Ontario will expand a gambling-harm prevention program to 40 publicly funded colleges and universities during the 2026-27 academic year. The Responsible Gambling Council and iGaming Ontario will use the campus tour to promote education, support services and BetGuard, Ontario’s centralized self-exclusion tool for regulated online gambling.

The program previously covered 20 campuses. Organizers expect up to 10,000 in-person student interactions and plan to distribute at least 10,000 Student Education Kits through campus health, wellness, residence and student-service teams.

The expansion doubles the program’s campus reach, but the announcement sets participation targets rather than measuring whether gambling behaviour will change.

What changes for students

BetGuard allows an Ontario player to register once and opt out of regulated online gambling across participating regulated sites in the province. It is not a national Canadian system and does not ban every form of gambling.

Players must create an account and verify their identity. The official setup process requires information matching existing Ontario online gambling accounts, a phone verification code and government-issued photo identification.

Why campuses are the focus

The Responsible Gambling Council identifies people aged 18 to 24 as a group at higher risk of gambling harm. Students can encounter online gambling and sports betting through apps, advertising, social media and sports culture.

The council says roughly 70 per cent of young people in Ontario attend college or university. Campuses therefore provide a direct setting for prevention messages before risky behaviour becomes a larger problem.

Interactive education and support

Responsible Gambling Council-trained, peer-aged ambassadors will lead conversations, answer questions and connect students with support resources. The tour will also feature The Random Tower, a life-sized Jenga-style activity about randomness and the limits of personal control over gambling outcomes.

Each education kit will include gambling-harm information and a BetGuard card with a QR code. Organizers say the kits are intended to extend prevention beyond a single campus event.

What the expansion does not show

The announcement does not say how many students will register for BetGuard, seek treatment or reduce their gambling losses. It provides targets for the program’s reach, not evidence of its results.

  • Previous campus coverage: 20 institutions
  • New campus coverage: 40 publicly funded colleges and universities
  • Expected in-person interactions: up to 10,000
  • Student Education Kits: at least 10,000

The immediate change is the program’s reach. During the 2026-27 academic year, it will cover twice as many publicly funded campuses while giving students information about one opt-out route for Ontario’s regulated online gambling market.