Fake ads, either for unregulated or completely phony gambling sites, continue to proliferate in Canada and further attempt to confuse consumers about which sites are regulated and which are not.
The latest, as reported by the Edmonton Journal, involves a deep-fake AI video posted on Instagram purportedly showing the father of Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies with a vault full of cash said to be the father’s winnings from an online casino.
If the ad is clicked on, it takes the user to Oxibet, a site based in the African island nation of Comoros. Oxibet is not regulated in Canada.
Davies’ agent, Nedal Huoseh, told the Journal that the ad was “lies” and the family does not gamble.
It’s the latest escalation in fake ads that have long been found on social media platforms. Since Ontario launched a regulated online gambling market in 2022, social media ads for fake online casinos taking their names from real retail casinos have been commonplace. For example, ads for a fake Woodbine online casino are regularly seen to this day. Not only is there no regulated Woodbine online casino among iGaming Ontario’s (iGO) list of 84 regulated sites, there isn’t even a retail casino named Woodbine anymore. The casino connected to Woodbine Racetrack is called the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto.
But, unless you’re very familiar with the official name of the retail casino, have consulted iGO’s list of regulated sites, or are careful to look for the iGO logo on the platforms that are regulated and legal, you wouldn’t know that.
Still plenty of other fake ads have promoted phony online casinos named properly after real retail casino properties. In the past, we’ve seen ads for online casinos named for Casino New Brunswick or the River Rock Casino in British Columbia. Trouble is, online casinos are not regulated in either province outside of the provincially-run lottery corporation option.
That’s not the only problem. Ads for real, yet unregulated, gambling platforms continue to be seen on more traditional broadcast platforms.
As GNC reported last week, Ozoon advertises heavily on NFL broadcasts in Canada. Ozoon is the rebranded name for unregulated site Bodog – a platform that is completely banned in Manitoba.
All of these fake ads or ads for unregulated sites are obviously trying to profit from the ill-informed consumer.
Here’s where the province’s gambling regulators need to do much more in terms of educating consumers about how to protect themselves.
Also, platforms such as Meta and even mainstream broadcasters should do much better in terms of policing the content they display. But sadly, it’s too much to hope they will do that or say no to the money from such ads. (Gaming News Canada has reached out to Meta for comment via email on several occasions over the past year but is still waiting for a reply.)
Instead, this needs to start with threatening cease-and-desist legal letters from each province’s Ministry of the Attorney General to the platforms and broadcasters that allow fake ads for phony gambling sites that attempt to defraud Canadians.
It wouldn’t hurt to also send similar letters to those legal broadcasters and social media platforms that accept ads from unregulated sites and ask them not to accept them going forward.
Such legal letters from numerous state regulators to offshore site Bovada worked surprisingly well in getting that unregulated platform to stop taking bets from U.S. citizens a few years ago. Even though Bovada was under no legal obligation to comply, the company must have calculated it could cost them more to tangle with powerful state governments than they would lose from ceasing to take bets from Americans.
Yes, laws are different in Canada, but it wouldn’t hurt to also fire off some letters to the largest offshore operators, as well, to tell them to stop taking money from Canadians.
Then the AGs need to publicly release those letters to let consumers know they are taking action and naming the unregulated platforms citizens should avoid.
Action from the AGs is of particular urgency in Ontario and Alberta where one of the main reasons to have a regulated market is to better protect consumers. If nothing is done, expect ads for fake or unregulated casinos to mushroom from here, threatening the entire foundation of the regulated market.
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Reading and reaction to new study on emergency department visits for gambling disorders
To borrow a phrase from sports parlance, there’s a need to “read and react” when it comes to government regulation.
In our many conversations with gambling experts and stakeholders over the past 55 or so months we’ve delivered this newsletter almost every week, an important virtue of a regulated industry is having the power to make changes in the name of consumer protection. We bring up the topic given the release last week of a new study by researchers at the University of Toronto - with the findings released in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine - into emergency department visits since the launch of Ontario’s regulated sports betting and igaming market in April 2022.
The researchers dug into emergency department visits for gambling disorders among Ontarians 10-105 years of age before and after the opening of the Ontario market. During the 14-year study period, 750 Ontarians made a total of 952 ED visits in which a gambling disorder was either the main or a contributing reason recorded for the trip. Close to 75 per cent of those 750 people were male.
At the end of the study, the number of visits was 154 per cent higher than expected among males 10-29. . . and 116 per cent higher than expected among males 30-44. The study also unveiled 70 per cent of ED visits for a gambling disorder involved another mental health condition or substance use.
Thanks to the graphics team at The Globe and Mail for this information in a screenshot.
Gaming News Canada received statements from our requests to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, OLG and the Alberta iGaming Corporation about the study. Responsible Gambling Council CEO Sarah McCarthy spoke with us yesterday afternoon.
