The Government of Saskatchewan warned residents on Wednesday not to fall for fraudulent advertising of apparent online casinos in the province, the latest alarm bell sounded in Canada over fake casino ads.
In the week in which the latest Canadian Football League (CFL) season gets up and running, Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (LGS) reminded the Saskatchewan public that the government-run PlayNow.com platform is the only approved and regulated online gaming platform in the province.
No Saskatchewan casinos have online versions
A Saskatchewan government-issued press release stated that fake casino ads typically copy the names, logos and images of actual land-based casinos in the province, none of which have an associated or authorized online or mobile gambling platform. The government warned that the entities behind fake advertising defraud people by stealing credit card numbers and other banking information.
“If you see a social media ad for an online version of Casino Regina or any other land-based casino in the province, don’t click on it,” said LGS Vice President of Gaming Steve Tunison. “None of Saskatchewan’s land-based casinos have an online version where you can bet on sports or wager on a casino-style game, and neither does the province’s VLT program.”
140+ fraudulent Saskatchewan casino ads removed in six months
Tunison added that LGS, the crown corporation that oversees the land-based and online lottery and gaming industry in Saskatchewan, has contracted a “brand impersonation takedown service” to identify fake casino ads, which often try to direct social media users to unapproved websites.
“In the first six months of using this service, it has identified and helped remove more than 140 fraudulent ads that were targeting Saskatchewan people by impersonating one of our province’s casinos,” added Tunison.
Fraudulent casino advertising not a new issue
LGS and Tunison issued a similar warning in early 2025, stressing that fake casino ads are an ongoing issue for land-based casinos across North America, including Casino Regina, Casino Moose Jaw, and Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) casinos such as Dakota Dunes.
The issue has also been reported for years by operators and regulators in other provinces across Canada, as well as national entities like the Canadian Gaming Association.
Multiple other crown lottery corporations have previously warned players about fake casino ads implying that land-based venues are offering iGaming, including:
- Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC)
- Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)
- British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)
- Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL)
CGA President Paul Burns wrote as far back as spring 2024 that “virtually every land-based casino brand in the country has had its brand highjacked to promote fraudulent online sites in the past several months.”
Great Canadian Gaming a recurring victim across Canada
Major Canadian casino operator Great Canadian Entertainment keeps a list on its website of known instances of fraudulent advertising using the names or likenesses of its properties across. It notes that at least five of its properties have been targeted by fake casino ads in the first half of 2026 across numerous separate incidents.
“It’s a never-ending cycle,” the company’s Executive Vice President of External Relations and Business Development, Chuck Keeling, told Canadian Gaming Business last year.
“And these online sites that pretend to be casinos are not operating in the shadows, either. It’s in broad daylight. It takes advantage of the confusion in the marketplace as to what’s a legitimate site and what isn’t.”
Many of the fake casino ads called out by Canadian governments and gaming stakeholders continue to show up on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. Those platforms’ parent company, Meta, purported last year to have clamped down on gambling advertising, but numerous reports continue to emerge of fraudulent casino advertising continuing on the apps.
CGA Senior Vice President of Policy and Communication Amanda Brewer wrote an op-ed for the summer 2026 issue of Canadian Gaming Business magazine that shines a spotlight on the pervasiveness of the issue.
