An online fraud attempt targeting Winnipeg’s Club Regent Casino was recently thwarted by the province’s gambling regulator.
Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries released a statement on Monday warning the public of deceptive advertising impersonating the largest of the Manitoba casinos. The ads, which were circulating on Meta (formerly known as Facebook), contained imagery for a supposed Club Regent online gaming app.
The statement read:
“Club Regent Casino (as well as McPhillips Station Casino) does not offer a mobile app or online gaming,” the crown corporation said. “Do not click on any of the links provided in these ads or provide any personal or credit card information.”
For now, MBLL’s PlayNow is the only safe and legal online wagering option available in The Keystone Province.
MBLL urges Manitobans to follow its lead, report fraudulent posts
As part of its concerted player protection efforts, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries says it’s moving diligently to report the string of unsavoury posts to Meta. The company did, however, acknowledge that despite its efforts the banners continue to circulate.
In an effort to help curb the outreach of the illicit ads, MBLL called upon members of the public to follow its lead.
“We encourage Manitobans who encounter the fraudulent posts to also block and report,” the company said.
The crown corporation says it first became aware of the spurious scam last week.
Similar swindle targeted pair of Maritimes casinos last November
Casino Nova Scotia and Casino New Brunswick were also the targets of an eerily similar social media scam last November. There, a series of posts featuring co-opted imagery and logos from the Nova Scotia gambling and New Brunswick gambling facilities were circulating on Facebook and Instagram.
The posts included unauthorized photos of the casinos, along with debit and credit card icons. What’s more, they also displayed a “sponsored” label as part of the rouse targeting users’ personal and banking information.
Great Canadian Entertainment, the operator of both facilities, confirmed the hoax in a statement to CTV News Atlantic. The gambling and hospitality giant keeps stock of such incidents through the scam alerts page on its website.
While MBLL doesn’t operate a scam alerts page of its own, the gambling authority will notify the public of these matters via a news release found under the “Media Centre” tab on its official web page.