“These studies are extremely useful to the work we do at RGC,” McCarthy said. “(It) tells us where the harm is. Right now now it’s pointing to young men and that matches with our research.
“We’re focused in the right direction and able to develop programs for the right population.”
McCarthy told GNC the RGC’s campus tours of Ontario colleges and universities to provide education on responsible gambling have had more than 2,000 student activations in September.
“The response has been very supportive,” she said. “Students want to understand the risks (of gambling).”
From the office of Zee Hamid, the new Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming:
Ontario has some of the strictest guidelines and restrictions for online gaming operators advertising in the country, and we continue to take action, working with our partners to strengthen responsible gaming while protecting players across the province. Since 2018, our government has invested $421 million, including $70.1 million over the last year, to support responsible gambling public education and awareness programs, and research, as well as gambling addiction treatment.
We have also made changes to the Registrar’s Standards for iGaming, which banned the use of celebrities and/or athletes for promotional and marketing activities, with the exception of promoting responsible gaming practices and, this year iGaming Ontario has unveiled BetGuard, the new centralized self-exclusion system, which allows players to opt out of all regulated online gaming sites through one streamlined registration process in Ontario.
OLG communications boss Tony Bitonti emailed us this statement:
OLG remains committed to creating a safer gambling environment that supports players with education, resources and tools; builds trust; and reinforces our role as a socially responsible operator. We invest significantly in this critical work.
This study reinforces the importance of addressing gambling-related harm and continuing to strengthen protections for players.
Some of the ways we are improving player protections are by building on our use of player data with practical measures that support healthy play, including targeted interventions during play, proactive outreach from dedicated specialists, and additional safeguards for younger players.
In addition, OLG continues to work closely with iGaming Ontario (iGO) and the AGCO on supporting the new Centralized Self Exclusion program (BetGuard) in the province. We will continue to evolve our approach as the evidence and gambling environment change.
OLG will continue to lead with integrity with a focus on player health.
And from the AiGC communications team:
Gambling can be fun, but it can also cause harm—and we take this very seriously. Studies such as these are important in helping us understand how we can further strengthen responsible gambling supports, measures, guidelines, and harm reduction efforts within Alberta’s newly regulated iGaming market.
Viva Las Vegas. . . and Lisbon
Next week is one of the rather large variety for the gambling industry, which will see its people and marketing budgets split between the SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon and the Global Gaming Expo in the home of the Golden Knights, Aces and Raiders.
Your resident editor-in-chief is blowing the dust off our sport coats and long trousers to take GNC on the road to Vegas for G2E. Yes, there will be some Canadian content over the expo’s three days. That includes a poolside chat (well, given it’s expected to be 35C in Vegas, it should be. . . ) with BetMGM head honcho Adam Greenblatt and Hockey Hall of Famer/broadcaster/BetMGM ambassador/Dustin Johnson’s dad-in-law Wayne Gretzky among the speakers on Tuesday morning (9 a.m. local time, Venetian Ballroom F).
First thing Monday morning, a “Regulatory Priorities and Enforcement Trends in Gaming and Sports Betting” panel has AGCO grand poobah Dr. Karin Schnarr and AGLC chief regulatory officer Dave Berry among the chatting class. Kacey Pambrun, the marketing director for the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority will join Environics Analytics VP Sophie Marai for a conversation on “From Casino Floor to Online Play: Using Data to Understand and Unlock Omnichannel Growth”. Pollard BankNote co-CEO Douglas Pollard will appear on stage with Arizona Lottery CEO Alec Thomson for “A Great Digital Lottery is a Great Retail Lottery” chat.
Mid-afternoon Tuesday, Alberta minister Dale Nally and AiGC general counsel Steve Inglis will join FanDuel senior VP Cory Fox and GeoComply veep Elizabeth Cronan to discuss “Canada’s iGaming Market: Navigating Fragmentation, Compliance, and the Road to Scale”.
On Wednesday, Responsible Gambling Council CEO Sarah McCarthy will be among the panelists to talk about “From Sports Fan to Sports Bettor: Evolving Responsible Gaming for Today’s Sports Bettor”. Ilkim Hincer, the president of Canadian operations and managing director of IC360’s global advisory strategy, will participate in the SeventySix Capital Sports Leadership Show: AI + Gaming panel.
While we see no specific references to prediction markets on the list of panels for the three days of G2E, we’d be willing to bet a Swiss franc or two on PMs being mentioned more than the number 99 Gretzky wore on his jersey.
