Gambling Ad Rules in Canada: Who Regulates Them

If you’ve wondered why the athletes disappeared from Ontario betting ads, why you never see a “free bet” offer on Ontario TV, or whether Ottawa is about to ban betting ads altogether, this guide answers those questions. We set out who writes the rules, what the rules say, where a federal ban actually stands, and how to complain about an ad that crosses the line. The rules below are quoted or closely paraphrased from the regulator, Parliament or Ad Standards, with sources listed. This page does not promote or link to any gambling site.

Status as of September 30, 2026

Level	Who sets the rules	What is in force	Status
Ontario	Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)	Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, 2.03 to 2.07 (athlete ban, restrictions on celebrities who appeal to minors, no publicly advertised bonuses)	In force. Athlete ban since February 28, 2024
Alberta	Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC)	Alberta iGaming Corporation logo on approved operators’ ads, responsible gambling message including 211 Alberta, limits on athletes	Apply to registered operators in the regulated market that opened July 13, 2026 (AiGC launch release)
Federal	Parliament	Bill S-211, National Framework on Sports Betting Advertising Act	Passed the Senate; passed second reading in the House of Commons on April 22, 2026; at committee (no committee activity recorded yet). Not law
Industry	Canadian Gaming Association code, administered by Ad Standards	Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising (2025)	Voluntary; applies to CGA members and other signatories

Who regulates gambling ads in Canada?

Several bodies are involved, and they cover different things.

• Provincial gaming regulators set advertising rules as a condition of registration. In Ontario that is the AGCO; in Alberta it is AGLC. Their rules bind the operators they register.
• Parliament has not passed a national gambling-advertising law. Bill S-211 would require one to be designed (see below).
• Ad Standards, the advertising industry’s self-regulatory body, takes public complaints under the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards and, since 2025, under the Canadian Gaming Association’s Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising.
• The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) oversees broadcasting. Neither the AGCO nor AGLC controls ad volume. AGLC directs concerns about the frequency or placement of ads to the CRTC; the AGCO lists the CRTC and Ad Standards as resources after saying it does not manage ad frequency or volume.

That last point explains a common frustration. The AGCO says its oversight “does not include managing the frequency or volumes of advertisements in Ontario’s advertising space.” AGLC says it “does not control how often gambling ads appear or how much advertising operators or media providers run.” Provincial rules govern what an ad says and who appears in it, not how many ads you see.

Ontario: the AGCO’s advertising standards

Ontario’s rules are in the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, which apply to every operator registered with the AGCO. Standards 2.03 to 2.07 cover marketing and advertising.

The athlete and celebrity restrictions

On August 29, 2023, the AGCO announced it had updated the standards “to prohibit the use of athletes in internet gaming (igaming) advertising and marketing in Ontario.” The change came into effect on February 28, 2024. The AGCO said it followed consultations in April 2023 and that it had identified ads using athletes, and celebrities with an appeal to minors, “as a potential harm to those under the legal gaming age.”

In the version on the AGCO’s page (last updated May 14, 2026), Standard 2.03 says advertising, marketing materials and communications must not:

• “Use active or retired athletes, who have an agreement or arrangement made directly or indirectly between an athlete and an operator or gaming-related supplier, in advertising and marketing except for the exclusive purpose of advocating for responsible gambling practices.”
• “Use or contain cartoon figures, symbols, role models, social media influencers, celebrities, or entertainers who would likely be expected to appeal to minors.”

Two separate things changed in 2024:

• Celebrities and influencers: according to the AGCO’s August 2023 announcement, the test moved from content with a “primary appeal to minors” to people who “would likely be expected to appeal to minors”, a broader standard.
• Athletes: the athlete clause is a separate rule with its own exception. An athlete with an operator or supplier deal can appear only “for the exclusive purpose of advocating for responsible gambling practices”, not in an ad that sells betting.

Other things Ontario ads can’t do

Standard 2.03 also says ads must not appear on billboards or outdoor displays “directly adjacent to schools or other primarily youth-oriented locations”, must not use people who are or appear to be minors, and must not appear in media “directed primarily to minors”.

Standard 2.04 requires marketing to be truthful. Among other things, ads must not:

• present gambling as “an alternative to employment, as a financial investment, or as a requirement for financial security”;
• “encourage play as a means of recovering past gaming or other financial losses”;
• imply that the chances of winning increase the longer you play or the more you spend (our paraphrase);
• suggest gambling can be “an escape from personal or professional problems”;
• offer a product or promotion “that is not reasonably attainable without incurring substantial losses.”

No publicly advertised bonuses

Standard 2.05 prohibits advertising that communicates “gambling inducements, bonuses and credits”, except on the operator’s own gaming site and through direct marketing sent after the player actively consents. The AGCO’s guidance says this “prohibits all public advertising, including targeted advertising and algorithm-based ads.” Operators can still offer bonuses; they just can’t advertise them to the public.

