When to get gambling help in Ontario

ConnexOntario offers free, confidential help with gambling, 24/7. The phone number is 1-866-531-2600. Texting CONNEX to 247247 opens the same service by message. A chat option sits at connexontario.ca for anyone who prefers to type. There is no charge for the call, the text or the chat, and each works at night and on weekends.

For a crisis, 988 is the number. The Suicide Crisis Helpline answers it 24/7, on a line separate from ConnexOntario. It is there for moments when safety, not gambling, is the first concern.

PlaySmart, at playsmart.ca, is OLG's responsible-gambling site. Every OLG casino has a PlaySmart Centre, run together with the Responsible Gambling Council. A PlaySmart Centre is also one of the places to enrol in a casino break, described below.

There is also a virtual PlaySmart Centre for anyone not standing in a casino. It is open 7 days a week, 11 am to 7 pm. The number is 1-833-888-2306. Outside those hours, ConnexOntario covers the gap, since its lines stay open 24/7.

OLG's My PlayBreak lets a person self-exclude from Ontario casinos. Terms are 3 or 6 months, or 1 to 5 years. A casino break bars entry to any Ontario casino, not only the one where it was set up. Enrolment runs through the OLG Support Centre at 1-800-387-0098, through staff on site, or at a PlaySmart Centre. Once chosen, the term cannot be cancelled early.

BetGuard, at betguard.ca, does a similar job online. Run by iGaming Ontario since May 14, 2026, it excludes a person from all regulated Ontario online gambling sites, including OLG.ca. Terms are 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom length. It does not cover land-based casinos, so a break from both needs both tools. Money worries can sit alongside all of this: Credit Canada offers free credit counselling at 1-800-267-2272.