What rules apply to online gambling ads in Ontario, and what do they mean for placements?
Part of US and Canada targeting
The short answer
Online gambling ads in Ontario follow the AGCO's Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming. Since February 28, 2024, operators may not use athletes except to advocate responsible gambling, or celebrities and influencers likely to appeal to minors. Ads must not appear in media directed primarily to minors, and bonuses may not be advertised publicly.
Key takeaways
- The Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming came into force on April 4, 2022, when Ontario's regulated igaming market launched.
- The AGCO announced the athlete restriction on August 29, 2023, and it took effect February 28, 2024.
- Standard 2.03 bars gambling ads in media directed primarily to minors or where most of the audience is reasonably expected to be minors.
- Standard 2.05 prohibits public advertising of inducements, bonuses and credits, including targeted and algorithm-based ads.
- Operators answer for the affiliates and other third parties that advertise for them.
What rules apply to online gambling ads in Ontario?
Ontario regulates online gambling advertising through the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming (opens in a new tab), set by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario under the Gaming Control Act, 1992. The standards came into force on April 4, 2022, when the province's open igaming market launched with private operators registered with the AGCO and under contract with iGaming Ontario.
Definition
- Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming
- Outcome based rules that apply to OLG for its internet gaming site, to iGaming Ontario and to every registered internet gaming operator in Ontario, with some standards also applying to gaming-related suppliers. The marketing and advertising section was last updated May 14, 2026 when checked.
The AGCO describes its approach as standards based rather than prescriptive. Operators are expected to design their own controls to reach each outcome and keep records that show how. In its February 2024 guidance, the AGCO also says it does not pre-approve advertisements or act as a review panel, so the operator carries the judgment, and the evidence, for each campaign.
| Standard | What it requires | Who it reaches in a media plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1.19 | Operators are responsible for the actions of third parties they contract with | Agencies, affiliates and media partners |
| 1.21 | Marketing affiliates for an operator must not also market sites that accept Ontario players without AGCO registration | Affiliate and referral publishers |
| 2.03 | No targeting of underage, high-risk or self-excluded people; no media directed primarily to minors | Every placement and audience choice |
| 2.04 | Marketing must be truthful and must not misrepresent gaming | Creative and landing pages |
| 2.05 to 2.07 | Inducements, bonuses and credits only on the operator's site and in direct marketing after active consent | Display, video, social, search and affiliate copy |
| 2.08 | Advertising and marketing materials shall contain a responsible gambling message | All creative |
What did the AGCO change about athletes in ads?
On August 29, 2023 (opens in a new tab), the AGCO announced amendments to Standard 2.03 after consulting in April 2023 with mental health and public health organizations, responsible gambling experts, operators, broadcast and marketing groups and the public. The changes took effect on February 28, 2024. The AGCO said it had identified athletes, and celebrities with an appeal to minors, as a potential harm to those under the legal gaming age.
| Point | Before | From February 28, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Celebrities and similar figures | Content with a primary appeal to minors was prohibited | No cartoon figures, symbols, role models, social media influencers, celebrities or entertainers who would likely be expected to appeal to minors |
| Athletes | No athlete specific rule | No active or retired athletes with an agreement with an operator or supplier, except for the exclusive purpose of advocating responsible gambling |
The AGCO's implementation guidance (opens in a new tab), dated February 8, 2024, explains the scope. Athlete refers to professional and amateur athletes who gained notoriety as athletes, and the AGCO names players in the major North American leagues, the Premier League and Olympians as examples. The requirement is broad enough to include eSports, darts and bowling, but not casual participants in local sports who are not known as athletes.
Which content and audiences must gambling ads avoid?
Standard 2.03 lists where gambling marketing must not go. Materials shall not appear in media and venues, including on websites and in digital or online media, directed primarily to minors, or where most of the audience is reasonably expected to be minors. Billboards and other outdoor displays directly adjacent to schools or other primarily youth-oriented locations are out too. The AGCO's guidance defines minors as those under the legal age for gaming in Ontario, 19 for casino gaming and sports betting on igaming sites.
The guidance adds that targeting young adults in advertising and marketing campaigns may carry greater risk of potential appeal to minors, and the AGCO expects registrants to take extra caution. Standard 2.03 also bars targeting high-risk players and self-excluded people. Since May 14, 2026, that includes people enrolled in iGaming Ontario's Centralized Self-Exclusion program (opens in a new tab), launched that day.
Audience and content checks for an Ontario igaming site list
- No site, channel or section on the list is directed primarily to minors.
- No placement is in media where most of the audience is reasonably expected to be minors.
- Youth sports, school, gaming and family entertainment content is reviewed for its likely audience before it stays on.
- Campaigns aimed at young adults carry the extra caution the AGCO guidance asks for.
- No creative on the list uses athletes, or influencers and celebrities likely to appeal to minors.
- No public placement shows a bonus, credit, promotional code or other inducement.
- Audience lists exclude self-excluded and known high-risk players.