In paraphrase: Standard 2.06 says a bonus can’t be called “free” if you have to risk your own money, and can’t be called “risk-free” if you need to incur a loss to use or withdraw the winnings. Standard 2.07 requires an opt-in for bonus marketing by email, text, phone or social-media message, and a way to withdraw that consent at any time.

How the AGCO enforces these rules

The AGCO’s two advertising-related penalties to date, both in 2025, show the standards being applied:

Date	Operator	Penalty	What the AGCO alleged
March 26, 2025	BetMGM Canada Inc.	$110,000	Alleged that BetMGM and/or its affiliates, through marketing companies it hired, offered members of the public cash to open new accounts in 2024 (the AGCO release describes episodes on January 13-14 and April 13, 2024), in breach of Standard 2.05 and the operator’s duty for its third parties (Standard 1.19)
June 16, 2025	Well Played Media, Unipessoal LDA (Casino Days)	$54,000	Alleged deceptive “welcome bonus” of up to $2,000: players had to deposit $2,000, wager $70,000 within 7 days at $5 or less per bet. The AGCO calculated the average player would first lose $3,640

Operators can appeal an AGCO monetary penalty to the Licence Appeal Tribunal. Our regulator fines tracker lists AGCO monetary penalties against operators since October 2024, each linked to the AGCO notice.

Alberta: the AiGC logo and 211 Alberta

Alberta’s regulated online market opened on July 13, 2026, according to the Alberta iGaming Corporation’s launch release. AGLC says that from that date “all operators must be registered with AGLC and have signed a commercial agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporat[ion] (AiGC).” AGLC sets out three advertising points on its iGaming page:

• Look for the logo. “The Alberta iGaming Corporation logo will be easily identifiable on advertising material for approved operators.”
• Responsible gambling messaging. “A required component of the advertising is that operators must have references to responsible gambling information, including 211 Alberta.”
• Athletes and people who appeal to minors. “Unless promoting the platform’s responsible gambling features, operators are not permitted to use athletes or persons who appeal to minors to endorse their product.”

AGLC says it regulates the content of gambling advertising “including standards related to responsible gambling, player protection and safeguards for vulnerable individuals and groups.”

In practice: if you are in Alberta and see an online gambling ad without the Alberta iGaming Corporation logo and a 211 Alberta reference, that is a sign it may not come from an approved operator. Our Alberta legal guide explains the rest of the regime.

Federal: is a sports-betting ad ban coming?

Not yet, and the bill before Parliament would not ban ads by itself.

Bill S-211, the National Framework on Sports Betting Advertising Act, is a Senate public bill sponsored by Senator Marty Deacon. According to LEGISinfo, Parliament’s bill tracker:

Stage	Date
Senate first reading	May 28, 2025
Senate second reading (sent to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications)	June 12, 2025
Senate committee report, without amendment	October 8, 2025
Senate third reading (passed the Senate)	October 21, 2025
House of Commons first reading	November 5, 2025
House second reading, sent to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (recorded vote 291 to 28)	April 22, 2026
House committee study, report stage, third reading, royal assent	Not yet reached. LEGISinfo shows “No activity” at committee as of September 30, 2026

What the bill would do. As passed by the Senate, S-211 would require the Minister of Canadian Heritage to develop a national framework that identifies measures to regulate sports betting advertising, “with a view to restricting the use of such advertising, limiting the number, scope or location … of the advertisements or to limiting or banning the participation of celebrities and athletes in the promotion of sports betting.” The framework must also set national standards for preventing and diagnosing harmful gambling.

The Minister would have to consult provinces, provincial gaming regulators, health and Indigenous organizations and the advertising and gambling industries, then prepare a report setting out the framework and an implementation strategy within one year of the Act coming into force (s.4(1)). The report must be tabled in each House within 15 sitting days of its completion (s.4(2)) and published on the Canadian Heritage website within 10 days of tabling (s.4(3)). A follow-up report on implementation is due within five years (s.5). The CRTC would have to review its own regulations and policies and report to the Minister within one year of royal assent.

So even if S-211 becomes law, it sets out a process and deadlines, not an immediate ban. Any actual restrictions would come later, through the framework and whatever measures follow from it.

This is the second attempt. In the previous Parliament, Senator Deacon’s Bill S-269, with the same purpose, passed the Senate on November 5, 2024. LEGISinfo shows it was still awaiting first reading in the House of Commons when the 44th Parliament’s first session ended on January 6, 2025, so the bill died.

Don’t confuse the two S-211s. Bill numbers are reused in each Parliament. The S-211 of the previous (44th) Parliament was the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, which received royal assent. The sports-betting S-211 belongs to the current 45th Parliament.

