The AGCO has officially forbidden the use of athletes in advertisements for online casinos in Ontario.

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Beginning next year, you won't encounter athletes or any well-known personalities who appeal to younger audiences in these advertisements.Ontario online casinos advertising.

On Tuesday, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario introduced new guidelines aimed at preventing online casino and sports betting companies from featuring current or former athletes in their promotional content. However, there are exceptions for advertisements that advocate for responsible gambling.

In addition to athletes, the province’s gaming regulators also prohibited social media influencers and other entertainers, as well as symbols, role models, and cartoon characters that are likely to attract young audiences. This is a shift from existing rules that only disallowed characters and figures whose primary appeal was to children.

"Children and teenagers are significantly impacted by the athletes and celebrities they admire,\" said Tom Mungham, the Registrar and CEO of AGCO. \"Thus, we are enhancing our efforts to safeguard Ontario's youth by prohibiting the promotion of online betting through these influential figures.\" statement from the AGCO In Ontario, the legal gambling age is set at 19. The newly implemented rules will take effect on February 28, 2024.

These new stipulations might influence a select number of gaming operators.

AGCO announced the suggested changes in regulations back in April, exactly a year after the inception of legalized online casinos and gaming operators in Ontario. Since that time, regulators have indicated their intent to modify regulations to keep pace with the evolving industry.

These new regulations are expected to have the most significant effect on certain gaming companies. For instance, BetMGM has partnerships with NHL legends like Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, while Bet99 has an endorsement arrangement with Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews and former NHL player Matthew Barnaby.Ontario sports betting Messages sent to BetMGM and Bet99 were not answered as of Tuesday morning.

FanDuel has association deals with several athletes, including golfers Justin Spieth and Will Zalatoris, as well as retired sports icons Rob Gronkowski and Charles Barkley.

Alongside the ban on athlete and celebrity involvement, AGCO has also revised another regulation that relates to marketing aimed at individuals who may be considered high-risk gamblers. The current guideline advises operators to implement \"precautions\", which will now be updated to specify \"measures\".

Regulators have stated their intention to provide more detailed information regarding these regulatory changes soon.

The recent rule modifications in Ontario come in the wake of a Canadian senator, who had previously advocated for the legalization of single-event sports betting nationwide, urging the federal government to engage in gaming regulation.

Senator Marty Deacon, ISG-Ontario, sponsors Senate Bill 269, which aims for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to establish a comprehensive framework to regulate sports betting advertisements. Back in June, Deacon expressed to deereplanet.com the necessity of the bill due to the overwhelming number of sports betting ads being broadcast in Canada, which are reaching audiences of all ages, including minors.

Canadian Senator Wants More

Although the senator is currently attending a conference in Europe, she issued a statement to OntarioBets on Tuesday appreciating the news from AGCO but still finding it insufficient.

"While this is a positive development, I would have preferred if they had gone further, for instance, allowing gambling ads on television only during restricted hours, as was recently set in the UK,\" Deacon stated. \"Additionally, there remains a necessity for a unified set of national standards that gambling firms need to follow across Canada.\"Ontario betting apps Other provinces are not obligated to adopt AGCO's regulations if they opt to oversee iGaming themselves.

"Advertising and broadcasting easily cross provincial lines, and a mishmash of varied rules throughout the country will only create confusion and fail to protect vulnerable populations,\" she added. \"Bill S-269 aims to ensure that the federal government collaborates with the provinces to formulate a cohesive set of national standards – today’s announcement is a positive initial step – and I will continue advocating for its swift approval when Parliament reconvenes in the fall.\"

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