking.
What the standards leave to each operator
The standards require operators to have a way to return your money, but they don’t describe how it works. The text I read doesn’t cover which payment method is used, how long it takes, or what identity checks or minimums might apply. Those details come from each operator’s own terms and withdrawal rules.
There are two more gaps. The standards don’t define whether bonus or promotional credit counts as “unused funds.” They also don’t separately address a withdrawal you’d already requested before the exclusion started. If either applies to you, ask the operator directly, in writing if you can, and keep their reply.
A sensible order of things
If you’ve decided to self-exclude, a balance isn’t a reason to put it off. The rules require operators to have a way to give your money back, so you don’t need to keep the account open until you’ve cashed out.
You also don’t have to wait out your exclusion term to get the money. The return requirement applies to people who are currently excluded.
Afterward, check each account you had. If the balance hasn’t come back, contact that operator’s support and ask for it, and keep a record of what you asked and when. If you can’t get it resolved with the operator, the AGCO accepts complaints about internet gaming.
BetGuard terms come in six months, one year, five years, or a custom length. According to BetGuard’s FAQ, if you don’t renew or remove yourself when your term ends, it keeps you excluded for seven more years.
If you’re here for more than the money question
If you’re looking into self-exclusion because gambling has stopped feeling like something you choose, that’s worth taking seriously. Help is available. ConnexOntario offers free, confidential support at 1-866-531-2600 or connexontario.ca. The Responsible Gambling page lists other Ontario support options.
The rules described here are from the AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming and BetGuard’s published information as of October 2026. Standards can be amended, so check the current wording if you need certainty.