Wayne Gretzky is out, but Peyton Manning is in.
Those aren’t lines you’d expect to read in relation to Canada, but since Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) released the latest update to its gambling advertising rules on Feb. 8, the “Great One” might need to follow in the “Sheriff’s” footsteps going forward. Gretzy will no longer be able to appear in the kitchy sports betting ads with Connor McDavid that BetMGM aired last year, but Manning will be able to continue his responsible gambling ads for Caesars Sportsbook.
The AGCO wrote that it prioritized consumer protections, particularly those aimed at people under the age of 19 and “other potentially vulnerable” groups, when it promulgated rules ahead of the April 2022 launch of mobile sports betting apps, and last year, the agency announced it was further strengthening the guidelines. The legal age for retail and online casino and in-person and online sports betting in Canada is 19.
Twenty days before the latest iteration of the rules go into effect, the AGCO shared clarified versions of them, which, as expected, prohibit gaming operators or suppliers from using any “active or retired athlete … in advertising and marketing except for the exclusive purpose of advocating for responsible gambling practices.”