The industry’s voluntary code

In 2025 the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), a national trade association for gaming operators and suppliers, developed a Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising. Ad Standards administers it. According to Ad Standards, the code applies to gambling advertising “communicated to Canadians in any medium by CGA members and any other signatories”, does not replace federal or provincial law, and is “a voluntary commitment by the gaming industry to uphold standards that are at least as high as those mandated by law.”

The code is voluntary: it applies to CGA members and other signatories.

How to complain about a gambling ad

1. Ontario: the AGCO. If the ad comes from a regulated Ontario operator, submit a complaint through iAGCO from the AGCO’s internet gaming complaints page. For disputes about your account, you normally have to go through the operator’s own process first. The AGCO makes an exception for advertising, responsible gaming and suspected illegal activity: enter zero in the “Complaint/Dispute Reference Number” field. The AGCO says an initial review takes about 2 business days and a compliance review up to 5 weeks, while a complex compliance review can take 3 to 6 months or more. If it finds a breach, it can issue warnings, suspensions or monetary penalties.

2. Alberta: AGLC. AGLC says: “If your concern is about the content of a specific gambling ad, you can submit it to AGLC for review.” Use the contact options on aglc.ca/igaming.

3. Too many ads: the CRTC. AGLC says concerns about the frequency or placement of ads belong with the CRTC, which oversees broadcasting. The AGCO, which says it does not manage ad frequency or volume, lists the CRTC and Ad Standards as resources.

4. Anywhere in Canada: Ad Standards. Ad Standards reviews complaints about gambling ads under both the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards and the CGA code. Complaints must be in writing. It doesn’t take them by phone, and it encourages its online complaint form. Include the advertiser, the product, where and when you saw or heard the ad (station, date and time for broadcast), and a brief description. Know what gets shared: under the CGA code procedure, Ad Standards says a complaint “will be forwarded verbatim to the advertiser”, and your identity can be included if you consent. Keep the complaint confidential yourself: Ad Standards says it can’t proceed with a complaint if the complainant doesn’t. If a complaint is upheld, the advertiser is asked to amend or withdraw the ad.

Tip: take a screenshot or note the date, time and channel as soon as you see the ad. Every complaint route above asks for those details.

What changed recently

• April 22, 2026: The House of Commons passed Bill S-211 at second reading, 291 to 28, and sent it to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
• July 13, 2026: Alberta’s regulated online market opened (AiGC launch release). AGLC’s advertising rules (AiGC logo, 211 Alberta messaging, athlete limits) apply to the operators it registers.

If gambling ads are a problem for you

If ads are pulling you back in, you can block regulated sites and get free, confidential help.

• Self-exclude in Ontario: BetGuard lets you opt out of regulated online gambling in Ontario. Under AGCO Standard 2.03, ads must not target self-excluded people.
• Self-exclude in Alberta: AGLC’s centralized Self-Exclusion Program lets you exclude yourself from all registered iGaming platforms, land-based casinos and racing entertainment centres, or both. Details are on aglc.ca/igaming.
• Stop bonus marketing: in Ontario, you can withdraw your consent to direct bonus marketing at any time (Standard 2.07). The AGCO also suggests unsubscribing and blocking the sender.

Province / territory	Help line	Hours
Ontario	ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600, or text CONNEX to 247247	24/7
Quebec	Jeu : aide et référence: 1-800-461-0140 (Montréal area 514-527-0140)	24/7
British Columbia	Gambling Support BC: 1-888-795-6111	24/7
Alberta	211 Alberta: dial 211 or text INFO to 211 · Addiction Helpline: 1-866-332-2322	24/7
Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-306-6789	24 hours
Manitoba	Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-463-1554	24/7
New Brunswick	Addiction and mental health helpline: 1-866-355-5550	24/7
Nova Scotia	Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line: 1-888-429-8167	24/7
Prince Edward Island	PEI Gambling Support Line: 1-855-255-4255	24/7
Newfoundland and Labrador	Gambling Help Line: 811	24 hours
Yukon	CMHA Yukon Reach Out Support Line: 1-844-533-3030	2 to 10 p.m.
Northwest Territories	811 Mental Health and Wellness Support Line: dial 811 and press 1, or 1-844-259-1793	24/7
Nunavut	Kamatsiaqtut Help Line: 1-800-265-3333 (Iqaluit 979-3333)	24/7
Anywhere in Canada, in crisis	Suicide Crisis Helpline: 988	24/7

Every number above is checked against its official source in our help lines guide, which also covers services for families and debt advice.

To block yourself in other provinces, see our self-exclusion guide by province.

For more on which sites are legal where you live, see our guides to online gambling in Ontario and offshore gambling sites in Canada.

This guide explains published rules and the status of legislation. It is not legal advice. We don’t link to or recommend any gambling site. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.