The inducement rule shapes inventory as much as creative. The AGCO's March 2022 notice (opens in a new tab) says public advertising of inducements, bonuses and credits is strictly prohibited, including targeted advertising and algorithm-based ads, and that indirect forms such as promotional codes count. It applies across channels, naming affiliate links and descriptions, player referrals, search engine results and chat rooms.
How do Ontario rules apply to ads from outside Ontario?
The standards bind registrants, not the internet at large, so they reach outside advertising through the operator. Standard 1.19 makes operators responsible for third parties they contract with and requires those parties to act as if bound by the same standards. Standard 1.21 bars an operator's marketing affiliates from also promoting gaming sites that accept Ontario players without AGCO registration, and Standard 1.22 requires operators and suppliers to cease unregulated activities that would need registration in Ontario's market.
Platform policy adds a provincial boundary. Google's gambling and games policy (opens in a new tab) allows online gambling ads in Canada with certification, and says operators of sports betting, online casinos and fantasy sports must be licensed by the relevant province and target only that province. Its policy also requires a landing page with responsible gambling information and never targeting minors.
| Role | How the standards reach it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registered operator | Directly, for all its advertising and marketing | Registrar's Standards |
| Gaming-related supplier | Directly for standards marked as applying to suppliers, including 2.03 | Registrar's Standards |
| Agency, affiliate or media partner | Through the operator's responsibility for third parties | Standards 1.19 and 1.21 |
| Publisher carrying the ad | Through the operator's placement choices and contracts | Standards 1.19 and 2.03 |
How should gambling placements be geo restricted?
Two separate geography rules apply. For play, Standard 3.02 says games shall be provided only within Ontario, unless offered with another province's government, and requires operators to detect and monitor player location and block unverified attempts. For ads, Google requires a provincially licensed operator to target only that province. A site list chooses where ads can appear; the buying platform's location settings decide who sees them.
Five steps to set up an Ontario igaming placement list
- Set Ontario as the only target location. In Google Ads, the Presence option (opens in a new tab) reaches people in or regularly in the location, rather than people who have only shown interest in it.
- Build the list from adult audiences. Keep sites that are made for adults and popular in Canada, and remove media directed primarily to minors.
- Strip inducements from public creative. Keep bonus and credit offers for the operator's site and consented direct marketing.
- Review every person in the creative. Check athletes, influencers and celebrities against the 2.03 tests and record the assessment.
- Audit partners and affiliates. Confirm that no affiliate on the plan also promotes unregistered sites.
Fictional example
An Ottawa poker operator near the Quebec border
A fictional registered online poker operator plans a display and online video campaign for adults in Ottawa and eastern Ontario, beside poker strategy, card game and entertainment news content. Many of the sites its agency considers are read on both sides of the Ottawa River, in Ottawa and in Gatineau, Quebec.
The agency sets Ontario as the only location with presence based targeting, removes a gaming community site whose readers skew young, and replaces a creative that featured a retired hockey player with one built on game footage. The welcome bonus appears only on the operator's site and in consented email.
How can PlacementGraph help build a gambling brand's site list?
PlacementGraph builds the site list, the step where placements are chosen.
Frequently asked questions
Does the AGCO pre-approve igaming ads?
In its February 8, 2024 guidance, the AGCO says it does not pre-approve advertisements or act as a review panel. Registrants are responsible for developing and documenting their own processes, making judgments on internally established criteria, and having control activities in place to meet the Registrar's Standards.
Can an Ontario igaming ad mention a welcome bonus?
Standard 2.05 allows inducements, bonuses and credits only on the operator's gaming site and in direct marketing after active player consent. The AGCO's guidance says this prohibits all public advertising, including targeted advertising and algorithm-based ads. Offers must disclose material conditions and may not be called free or risk-free if players risk their own money.
Does the athlete rule stop team sponsorships and jersey logos?
The AGCO's February 2024 guidance says the athlete requirement is not intended to prevent the use of game footage, operator logo placements on helmets or jerseys, or the sponsorship of teams by operators, provided all other requirements of Standard 2.03 are met. It targets the use of recognized athletes in advertising and marketing materials.
Do Ontario igaming ads need a responsible gambling message?
Standard 2.08 says advertising and marketing materials shall contain a responsible gambling message. Separately, Standard 2.09 requires the registration page and player account pages to display a responsible gambling statement, the online link and the number for ConnexOntario, with a link to help resources.
Sources
- Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming (opens in a new tab)Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario
- AGCO to ban athletes in Ontario's igaming advertising to protect minors (opens in a new tab)Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, August 29, 2023
- AGCO releases guidance to support implementation of revised Standard for igaming (opens in a new tab)Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, February 8, 2024
- Important Information for Advertising and Marketing in Ontario's New Igaming Market (opens in a new tab)Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, March 16, 2022
- AGCO's Centralized Self-Exclusion Standards Are Now in Effect (opens in a new tab)Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, May 14, 2026
- Gambling and games (opens in a new tab)Google Advertising Policies Help
- About advanced location options (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.