Across the ponds in Lisbon, Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns will be on stage with PointsBet casino boss Brooke Hilton, legal beagle Ron Segev and Snap Call Media head honcho Matthew Showell for a “Canada: Province by Province Progress” discussion next Tuesday. The next day, Burns will join Dario Evangelista (Betsson Group), Regulus Partners. . .er. . . partner Dan Waugh and Steve Hoare (Player Protection Hub) on the “Who Pays for the Evidence? Rethinking Gambling Research Funding” panel. McCarthy Tetrault senior counsel Danielle Bush is moderating a panel titled “Cross-Platform Consistency: Designing Seamless Mobile, Web & App Experiences”. And Canadian gaming industry vet Jesse Learmonth will hold the moderator’s mic for an Investor Office Hours session.
While we’re here, we’ll make our pitch (again) to conference organizers about panel sizes (full disclosure, we’re a media partner of SBC). Too many speakers and not enough time for all of them to share their wisdom and experiences across the gaming industry.
Gaming News Canada will do our best to keep up with the news that matters most to our loyal followers via our X account and in the newsletter over the next couple of weeks.
People on the Move
Some changes at the top of ComeOn Group with Alex Woodhams coming on board as Chief Product Officer, Sara Nunes appointed General Manager for Finland, Kristoffer Ottosson as Director of IT Operations and Sherwin Jarvand is promoted to Chief Operating Officer.
Nikos Konstakis is replacing Jordan Levin as CEO at OpenBet. Levin will move into the Chair’s role at year end.
Marco Stotani returns to GeoComply from paternity leave and has a new business card as Chief Financial Officer.
Interblock Gaming appoints Cathryn Lai as Chief Product Officer.
Jean Venneman is retiring at the end of 2026 from IGT and her position as Chief Studios Officer. Jamie Knight will assume the CSO role on Jan. 1, 2027.
Muthu Palanichamy is named Senior VP and GM of Global Systems for Light & Wonder.
Kristina Garratt Mulligan is promoted to Chief Legal Officer at ARRISE.
Martin Zetterlund is appointed interim Chief Technology Officer at Catena Media.
After almost six years, Andrew Gradwell leaves FanDuel to become Senior Vice President of Interactive Capabilities of Aristocrat Interactive.
Nicole Sullivan joins Sportradar as Vice President, Global Litigation.
Justin Nesci has a new post at Genius Sports as Group Vice President, Advertiser Solutions.
Clare Acin is named Vice President, Global Internal Communications at Aristocrat.
Dan Whitlam is appointed Head of Compliance at Merkur Casino UK.
Ahmed Sidky leaves Riot Games and his Head of Business Agility role.
Landon Stanfield is named Head of Product Management at IGT.
Ex-DraftKings exec Dan Iannetta joins Sentinent Jet as Vice President of Client Acquisition & Head of Marketing.
Jason Orr is appointed Senior Director of Analytics at Hard Rock Digital. Scott Smith has a new position as Team Lead – Sportsbook Planning.
Anthony Ladislaus departs Entain and joins Midnite as General Manager.
Andy Anderson leaves BCLC and joins the Western Canada Lottery Corporation as Director, Retail Experience & Performance.
Jamie Costello resigns as Director Programs at the U.S. National Council on Problem Gambling.
Mitchell Harrison is appointed Sales Director at Altenar.
Matt Deutsch is among the casualties in a round of job cuts at VSiN, leaving his position as Manager of Sports Programming.
Griffin Carroll is promoted to Internal Communications Manager at BetMGM.
Pencho Vlaskovski has a new gig at Push Gaming as a Go-To-Market Lead.
Former Paysafe PR guru Nick Say joins Amazon Web Services as PR Manager, Canada.
Classified (Jobs) Information
On the Home Front
The Alberta iGaming Corporation is seeking a Senior Developer/DevOps Engineer, a Planning & Reporting Advisor, a Data Engineer, an Account Manager, Stakeholder Engagement and a Legal Counsel.
There’s an opportunity at iGaming Ontario for a Senior Procurement Advisor.
Pinnacle has an opening for a Senior Accountant and a Senior Software Engineer at its North York, ON, offices.
ConnexOntario has an opportunity for a System Navigation and Information Specialist – Relief.
There’s an opening at CP24/CTV Toronto for a Producer.
On the South Side of Lake Ontario
Good gig alert: Aristocrat is in seek-and-employ mode for a Vice President, Global External Communications.
DraftKings is on the lookout for a Senior Data Science Engineering Manager, Marketing.
BetMGM is searching for a Senior Commercial Manager, Sportsbook.
Hard Rock Digital has a remote opening for a Customer Manager – Quality & Insights and a Sports Owner.
MGM International is looking for a Senior Manager, Responsible Gaming and a Senior Manager, Campaign Strategy.
FairPlay Sports Media has an opportunity in New York for an Organic Performance Manager.
Fanatics wants to find a Manager, Control Design & Assurance.
Genius Sports is searching for a Customer Success Manager – Sportsbook.
Xtremepush has a remote opportunity for an Account Manager.
SciPlay is in the market for a Monetization Analyst.
In Jersey City, JPMorganChase is hiring a Compliance Risk Management Lead – Vice President.
