Ontario sports betting regulators are calling on the media for help in shutting down the black market.
This week, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario said it has communicated with more than a dozen media companies to stop promoting unregulated Ontario sports betting operators. That includes companies like Bodog, which the AGCO called out specifically in its release.
“The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and ensuring they have the safest experience by playing on regulated igaming sites,” AGCO CEO and Registrar Karin Schnarr said.
“By refusing to carry advertising from unregulated and high-risk operators like Bodog, media organizations can exemplify social responsibility and play an important role in protecting Ontarians and supporting Ontario’s regulated market.”
Pushing regulated Ontario sports betting
The AGCO said Bodog and other unregulated operators continue to target Ontario bettors, which undermines player protection and other safeguards provided by the regulated market.
Ontario regulators are asking for “legitimate media platforms” to stop promoting the unregulated gambling operators.
“By doing so, broadcasters and digital media companies will help reduce the risks these sites pose to Ontarians and support the long-term sustainability of Ontario’s regulated igaming market – all key objectives of the AGCO,” the release said.
The AGCO did note that Bodog blocks users in Quebec and Nova Scotia.
Ontario advertising guidelines
The call for help to stop the promotion of black market operators should not be surprising. Stakeholders have focused on advertising and promotions in Ontario from the beginning.
Since launch, operators could not advertise promos without a bettor explicitly opting in. Early on in the market, the AGCO fined multiple operators for violating guidelines.
In 2023, the AGCO updated its gambling standards to prohibit the use of active or retired athletes in advertising.
Eliminating the gray market
One of the main goals of opening the online gambling market to commercial operators was to shut down the black and gray market. Multiple operators like bet365 and Betway were offering unregulated sports betting in Ontario before the market opened.
The AGCO provided a sunset period for gray market operators after the regulated launch of commercial operators in April 2022. After the October 2022 sunset, the AGCO was happy with the transfer of online operators.
“A key objective of the AGCO has been to move igaming operators and suppliers into Ontario’s regulated market as quickly and as seamlessly as possible,” an AGCO spokesperson wrote at the time. “The AGCO established a process for existing operators and suppliers in the unregulated market without causing significant interruption to their Ontario customer base.”
