Share 
An unregulated gambling site based in Comoros is targeting Alberta gamers with ads that use AI and fakery.
Both Edmonton-raised soccer star Alphonso Davies and the River Cree Resort and Casino have been targeted by social media ads that lead the user back to Oxibet, a site which allows Albertans to sign up and play, but is not regulated by the Alberta iGaming Corporation.
Alberta online casinos launched in mid-July. And though there are 30 regulated sites operating at the moment, the offshore black-market sites are still working to either lure new Alberta-based players or keep the ones they have from migrating to the legal marketplace.
On Instagram, there’s a video — generated by AI — which shows Davies’s father being arrested, and a safe full of money in his house. The narrator explains that there is $3 million CAD in a safe. Later, we find out the charges are dropped, and that the father of the Bayern Munich and Canadian national team superstar won it all via online gambling.
These fake social media ads have enraged the Davies’ camp. His agent, Nedal Huoseh, said “they are lying” and said he will use legal avenues to stop these ads.
He said that Davies’s family does not gamble.
“Alphonso does not do anything with betting or gambling sites whatsoever,” Huoseh said, “As well, nothing with alcohol or cannabis.”
There is another campaign that takes advantage of the River Cree, located on Enoch First Nation just west of Edmonton. The River Cree, which is the largest casino in Alberta, has received pre-approval from the AIGC to launch a legal online gambling platform. But it isn’t ready yet.
But this ad shows an image of the casino along with the logo, and advertises that its online site is now live. When the ad is clicked, the user is taken to Oxibet. Because there are River Cree customers who know an online gaming site is coming soon, this ad feels all too real.
River Cree has already had to battle a knockoff gaming site that was using its name and logo.
“The River Cree Resort and Casino does not offer online gaming at this time. Be cautious of unauthorized accounts or false claims,” reads a statement from the casino.
There is little that regulators can do to stop AI ads from being posted to Meta platforms. The advice from the Alberta government is for players to be vigilant; all legitimate sites must display the AIGC logo prominently on all of their promotional materials.
As well, Alberta’s laws do not allow for celebrities to endorse betting. They can only appear in responsible gambling promotions. That alone would have been a red flag with the fake Davies campaign.