Wanted at FloSports: a Vice President, Global Content Acquisition & Market Growth.
Across the Ponds
In Chiswick, England, Light & Wonder – iGaming is hiring a Head of Partnerships (Aggregation).
Push Gaming has a plethora of job postings these days.
In Sliema, LeoVegas Group is on the hunt for an Operational Excellence & Enablement Manager.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency is on the lookout for a Paralegal and Case Manager.
Reading and Reflecting
Erica Alini, The Globe and Mail’s personal economics reporter, wrote last week on educating her 10-year-old son about betting online and included a link to an online survey about sports betting and its impact.
Speaking of Canada’s national newspaper, a good chunk of its Monday Morning Halfback back-and-forth between sports editor Jamie Ross and columnist Cathal Kelly dwelled on the Sydney Sweeney ad and .sports betting
Reporting from Covers guy Geoff Zochodne that Pinnacle is seeing a spike in “unauthorized use” of its data at the same time it’s being bombarded with requests for partnerships involving said data.
OLG, Wauzhushk Onigum Nation and Gateway Casinos are getting together to build a new casino in Kenora.
Gaming Corps is getting together with Loto-Québec.
There’s a Camp Kevin (Costner) of sorts being organized by the actor, reports Jill Dorson, to bring together prediction market operators, gaming operators and tribes for constructive conversations.
A New York Times investigation examined DraftKings’ use of artificial intelligence to “target” bettors likely to lose.
A CBS News report last weekend on sports betting apps taking a “growing financial toll” on Americans faced some flak for the reporting around the dollars spent/lost on wagering.
Hard Rock International responsible gaming guru Paul Pellizzari crafted an op-ed for GGB Magazine on the power of people in helping problem gamblers.
Brett Smiley explained why the U.S. Supreme Court isn’t the place to decide the future of prediction markets.
Good reading from Chad Millman of The Athletic on the increasing popularity of prediction markets and some insight into their most committed customers.
The owner of the Utah Mammoth and Jazz told Front Office Sports scribe Ben Horney that pro sports leagues need to take a leadership role in making betting safer for consumers.
Dan Horn of the Cincinnati Inquirer wrote about his experiences as an online sports bettor over a two-month period.
A survey by U.S. News of 1,200 Americans who placed a sports bet over the past 12 months included 51 per cent of respondents saying they placed a wager to help pay their bills.
Brant James of Gambling Insider reported on increasing customer dissatisfaction with gambling apps being linked to a lack of bonuses.
Eilers & Krejcik Gaming senior analyst Bradley Allen believes sportsbooks trump prediction markets when it comes to NFL betting.
The co-founder and former boss of Paddy Power believes there should be larger taxes placed on online gaming and casinos companies.
Speaking of which, approximately $595 million (Amarican dollars) were wagered with New York sportsbooks on Week 1 of the NFL schedule.
Scoopage from Ryan Glasspiegel and Ben Horney at Front Office Sports on the amount of money LeBron James is getting from Polymarket to be ye olde brand ambassador.
Robert Linnehan and Co. at Sports Betting Dime asked readers why Americans in states with legal sports betting use prediction markets.
There’s data from the folks at GBG Plc on the interest in betting and fantasy for the start of the NFL regular season.
Speaking of fantasy football, the aforementioned Zochodne wrote that it’s still a popular pastime across the U.S. of A.
Speaking of four-down football, Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football broadcast includes a bet tracking experience courtesy of FanDuel.
As Todd Shriber chronicled for Casino.org, the NFL is saying no to advertising by prediction markets on league broadcasts, player endorsement deals and in stadiums.
Reporting by Katherine Long, Caitlin Ostroff and Neil Mehta at the Wall Street Journal reveals that Polymarket’s hasty expansion strategy was a batting practice fastball for fraudsters.
Wired journalist Kate Phibbs suggests prediction markets are a “new form of media”.
The former compliance director at Resorts World Las Vegas has filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired for being a whistleblower on money laundering and other suspicious activity.
Crypto.com and Robinhood have joined the legal fight for regulation of prediction markets to be under the CFTC’s jurisdiction.
What’s happening in the fight against illegal gambling, Illinois style, courtesy of The Chicagoland Journal.
The Tunica Biloxi Tribe in Louisiana is partnering with Kalshi for a prediction markets presence. Steve Ruddock, in his Straight to the Point newsletter, believes that’s not a wise course of action on the tribe’s part.
Jeff Edelstein, writing for InGame, spoke with the author of the Erotic History of Advertising on the controversial ad with Sydney Sweeney and Novig.
Now open for business: the PokerStars Network.
A House of Lords committee in the UK is calling for a total ban on gambling advertising.
Legend and Genius Sports have launched “the home of prediction markets”.
There may be a money-laundering problem with California cardrooms.
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