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TrustFacts.ca

Guides · 6 min · 2026-09-19 · step-by-step

Canada time-out tools — responsible gambling

Short breaks vs self-exclusion, and what reality checks should look like.

By Brent Henderson · TrustFacts Desk · Updated September 2026

The Gauge · how to cite · not a licence

You need
  • Account login × 1Time-out and reality checks live in the account panel, not the lobby.
Tools
  • Time-out / reality-check settingA pause is not self-exclusion. Reality checks should interrupt play, not hide in a footer.

  1. Step 1 of 3

    Time-out is not exclusion

    24 hours to 6 weeks is a pause. Self-exclusion is months to years and should be hard to reverse. Casinos that blur the two get a transparency penalty.

  2. Step 2 of 3

    Reality checks interrupt play

    A reality check should stop the session long enough to read a clock and a spend figure. A footer sentence is not that tool. We score what the account panel actually offers.

  3. Step 3 of 3

    Use the scheme that matches the market

    Ontario players who need a longer stop use the operator tool and BetGuard. Great Britain uses GAMSTOP on UKGC desks. A time-out on a Curaçao URL does not enrol you in those schemes.

This page is not a licence and not clinical advice. Ontario is iGO, 19+. Alberta is AGLC, 18+. Confirm the live register before you deposit.

Canada time-out tools — responsible gambling FAQ

Is a time-out the same as self-exclusion?
No. 24 hours to 6 weeks is a pause. Self-exclusion is months to years and should be hard to reverse. Casinos that blur the two get a transparency penalty.
What should a reality check do?
Interrupt play. A footer link is not a reality check. Time-out and reality checks live in the account panel, not the lobby.
Can TrustFacts set a time-out for me?
No. Use the operator account panel. For a longer stop, use self-exclusion and the provincial or UKGC scheme that applies.