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Ontario's Gambling Advertising Policies Tighten Restrictions on Promoting Bonuses

26 October 2026

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has implemented new standards that sharply limit how casinos and sportsbooks can advertise bonuses, further restricting the once-pervasive catchphrases of "free" and "risk-free" in gambling promotions.

New Bans on Wide-Reach Advertising

Under Standard 2.05, announced in 2022, the AGCO now bars the public advertising of gambling inducements, bonuses, and credits. Operators can only promote these perks on their gaming sites, through direct advertising, or after receiving active player consent. The rules apply to inducements advertised directly or indirectly, whether via promotional codes, player referrals, search engines, or forums.

This ban covers many common offers, as the AGCO includes elements like sign-up and deposit bonuses, "boosted" or refunded bets, winning payouts on losses, multibet and free spins promotions, under the definition of inducement. It also prohibits promoting these deals over broadcasting channels, including internet radio.

Permitted But Heavily Restrained

Operators can still run inducement promotions, but only within strict bounds. All material conditions and limits must be clear when the offer appears for the first time, the AGCO's Standard 2.06 says. Offers characterized as "free" must genuinely be free, and calls of "risk-free" are banned if players must incur a loss or risk cash to avail themselves of the deal.

In a 2025 "free play" promotions reminder, the AGCO stated that promotions marketed as "free" cannot require players to spend or risk their own money. Operators attempting to require prospective wagering losses as an eligibility condition are deemed non-compliant. Properly structured "free" offers must provide new players with credits they can use to play or keep, without obligating them to bet their own money.

Opt-In, But Opt-Out Too

Gaming sites must now require an opt-in process before sending direct advertising and marketing materials to players. They must also enable players to later withdraw consent, according to Standard 2.07.

Marketing materials must include a responsible gambling message, as per Standard 2.08. AGCO advises that promotions designed without boundaries that make them easily attainable can lead to extended, continuous, and impulsive play patterns.

Sports and Events Wagering Get the Same Treatment

The AGCO applies similar policies to its sports and event betting standards. Inducement marketing there is forbidden outside of operator websites, gaming sites, certain on-premises signage, or with direct marketing consent, per Standard 2.2.1. Casino-like sports offers, from accumulated bonuses to "boosted" odds, require the same disclosure timeline, "free" and "risk-free" ban, and opt-in regime.

AGCO Tightened Rules After Enforcement Issues

The AGCO didn't get to this point without enforcement challenges. The regulator has taken several enforcement actions over alleged advertising and inducement violations in the last 18 months. Operators receiving monetary penalties recently include BetMGM, PointBet, DraftKings, and Unibet for alleged infractions.

The AGCO signaled its intent to strictly oversee compliance in a March 2022 presentation to the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada. "Ontario has restricted the ability of iGaming operators to advertise inducements, bonuses and credits in the public domain," AGCO representatives said, "and approached these explicitly by limiting where they may be advertised – generally only on the operator’s website and through direct marketing to players."

The intent has been clear since then: by the end of 2022, AGCO had assessed nearly $800,000 in penalties to sportsbook operators in four enforcement actions. DraftKings was fined $100,000, Unibet $48,000, BetMGM $30,000, and PointsBet $15,000. Meanwhile, the AGCO has shifted from an initial compliance-focused approach to targeting persistent violations.