A Toronto couple has been charged with child abandonment after a three-year-old and a five-year-old were found in a van parked outside a casino while their parents gambled inside.

Durham Regional Police say the young children were found on Tuesday sleeping in the unlocked van outside Great Blue Heron Casino in Port Perry, Ont., located about 90 kilometres north-east of Toronto.

Police said the children were alone in the van for about 30 minutes before their parents could be located.

The children were cold, as the temperature hovered around the freezing mark, but police said they didn't require any medical attention.

The children have since been placed into the custody of the Children's Aid Society.

A 58-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman have both been charged with two counts of child abandonment. Their names are being withheld to protect the identities of the children.

The couple was held for a bail hearing.