Canada Struggles with Online Gambling Scams

Authorities have warned customers in Canada about the proliferation of online gambling scams. As it turns out, illicit entities have been impersonating existing operators online, claiming to offer licensed gaming.

These Phishing Attempts Are Not Unique to Canada

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) spoke with gaming news outlet CDC Gaming on the matter, saying that these scams are elaborate phishing attempts seeking to steal customer data. The police explained that such entities are most often after people’s personal information and credit card numbers.

The OPP elaborated that the scammers are impersonating existing casinos and claiming to offer online gaming. Casinos whose names have been used by the scammers include the likes of Dakota Dunes Casino and Casino Regina, among others.

This type of scam isn’t unique to Ontario either. Tribal gambling operators in the US state of Washington recently reported seeing similar scams. Representatives of the operators who investigated the matter downloaded the apps themselves and tried to play only to be greeted by a message saying that they could not place online wagers in Washington. This led them to the conclusion that this was an elaborate phishing attempt rather than illegal gambling.

The Scam Impersonated Casinos in Saskatchewan 

The casinos impersonated by the scammers in Canada, however, do not even offer online gambling. However, fraudulent ads have leveraged their brands in hopes of misleading customers and stealing their information. These ads have been popping up across social media, swaying unexpecting customers into providing sensitive information to the fraudsters.

In the province of Saskatchewan, scammer groups have been trying to exploit the demand for online gaming. Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan’s vice president of gaming, Steve Tunison pointed out that the fraudsters have been using stolen imagery to make their ads appear credible. Because of that, the LGS advised players to remain vigilant and not click on any such links. Tunison reminded players that, at least in Saskatchewan, there is only one legal online gaming platform.  

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 our province.

Steve Tunison, VP of gaming, LGS

Authorities Are Aware of the Issued

Saskatchewan regulators said that they are aware of the issue. Alanna Adamko, a spokesperson for Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA), acknowledged that this scam is not unique to the province and has been targeting a variety of casinos and other businesses across North America.

Adamko added that the SIGA, which operates seven casinos in Saskatchewan, has been working with the province authorities to crack down on these scams.

However, preventing such fraud has proven to be a difficult endeavor. The OPP noted that these scams are being run by highly organized criminal groups and that trying to squash all of them has been like playing “whack a mole.”