Ontario's regulated iGaming market has a new layer of accountability. As of January 1, 2026, Ad Standards — Canada's self-regulatory advertising body — began formally accepting and reviewing complaints about gambling advertisements under the Canadian Code for Advertising of Gambling. The shift gives Ontario players and the public a formal mechanism to challenge casino marketing that feels misleading, aggressive, or non-compliant — and early data suggests Ontario residents are using it.
The move is part of a broader maturation of Ontario's iGaming regulatory ecosystem. When the market opened in April 2022, the primary focus was licensing, operator compliance, and market channelization — pulling players away from offshore sites and into the regulated fold. That work has largely paid off: iGaming Ontario data shows over 83% of Ontario players now use licensed platforms, and the province collected more than $2 billion in cumulative tax revenue through 2025.
Now that the market is established, the AGCO and iGaming Ontario have shifted their attention to how operators are marketing to those players — and that is where Ad Standards comes in.
What Ad Standards Does for Ontario Casino Ads
Before 2026, gambling advertising complaints in Ontario were handled through a variety of channels — the AGCO's own standards, individual operator internal processes, and general consumer protection mechanisms. The integration of Ad Standards under the Canadian Code for Advertising of Gambling creates a single, transparent, publicly visible review process.
Under the Code, gambling advertisements must:
- Be clearly identifiable as advertising
- Not target minors or use content likely to appeal disproportionately to minors
- Not depict irresponsible gambling behaviour
- Not make misleading, false, or deceptive claims
- Include responsible gambling messaging where appropriate
When a complaint is upheld, Ad Standards can request that the operator modify or withdraw the advertisement. The process does not carry the same legal force as an AGCO enforcement action, but it creates real reputational risk — and operators who repeatedly ignore Ad Standards rulings can face escalation to the AGCO for potential licensing review.
Ontario Leads the Country in Gambling Ad Complaints
Ontario has not waited long to make its presence felt. Data from Ad Standards' review period covering April 2022 to April 2025 shows that Ontario generated the largest share of gambling advertising complaints of any Canadian province or territory. That is not necessarily a sign that Ontario's operators are worse behaved — it may reflect a more engaged and aware population of players and non-gamblers who are paying attention to how casino marketing appears in their communities and digital feeds.
What is notable is the type of complaints has shifted over time. In the early period after market launch, many complaints challenged the presence of gambling advertising itself — whether casinos should be advertising at all. More recently, the complaints have become more specific and targeted, focusing on the content of individual ads: the language used, the bonuses depicted, the visual imagery of bonus offers, and whether responsible gambling messaging was appropriately displayed.
This is a signal of a maturing market conversation. Rather than debating whether legal gambling should exist, Ontario residents are now scrutinizing how it is being marketed — a natural progression as the regulated market has become established.
The AGCO's Own Advertising Standards
It is important to note that Ad Standards is an additional layer, not a replacement. The AGCO's Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming already contain detailed requirements around marketing, inducements, and protections for vulnerable groups. Operators registered with the AGCO must comply with these standards as a condition of their licence, and the AGCO can take independent enforcement action against operators whose advertising crosses regulatory lines.
The Ad Standards process runs parallel to this. The key difference is accessibility: a player, a concerned family member, or a competitor can file an Ad Standards complaint without going through the AGCO's formal regulatory process. That lower barrier to filing may help surface issues that might otherwise go unreported.
What This Means for Ontario Casino Players
For Ontario players, the arrival of Ad Standards oversight is mostly a quiet reassurance — another system working in the background to keep the market honest. In practice, it means that if you see a casino advertisement that seems misleading — a bonus offer that does not match what is actually on the site, a promotion that appears to target minors, or an ad that encourages irresponsible gambling behaviour — there is now a formal channel to report it beyond just hoping the AGCO notices.
For the industry, the message is clear: growth and scale are no longer the primary measures of success in Ontario's regulated market. Advertising conduct, player protection outcomes, and public trust are increasingly the metrics that regulators — and the public — will use to judge the market.
Ontario's iGaming market crossed $10 billion in cumulative revenue in early 2026. With that scale comes scrutiny. The Ad Standards integration is one of the most concrete signals yet that Ontario's regulators intend to manage the market for the long term, not just grow it.
Key Takeaways
- Ad Standards now reviews gambling ad complaints in Ontario as of January 1, 2026 under the Canadian Code for Advertising of Gambling
- Ontario leads Canada in filed gambling ad complaints — reflecting both market size and an engaged public
- Complaint focus has shifted from whether gambling should be advertised to how it is being advertised
- Operators face dual accountability — Ad Standards review plus AGCO enforcement powers
- Players and concerned observers now have a formal, accessible channel to challenge questionable casino marketing
If you encounter a casino advertisement that seems misleading or inappropriate, you can file a complaint with Ad Standards at adstandards.ca. For regulatory issues specific to AGCO-licensed operators in Ontario, contact the AGCO directly at agco.ca.