Another series of fraudulent casino ads has struck Canada, this time in Alberta. Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) is warning players in the province about social media ads implying that land-based venues are offering igaming. Meanwhile, the group is reiterating iGaming is only offered legally in the province by PlayAlberta, operated by AGLC.

“None of Alberta’s 29 casinos or racing entertainment centres are licensed to offer online gaming. Using these apps or accessing these social media ads may put a user’s personal information at risk,” the regulator stated in a press release.

“Along with inauthentic ads for land-based gaming venues, there has been an increase in counterfeit applications for PlayAlberta.ca on both the Apple and Android app stores,” it added.

Players are advised to be vigilant and look for signs of authenticity in ads, such as using the correct, official name of the venue and being cautious when asked to share financial information.

This latest spell of fraudulent advertising comes after a rise in scam ads targeting players in Manitoba, Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with questionable advertisers looking to commit identity theft by luring unsuspecting players to sign up for fake online casinos.

In early January, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL) warned about fraudulent posts on Facebook advertising non-existent online gaming apps for Club Regent Casino and McPhillips Station in Winnipeg. Despite efforts to report these ads from the Crown corporation to Facebook’s parent company, Meta, the fake ads persist.

In Québec, Loto-Québec has dealt with similar fraudulent ads promoting a non-existent Lac-Leamy app, and Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia has alerted the public about Instagram and Facebook scams using unauthorized photos and false promotions.