When Ontario’s gambling regulator moved to ban athletes and other celebrities from appearing in ads for online operators, the bet among many in the industry was that would be the end of the likes of Connor McDavid and Wayne Gretzky appearing in ads in Canada.
Not so, as it turns out.
It’s all part of PlayCanada’s roundup of some of the biggest online gambling stories in Canada for the week of March 4 – 8, 2024:
The Alcohol and Gaming Corporation of Ontario’s new rules — which went into effect on Feb. 28 — do allow operators to use athletes and celebrities if those famous folks are promoting responsible gambling in Canada. That explains the new BetMGM spot starring McDavid that dropped Friday.
In a press release, BetMGM said, “the spot will air on television outlets in the US and Canada, as well as on various digital platforms, highlighting the comprehensive range of responsible gaming resources available to users of the BetMGM app.”
Kudos to BetMGM, but isn’t this an end-around?
First, kudos to BetMGM for ponying up what one assumes isn’t chump change for McDavid’s services for a strong responsible gambling message.
Yet, therein lies the root of many prognostications. The theory was no operator would pay a celebrity to advocate for responsible gambling. I guess those people were very wrong about that.
It’s a bold move by BetMGM. But, there’s no doubt the campaign does provide kind of an end-around the AGCO’s desire to end the use of celebrities ostensibly to protect minors.
Isn’t McDavid still, in effect, promoting BetMGM here?
The AGCO also famously banned operators from the start from advertising the bonuses they offer.
That and this ban on celebrities in ads are two major examples that the AGCO is extremely well-intentioned, but its execution is so-so and the end result is less than perfect.
Though, points for the effort.
BetRivers bullish on Ontario
Ontario is home to one of the most competitive online gambling sectors in the world. There are more than 50 live operators offering more than 70 different gambling site.
Still, Rush Street Interactive, the parent company of BetRivers Ontario, is bullish on the province.
During its fourth quarter earnings call this week, RSI CEO Richard Schwartz said:
“In Ontario, we continued to have great success with the year over-year-growth of 50%.”
A pdf summarizing RSI Q4 results said the operator had better online casino results in Ontario than in neighbouring Michigan, where BetRivers also operates an online casino.
RSI said its Total Assessable Market among Ontario online casinos is $1.8 billion compared to $1.6 billion in Michigan, $1.9 billion in New Jersey and $2.4 billion in Pennsylvania.
Another scam using a fake ad for a nonexistent online casino – this time in BC
Another week, another online casino scam. This time, residents of British Columbia are being targeted with fake social media ads for non-existent online casinos purportedly connected to retail casinos in the province.
The ads found on Facebook and Instagram are phishing for people to provide their banking information to sign up for fake online casinos.
PlayCanada has previously reported that consumers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Ontario have been targeted with similar fake-ad scams.
How can consumers stay safe? First, it’s important to know that in the case of all provinces except Ontario, the only safe, legal online casino option is the one operated by the provincial lottery corporation. They are as follows:
- British Columbia gambling – PlayNow.com (operated by the BC Lottery Corporation)
- Alberta gambling – PlayAlberta.ca (operated by Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis)
- Saskatchewan gambling – PlayNow.com (operated by the BC Lottery Corporation)
- Manitoba gambling – PlayNow.com (operated by the BC Lottery Corporation)
- Quebec gambling – Espacejeux (operated by Loto-Québec)
- Nova Scotia gambling – ALC.ca (operated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation)
- New Brunswick gambling – ALC.ca (operated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation)
- Newfoundland gambling – ALC.ca (operated by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation)
- Prince Edward Island gambling – no legal online casinos
In terms of Ontario, spotting a scam is a little trickier. Ontario is the only province that has legal online casinos beyond the one run by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
But PlayCanada previously published a primer on how to spot an illegal online casino and prevent yourself from being scammed.
