Advertising of iGaming

(internet gaming including sports/events betting)

Information for advertisers and consumers

Background

Ontario launched an iGaming market on April 4, 2022. To support this new market, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) established a regulatory framework including a set of standards for operators of internet gaming sites (including sports and events betting) called the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.

In 2025, the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), in partnership with the gaming industry, developed a Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising (the CGA Code). This code is administered by Ad Standards who will accept complaints as of January 1, 2026. The CGA Code applies in addition to the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.

The CGA Code sets forth principles that guide gaming advertisers in their promotional efforts, providing a benchmark for acceptable and socially responsible advertising within the Canadian gaming industry.

Ad Standards Role in Consumer Complaints Related to iGaming Advertising

Ad Standards is responsible for administering complaints that fall under the CGA Code, which comes into effect on January 1, 2026. It applies to all advertising of gambling, gaming or betting, in all forms, communicated to Canadians in any medium by CGA members and any other signatories to this Code.

As with most advertising in Canada, the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (the Code) also applies to the content of iGaming advertising. Consumer complaints provide valuable insight into how gambling ads are perceived by Canadians. As such, Ad Standards has produced Gambling Advertising Complaints: A Three-Year Review (April 2022 to April 2025) as an overview of complaints received under the Code.

The report is intended to provide industry with an overview of the number and nature of these complaints since the launch of iGaming in Ontario and prior to the launch of the GGA Advertising Code.

Members of the public are welcome to file a complaint with Ad Standards if they believe that a specific iGaming advertisement violates a provision of the CGA Code or the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards.

Read about how consumer complaints are handled under the CGA Code and how they are handled under the Code.

Please note that iGaming advertising is legal in Ontario subject to compliance with the Standards outlined above. As a result, the Standards Council does not adjudicate complaints related to the activity of iGaming advertising itself (including concerns about frequency and placement).