With the CFL’s regular season starting this week, Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (LGS) reminds sports betters and other online gamblers to be cautious of fake casino ads on social media.
Saskatchewan people who wish to gamble online can do so safely and securely on PlayNow.com, which is the only legal online gaming platform in the province.
“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,” LGS Vice President of Gaming Steve Tunison said. “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.”
LGS encourages anyone who spots this type of fraudulent ad to report it promptly and directly to the online channel where it appeared, such as Facebook, X or Instagram. Suspected fraud and cybercrime can also be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/report-signalez-eng.htm or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
“LGS has contracted with a brand impersonation takedown service to identify these types of threats and help remove them from the Internet,” Tunison said. “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.”
These scam ads, which typically copy the names, logos and exterior images of actual land-based casinos, are an ongoing issue for casino operators across North America. Scammers use these online ads to defraud people by stealing credit card numbers and other banking information.