What the AGCO’s Advertising Rules Mean for Ontario Players

Ontario remains one of the few places where regulated online casinos and sportsbooks cannot publicly advertise bonuses, free spins or other gambling inducements. The rule, Standard 2.05 of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, has applied since the regulated market opened on 4 April 2022. The AGCO last changed the surrounding advertising standards on 14 May 2026, when BetGuard, the province’s centralized self-exclusion program, went live.

That amendment widened Standard 2.03, which already barred marketing aimed at minors, high-risk players and people who had self-excluded with an individual operator, so that it also protects people enrolled in BetGuard. The same day, the legislature defeated Bill 107, the Stop Harmful Gambling Advertising Act, 2026, a bill from four Ontario Liberal MPPs that would have banned iGaming advertising almost entirely. It lost at second reading, 33 votes to 60.

What the standards allow and prohibit

Standard 2.05 prohibits advertising and marketing that communicates gambling inducements, bonuses and credits, except on an operator’s own gaming site and in direct marketing sent after a player has actively consented. The AGCO’s guidance is explicit that bonuses themselves are not banned. What is banned is public advertising of them, including targeted and algorithm-based ads; direct marketing means channels such as email, text, phone calls and social media direct messages.

Two companion rules govern how an offer is presented. Standard 2.06 requires all material conditions to be disclosed when the offer first appears on the gaming site, with the rest no more than one click away, and bars operators from calling an offer “free” or “risk-free” if the player has to risk or lose their own money. Standard 2.07 requires an opt-in for bonus marketing and a way to withdraw that consent at any time.

The standards reach beyond bonuses. Since 28 February 2024, operators have been barred from using active or retired athletes in advertising except to promote responsible gambling, and from using celebrities, influencers or entertainers likely to appeal to minors. Standard 2.04 requires marketing to be truthful and prohibits any product or promotion that is not reasonably attainable without incurring substantial losses.

How the AGCO has enforced them

The regulator’s published penalties show where the lines fall. In the market’s first months it fined BetMGM Canada $48,000 and PointsBet Canada $30,000 in May 2022 over social media posts and GO train posters, Crown DK CAN Ltd., the DraftKings entity, $100,000 in June 2022 over boosted-odds promotions on television and social media, and Unibet ON Inc. $48,000 that August over broad “welcome offer” ads.

Later cases went further than conventional advertising. In March 2025 the AGCO imposed $110,000 in penalties on BetMGM Canada after marketing companies working for it offered members of the public cash to open and fund accounts, including at a national franchise trade show. The regulator said one affiliate’s activity produced 377 sign-ups and reminded operators that they are responsible for the third parties they hire. In June 2025 it issued a $54,000 penalty to Well Played Media, Unipessoal LDA, operator of Casino Days, alleging a deceptive welcome offer that encouraged high-risk play and hid key terms behind several links. The AGCO’s analysis found the average player would lose more trying to qualify than the bonus was worth. Operators can appeal such penalties to the Licence Appeal Tribunal.

What it means for players in Ontario

In practice, a bonus pitch in a public place is itself a warning sign. That includes a billboard, a sponsored social post, a search ad or a stranger offering cash for a sign-up. Regulated operators may show offers only inside their own sites and apps, or in messages you have agreed to receive. A site that promotes bonuses publicly is either breaking Ontario’s rules or is not part of the regulated market at all, so check it in iGaming Ontario’s directory or with the Ontario casino checker before opening an account.

The rules also work in players’ favour once they are on a regulated site. Because conditions must be shown when an offer is first presented, it is reasonable to read the wagering requirement, time limit and maximum-bet rule before opting in, and you can withdraw consent to bonus marketing at any time. The guide to casino bonuses in Ontario explains which terms matter. If you think an operator has broken the advertising standards, the AGCO’s complaints page says advertising complaints can go straight to the regulator rather than first through the operator’s own process; the complaints guide covers both routes.

The debate over going further

Bill 107 would have amended the Gaming Control Act, 1992 to stop iGaming operators, and anyone acting for them, from advertising or promoting their sites, with fines of up to $100,000 for individuals and $1 million for corporations. Its preamble cited a 144 per cent increase in calls to ConnexOntario, the province’s mental health and addictions helpline, after the market opened. With the bill defeated, the AGCO’s standards remain the framework: operators may still advertise their brands, but not the inducements. The AGCO and iGaming Ontario explainer sets out which body does what.