Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan Warn About Scam Casino Ads

The commercial Crown corporation responsible for overseeing gaming policy and management in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (LGS), has issued a warning regarding a series of Facebook scam advertisements. 

The corporation, which granted $1.36 million in charitable gaming grants to 800 groups and organizations in the province in Q1 of the 2023-24 fiscal year, raised the issue of several scam ads on Facebook that resemble advertisements for Casinos Moose Jaw and Regina. 

Scammers Did a Very Good Job

According to LGS’s director of communications, Brian Miller, scammers used “fairly sophisticated” graphics designs to make the advertisements appear to be legitimate, even though they were not. 

With the help of graphic lifting aimed at the casinos’ branding and imaging, the scammers managed to create the illusion of an “online advertisement that does look somewhat legitimate,” as explained by Miller.  

The official further stated that since the two casinos owned and operated by SaskGaming do not have online platforms for gambling, there is no reason for them to collect any credit card and banking information from players. 

Miller emphasized the only legitimate and safe gaming platform for online players in the province is PlayNow.com. The public should therefore ignore the scam ads asking them to join these online casinos or download casino apps to play online.

How to Report Fake Ads

LGS only recently noticed the scam ads for Casinos Moose Jaw and Regina but quickly found out that additional Canadian casinos have experienced similar scam casino ad pop-ups in the last few months. 

For the time being, the Crown corporation that channels back a large part of the revenue it generates via gaming into the province has only reported the fake ads seen on Facebook. Residents are advised to keep an eye on other special media platforms including Instagram and X. 

Moreover, anyone who comes across these ads online on their Facebook feed is advised to report them to Facebook or to any online channel they are noticed on. 

The reporting procedure on Facebook is fairly easy and requires users to click on the three dots in the right-hand corner on top of the post and choose the “Report Post” option.

Miller reminded the public that while the fake ads “get reported promptly” and are taken down, scammers have no problem generating additional fake accounts along with slightly different versions of the same ads. 

LGS has already officially reported the scam to the police. Saskatchewan residents need to exercise caution when providing credit card and banking information online to unknown sources.