They must ensure they do not meet the description of celebrities, influencers, role models or entertainers who would likely be expected to appeal to minors
There are probably thousands of kids in Ontario who have a poster of Wayne Gretzky on their bedroom wall.
Daniel Negreanu? Probably not so much.
But the fact that young Ontarians are far more likely to recognize The Great One rather than Kid Poker illustrates the point that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has been trying to make for nearly a year — that athletes and celebrities who appeal to minors should be barred from advertising and marketing that promotes igaming in the province.
AGCO told pokerfuse in an exclusive that professional poker players like Negreanu can appear in such materials without running afoul of tighter advertising and marketing standards scheduled to take effect on February 28 — so long as they don’t appeal to minors.
“If iGaming operators consider using poker players in their ads, they must ensure they do not meet the description of celebrities, influencers, role models or entertainers who would likely be expected to appeal to minors,” AGCO said Friday.
It’s a clarification that’s been a long time coming. Last September, in the wake of confusion surrounding the tighter standards, AGCO said its new guidelines “do not provide specific designations, such as a classification for 'professional poker players.’”
Negreanu represents GGPoker, which operates in the regulated Ontario online poker market (commonly known there as WSOP Ontario). As a Toronto native and twice-winner of the WSOP Player of the Year, he features heavily in GGPoker marketing both in Ontario and globally.
Regulator Clarifies Definition of “Athlete”
AGCO first announced its intentions to tighten Standard 2.03, which covers marketing and advertising rules for the igaming industry, in April 2023. The regulator said it would discuss the idea with various stakeholders and extended public comments into mid-May.
But confusion reigned, and the regulator told pokerfuse last September that it planned to provide additional guidance to operators “in the coming weeks.” The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) added that AGCO would hold several industry roundtables in early November on the advertising standards.
“We appreciate that there is confusion as to who is considered a celebrity or an active or retired athlete,” CGA told pokerfuse at the time.
Earlier this month, AGCO tried to clear any lingering confusion over who is considered an “athlete.” In update guidance, the regulator said that term includes Olympic athletes, plus current and retired players from the NHL, CFL, NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the Premier League.
Retired. NHL. That clearly means no Gretzky, and no ads in the Ontario market like the one BetMGM released during Super Bowl LVIII that featured No. 99.
But Gretzky, and other athletes, could still appear in ads promoting responsible gambling.
“This requirement is broad,” AGCO said in its February 8 guidance. “It encompasses a wide range of athletes from various sports and would include examples such as eSports, darts, and bowling.”
Social Media Stars Popular With Minors Also Banned From Ads
AGCO also banned “social media influencers” that appeal to minors from advertising and marketing for iGaming.
Bloggers, streamers, and other content creators are the ones being targeted.
“While the AGCO recognizes the fluid nature of individuals’ appeal to different groups, given that public interest and appeal is dynamic, we encourage registrants to use their judgement to determine whether the individual likely appeals to minors,” the regulator said.
“The intent is that persons or characters with a public presence that is likely appealing to minors, regardless of the type of individual, should not be used.”
